Just Gimme Some Truth

Many of the "Israeli Elite" at the Herzliya Conference were probably not ready to get "some truth" from former IDF Chief of Staff Bogy Yaalon:

Speaking at the Herzliya Conference today, the former Chief of Staff said, "Conventional wisdom has it that a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will bring stablity to the Middle East. It is also widely felt that the core problem is Israel's occupation [of Judea and Samaria] and that a two-state solution will solve the 100-year-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

"These two mistaken assumptions," Yaalon said, "do not allow a new type of thinking that can truly solve the problem."

The Palestinians have no interest in a two-state solution with Israel, Yaalon said: "They have never agreed to any partition of the land. They objected to the Peel Commission's proposal in 1937, and to the UN's plan in 1947, and again in 2000 in Camp David. Arafat's rejection then of Ehud Barak's generous offer [of 95-98% of Judea and Samaria] and the war he launched instead showed that his goal was to prevent a two-state solution and, especially, the recognition of Israel... The fact that Kassams continue to fly from Gaza also prove this... Hamas has made it quite clear as well: they are interested in one Arab state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea."

Similarly, he said, "The objective of Hizbullah is not the liberation of southern Lebanon - but rather the destruction of Israel... World War III is currently underway; a clash of civilizations between the West and radical extremist Islam. Al-Qaeda did not arise because of Israel, and the State of Israel was not yet around when the Muslim Brotherhood was formed [in 1928]..."

"Therefore," Yaalon said, "in my opinion, a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not bring calm to the Middle East... The lack of an authoritative Palestinian leadership that is capable or willing to implement a two-state solution, and the fact that an entire young Palestinian generation is being brought up on hatred and death, shows that the two-state paradigm is not relevant now, if at all."

Listeners to public taxpayer-supported Israel Radio were prevented from hearing Yaalon's words, as broadcaster Gabi Gazit cut off the broadcast after three minutes. Gazit said he would return to the speech if Yaalon said something more "actual and hot." On the other hand, Gazit "allowed" the broadcast of the left-wing speech of Defense Minister Amir Peretz nearly in its entirety.

"We have experienced too many golden calves in the past years," Yaalon said, "that were supposed to give us hope and provide quick solutions. What we need is leadership that will give true solutions, not spins."