THE NEW GAMBIT AGAINST ISRAEL
By David Basch
"[The fear is that] Netanyahu has merely reverted to what
he was a decade ago -- a confirmed leftist economic
determinist and surrender artist...."
"The attempt to buy off Arabs economically by treats like Nike
sneakers will fail. It is not a substitute for maintaining a
strong Israeli defense that does not depend on a fictional
Arab willingness to give Israel peace...."
"Does anyone think that this version of the mercy of fools
works?"
I found David Makovsky's article in the Daily News (8.9.09; see the
full article below) sickening in its assumptions that Netanyahu and
Israel are responsible for the fact that there is no peace with the
Arabs in the Middle East. Makovsky leaves the impression that "a
durable peace" -- an illusion given the implacable nature of the
Islamic-Arab foe -- depends on Netanyahu being more forthcoming in
placating the Palestinian Authority.
Makovsky's view about the possibilities of "a durable peace" appears
altogether insane given the record of violated Arab promises to
abandon violence, their teaching of Jew hate, and the decades of Arab
terrorism. Peace for Israel depends on her continuing strength to
resist ever launched Arab onslaughts, hence Makovsky's narrow focus on
Israeli accommodation with the Arabs makes little sense for bringing
ultimate peace.
Before continuing this analysis, a word must be given about who
Makovsky is. I encountered him a decade ago as an anomaly of an
Orthodox, yarmulka wearing, US reporter who advocated the liberal and
US State Department policy of Israeli surrender of her territories.
What was unusual here was that Orthodox Jews have had a clear eyed
view of the implacable Arab threat. Yet, somehow, Orthodox Makovsky
managed to see things through the eyes the of liberals. To Makovsky,
Arabs had legitimate and just claims to territories that belonged to
Israel that could not be denied. In effect, liberal Makovsky by his
persona as Orthodox was undercutting and delegitimating Israel's
case and program of self defense.
Makovsky was so unusual that I suspected that he was not genuine but
was some kind of clandestine US agent. Since hidden CIA agents had
been so plentiful in infiltrating anti-US protest organizations during
the Vietnam war, I have always assumed that this CIA mode had not
changed when the US target was undermining Israel's resistance to
accepting dangerous US policies of Arab appeasement. My suspicions,
already firm, were given further body when later, as was typical with
such clandestine agents, Makovsky was apparently rewarded for his
services by going from salaried reporter to an appointment as a fellow
of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a liberal think
tank.
And now, here is Makovsky again -- just like working with the Mafia
where no one is allowed to withdraw from service -- coming along as
co-author with Dennis Ross -- another careerist acolyte of the US
State Department -- of a book advocating the oxymoron of a two-state
solution to the Arab-Israel conflict. It is oxymoronic since it
assumes that Israel's surrender of her strategic territory and
national sovereignty to the Arabs will turn their heart to peace -- a
view given the lie by the predictable events of the thousands
of rockets coming from the surrendered Gaza.
In his Daily News article, Makovsky talks up what Rabin did as wise
foresight. Rabin had brought back the defeated Arafat and his
terrorist army to Israel. This was a stupid policy of surrender on the
basis of meaningless promises by terrorist Arafat to embrace peace and
renunciation of terror. Rabin had gravely jeopardize Israel's future
by turning resounding Arab defeat in the 1967 War into a new victory,
giving the Arabs dangerous new beginning for their war against Israel,
ensconcing their armies within what had been Israel's defensive
perimeter.
In recounting Netanyahu's policies, Makovsky obscures the fact that
Netanyahu, who had posed as a strong, defense minded leader in Israeli
elections, in his actual governance he soon betrayed his right wing
supporters by gratuitously surrendering large sectors of Israeli lands
surrounding Hebron to the control of the Arabs, compromising to this
day the security of Jewish communities around Hebron. Such a grievous
betrayal -- about which Netanyhu openly bragged about as showing he
was not it the pocket of the Israeli right wing -- turned his right
wing support against him and turned him out of office.
But, now, Makovsky in his article attributes Netanyahu's earlier
ouster to his placation of his right wing supporters. It is evident
that Makovsky wishes to do so in order to peddle the view that
Netanyahu has since grown in political maturity -- maturity being
defined as willingness to surrender to the enemy -- and that he has
now seen the light of the merits of continuing with Rabin's policies
of surrender and appeasement. Fresh from his recent meeting with
Netanyahu, Makovsky lauds Netanyahu's conversion in his recent embrace
for the first time of the so-called two-state solution and Netanyahu's
role in sparking the economic transformation in the West Bank's
spectacular 7% growth rate -- something highlighted this morning in a
glowing article in the Wall Street Journal by Israel's Ambassador to
the US Michael Oren, evidence that Makovsky's push is part of an
organized policy shared in by Netanhayu.
The fact is that if Makovsky is right about Netanyahu's policy of
peace through economic reform in the West Bank, it is not that
Netanyahu has changed, but that Netanyahu has merely reverted to what
he was a decade ago -- a confirmed leftist economic determinist and
surrender artist. Economic determinism is the belief that economics is
fate, that what the Arabs have lacked all these years was economic
prosperity, and that by feeding and nourishing them, they will
automatically abandon their Islamic and nationalistic aims and hatred
of Jews and Israel and will turn toward peace. Wow, What a theory!
Of course, CIA agent Makovsky approves.
