Israel is a state that knows how to embark on war but has no idea how to return from one. Every time, we get excited by our finest men, our leaders' courage, and the spirit of our nation -- yet later on, oh dear, come the screw-ups, wars among the generals, and our leadership's helplessness.
For many years now, it has appeared that part of the Israeli war procedure needs to include, by law, a commission of inquiry -- regardless of whether the war was a failure or a success story. There is a need to institutionalize and structuralize the process of drawing lessons and conclusions and not abandon it to the caprices of political populism.
Precisely because of this point of view, which seeks to institutionalize the inquiry and self-reflection, I am surprised -- indeed, almost stunned -- by the new model taking shape right before our eyes. A committee (of inquiry, examination -- call it what you will) with an international aspect. At this time it's unclear whether the global presence will take the form of observers or actual committee members, but it's clear they'll be there. Had this happened in a remote town whose municipal government failed and can no longer function, we would call this an appointed committee, like the ones imposed on struggling Israeli communities such as the southern town of Yerucham.
Well, it turns out that Israel has turned into the world's Yerucham. The White House is the decision-maker on building permits in Jerusalem, the US president dictates policy and decisions to the Israeli prime minister, ministers, and advisers, and now we discover that the international community appoints supervisors on its behalf to ensure that Israel's own probe into its own actions is kosher.
If we take a broader look here, this may mark the beginning of a highly dangerous process of a fundamental and significant blow to the State of Israel's sovereignty. The most rightist, national, and nationalistic government that ever served here is the first in our history to start the process of dismantling the state. If it isn't too late yet, our prime minister, ministers, and president -- who never ceases to chatter, but is suddenly afflicted by temporary muteness -- must stop this process.
Only one alternative is better than the rotten option currently taking shape in Netanyahu's kitchen: A wholly Israeli commission of inquiry, comprising Israel's most dignified figures, whose honesty and quality are beyond doubt in the eyes of the world.
This issue is not about Right or Left; it is not a question that should be used for political mud-slinging. This issue in fact pertains to the very basis of statehood, independence, and sovereignty. I can imagine the personal history of our top seven government ministers. I can imagine the sophisticated personal scores that each one of them takes account of, in order to ensure the others are found to be at fault. But please, this is not the way to do it; not at our expense, and not at the price of the State of Israel's dismantlement on the altar of their personal disgrace.
Follow Avraham Burg on Twitter: www.twitter.com/avrum1
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I doubt there are any . . . israel may own the US congress but the tide has turned . . . israel is not respected worldwide to conduct any investigation . . . two words: Richard Goldstone .. . and he doesn't live in israel . . I doubt anyone in israel would dare conduct an impartial investigation . . suspect they might have to flee the country in a hurry and seek political asylum
1- Stop the Israeli Apartheid currently oppressing 2 ½ Million Palestinians.
2- Stop the inhumane siege of 1.5 Million people in Gaza.
3- Stop the building of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
4- Define Israel's borders so that meaningful negotiations with the Palestinians can take place.
5- Dismantle the Israeli Nuclear Arsenal currently destabilizing the Middle East.
The Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu was just quoted as openly stating,
“Let's get one thing straight: we cannot and will not tolerate the existence of any government that refuses to recognize our right to exist, our right to occupy and rule just as much of Palestine as we want to claim. After all, since we are the chosen people, anything we choose to do must be right.”
Our American heritage is profoundly based on the Separation of Church and State – therefore the US and Israel could not be further apart on the meaning/interpretation of Mr. Netanyahu’s statements where he uses his Jewish Faith as a tool to condone any actions Israel wishes to take, however inhumane, present and future, having been granted such a privilege by no other than God himself.
I hate to break it to you, Avraham: there is no “world”. Opinions in “the world” on everything involving Israel are sharply divided between those who are “pro” and those who are “anti”. Just read the comments here on HP. For the vast majority of the “anti” people, there simply aren’t ANY Israelis “whose honesty and quality are beyond doubt”. Unless we’re talking about the type of Israelis who would write the “verdict” from the start, people like Ilan Pappe, etc. The problem with an international inquiry is not so much the loss of sovereignty. It is that NOBODY (or nobody of any significance) is objective with regard to this conflict. It’s a case of “tell me who the ‘judge’ is and I’ll tell you what the ‘verdict’ will be”. To not understand this is to be fatally naïve.
Unfortunately, I found none of those. All backers of a two-state solution here “happen” to be supporters of Israel, while “the Palestinian side” generally militates for “one-state” (read "a Palestinian state with -- at most -- a Jewish minority") in one form or another. What I found “on the other side” is a crowd of extremists, who want nothing less than the destruction of Israel; who, while very vocally militating for Palestinian self-determination (with which I agree), deny the Jewish people have the same right. In fact they deny ANY Jewish right or connection to “Palestine”; a crowd who is here not to discuss, debate and progress, but simply to spread propaganda and "recruit" (not that there IS anyone to recruit: as I said, everyone is already regimented); a crowd for which Israel is and will always be guilty of every imaginable crime; for whom comparisons to 1940 Germany and Apartheid are common currency; who accuse “the Zionists” for EVERYTHING, including the Holocaust; who claim that “the Jews” own the media, the financial institutions, the world; you get the picture. Just spend a couple of hours reading their comments.
Over one hour of unedited, uncensored video from Israel’s raid on the Mavi Marmara Gaza Flotilla is now in the public domain, thanks to the efforts of Brazilian filmmaker Iara Lee.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/06/11/filmmakers-unedited-video-gaza-convoy-raid
Israeli Attack on the Mavi Marmara // Raw Footage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwsMJmvS0AY&feature=player_embedded#!
I am pleased more people are trying to raise the awareness level on this issue/incident.
Perhaps if others had been so dedicated in the early stages of nation development, some of the worst could have been avoided.
Burg is a has-been Israeli Politician who was kicked out of the knesset by his own party. A person who could not promote his ideas in his own country is now writing for the Huffington. Nothing new there.
Clearly, you are a man of integrity attempting to defend the country you so love with all your heart.
And you are also absolutely correct as well, HP is a global network open to the whole world and not just to American citizens - just like the Israeli Daily Haaretz which HP has linkage to.
Thanks for the Article as well as for the response.
What do you have to say about it?
Can't really articulate anything...so you decide to assault the messenger?
Too late. On the basis of the nationalistic fervor and the smarmy music video that was so popular as to be linked to by the government itself there is no one in Israel any more that can be ipso facto taken as beyond reproach. After Netanyahu's arrogant characterization of it being a Hate Boat, there is simply no more merit for an Israeli only inquiry, unless the determination is that Israel bungled badly and its soldiers were out of control. Anything less will only renew the calls for International participation.
"Israel should have exploited the repression of the demonstrations in China, when world attention focused on that country, to carry out mass expulsions among the Arabs of the territories."
-- Benyamin Netanyahu, then Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, former Prime Minister of Israel, speaking to students at Bar Ilan University, from the Israeli journal Hotam, November 24, 1989.
Remove the settlements. Send all the settlers home. They never had the legal or moral right to set foot on that land in the first place, and you will not find a single other nation on earth who would say otherwise.
The settlements and occupation and the anger, violence and terror that they breed are the stumbling block of ALL Israeli administration, and will continue to be until they are removed for good.
To protect them is to protect depravity, violence, a hopeless future for millions, and regional conflict.
Give them up now, and Israel will have peace, and the support of almost every nation on earth.