There Is No Victory Without Sovereignty, Part 2.
Reflections from the July 21 Sovereignty Conference at the Knesset.
This is Part 2 of a three-part series sharing reflections from the Sovereignty Conference I attended yesterday in the Knesset.
In Part 1, I introduced the day and shared the powerful opening by Yotam Zimri. Part 2 now brings you highlights from two pivotal speeches: Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. Part 3 summarizes messages from the remaining speakers.
Amir Ohana: “We are not occupiers in Judea and Samaria”
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana stepped up to the podium to deliver the first speech of the day. He began by reminding participants that exactly a year ago, the Knesset passed a declaration by a majority of coalition and opposition MKs (68 in total) stating their opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
This, he said, reflects the simple truth that has long gone unspoken:
In 1967, with the victory of the Six-Day War, foreign occupation of Jewish land ended.
The Jewish people are not, and cannot be, occupiers in a land that for over 3000 years has been called Judea. We can be exiled from it, but, thank God, we have returned home.
The Cave of the Patriarchs, The Temple Mount, Joseph’s Tomb, all of these and more, Ohana explained, are symbols of Jewish life and history and they are in Judea and Samaria.
Without Judea and Samaria, the birthplace of the Jewish People, there is no security.
Our rights to Tel Aviv, Netanya, Jerusalem, and Haifa all rest upon our rights in Judea and Samaria. It is Israel's present-day ‘Iron Wall’.
Withdrawing from land ignites the blood-lust of our enemies as we have seen emanating from Gaza.
We absolutely must not repeat that mistake.
Just as Israel applied sovereignty to the Golan Heights despite protests, and just imagine what we would be experiencing from Syria had we not done so, so, too, must we apply sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, Ohana stated emphatically.
Until we extend our sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, we will continue to build homes and settlements.
David Friedman: “From the river to the sea — Israel will be free”
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman expressed his regret that during his ambassadorial term Israel and the US did not start the sovereignty process.
On campuses they chant 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' and I say 'From the river to the sea, Israel will be free.'
You can watch his full remarks in the video below. They were in English. Unfortunately, I missed recording the beginning, but I remember his first point clearly:
1. The decision to apply sovereignty is Israel’s alone to make.
Many Americans supported it, but Israel must decide. And it is Israel that must deal with the consequences, not Washington.
2. Israel’s longest border is undefined. That cannot continue.
There is no consensus on where Israel ends. Retreating to the “suicide borders of 1967” is not an option.
If you say again and again that you want sovereignty, but do not act on it, you lose credibility.
3. It is time to move from conceptualizing to action.
During his time as ambassador, committees and mapping sessions were held.
This is not a whim or a land grab. It’s a win–win for everyone. Israeli sovereignty will better enable the fight against terror.
4. Build national consensus.
Yes, it might pass with a slim majority. but that is not enough to withstand the challenges ahead.
If the public supports it, it will be easier to face the international community.
5. Do not be embarrassed to be a Jewish state.
There are dozens of countries with national religions: Muslim, Christian, Hindu. No one questions them. Nobody should be embarrassed about saying that Israel is and will remain a Jewish state in a territory no larger than New Jersey.
Former Ambassador David Friedman at the Sovereignty Conference:
In Part 3, I will bring messages from other speakers at the Sovereignty Conference.
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Like so many previous Right wing governmets, all talk, no action.