Does anyone think that this version of the mercy of fools works? Does
anyone think that the compassionate mercy of the young shepherd who
nourished sick, baby wolves to health with the milk of goats and cows
of the herd led to the long term welfare of that herd? The Nazis were
economically enterprising and even wealthy. Did that stop them from
trying to gobble up Europe as their rightful portion? Will the fact of
an economically healthy and strong Muslim-Arab populace turn them away
from their desire to expand the Islamic realm and expunging a non
Muslim entity from what they regard as their lands? If that is where
economic determinist Netanyahu sits, Israel's people ought to be
prepared to be disappointed, as Islamic economic strength turns into
more vigorous and determined efforts to take over the even greater
prosperity that they think should be theirs by expunging Israel and
usurping its wealth.
Economic determinist Netanyahu fails to understand that the Arabs in
the territories are not some minority but are part of the greater
Muslim Arab world of well over 200 million. Even a tiny fraction of
that number is sufficient to feed the cadres of fighters with millions
of warriors to undo Israel, while many others remain passive.
The point is that, for her survival, Israel must keep her eye on the
ball to prevent the penetration of her turf -- like the Nazis did by
getting hold of the strategic territory of Czechoslovakia and getting
past the protecting Czech mountains -- that can render her defenses
futile. Israel stupidly let her guard down in Gaza -- a surrender
approved by Netanyahu in the name of allowing economic prosperity to
its Arab residents -- and it became a dangerous Arab war front that
menaces southern Israel to this day.
A word to the wise is sufficient. The attempt to buy off Islam by Nike
sneakers will fail. It is not a substitute for maintaining a strong
defense that does not depend on a fictional Arab willingness to give
Israel peace. The implication is that Israel must control her borders
and preclude the enemy from gaining the kind of control they gained in
Gaza to rain down rockets on neighboring Israelis.
The US push for selling out Israel to curry favor with savage Arab
allies and having CIA operatives getting into action to work with
obsessed liberal leaders like Netanyahu with deterministic economic
theories will pay no heed to the dangers of Israel, any more than
Roosevelt did, who did not divert US bombers to destroy the Nazi
ovens.
I used to think that Israeli leaders only lacked information on the
realities of Israel's dangerous position in the region. After decades
of failed attempts of trying to supply this kind of information I
realize that such liberal leaders are obsessed by their beliefs and
are immune to reality. Their shortcomings are characterological. They
believe in the absolute rightness of their policies of surrender as
winning over dedicated Islamic warriors. Such liberal flakes can only
be changed by the more clear eyed succeeding in removing them from
positions of leadership where they can do no damage -- any more than
education could reeducate the Nazis or the devout Muslim dedicated to
jihad.
Unfortunately for Israel, Netanyahu is beginning to show the same
signs of his surrender obsessions that dominated him a decade ago.
*******
The push for Mideast peace hinges on Netanyahu 2.0
(Bibi wants to build consensus)
By David Makovsky - DAILY NEWS - 8.9.09
==================
By David Basch
"[The fear is that] Netanyahu has merely reverted to what
he was a decade ago -- a confirmed leftist economic
determinist and surrender artist...."
"The attempt to buy off Arabs economically by treats like Nike
sneakers will fail. It is not a substitute for maintaining a
strong Israeli defense that does not depend on a fictional
Arab willingness to give Israel peace...."
"Does anyone think that this version of the mercy of fools
works?"
I found David Makovsky's article in the Daily News (8.9.09; see the
full article below) sickening in its assumptions that Netanyahu and
Israel are responsible for the fact that there is no peace with the
Arabs in the Middle East. Makovsky leaves the impression that "a
durable peace" -- an illusion given the implacable nature of the
Islamic-Arab foe -- depends on Netanyahu being more forthcoming in
placating the Palestinian Authority.
Makovsky's view about the possibilities of "a durable peace" appears
altogether insane given the record of violated Arab promises to
abandon violence, their teaching of Jew hate, and the decades of Arab
terrorism. Peace for Israel depends on her continuing strength to
resist ever launched Arab onslaughts, hence Makovsky's narrow focus on
Israeli accommodation with the Arabs makes little sense for bringing
ultimate peace.
Before continuing this analysis, a word must be given about who
Makovsky is. I encountered him a decade ago as an anomaly of an
Orthodox, yarmulka wearing, US reporter who advocated the liberal and
US State Department policy of Israeli surrender of her territories.
What was unusual here was that Orthodox Jews have had a clear eyed
view of the implacable Arab threat. Yet, somehow, Orthodox Makovsky
managed to see things through the eyes the of liberals. To Makovsky,
Arabs had legitimate and just claims to territories that belonged to
Israel that could not be denied. In effect, liberal Makovsky by his
persona as Orthodox was undercutting and delegitimating Israel's
case and program of self defense.
Makovsky was so unusual that I suspected that he was not genuine but
was some kind of clandestine US agent. Since hidden CIA agents had
been so plentiful in infiltrating anti-US protest organizations during
the Vietnam war, I have always assumed that this CIA mode had not
changed when the US target was undermining Israel's resistance to
accepting dangerous US policies of Arab appeasement. My suspicions,
already firm, were given further body when later, as was typical with
such clandestine agents, Makovsky was apparently rewarded for his
services by going from salaried reporter to an appointment as a fellow
of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a liberal think
tank.
And now, here is Makovsky again -- just like working with the Mafia
where no one is allowed to withdraw from service -- coming along as
co-author with Dennis Ross -- another careerist acolyte of the US
State Department -- of a book advocating the oxymoron of a two-state
solution to the Arab-Israel conflict. It is oxymoronic since it
assumes that Israel's surrender of her strategic territory and
national sovereignty to the Arabs will turn their heart to peace -- a
view given the lie by the predictable events of the thousands
of rockets coming from the surrendered Gaza.
In his Daily News article, Makovsky talks up what Rabin did as wise
foresight. Rabin had brought back the defeated Arafat and his
terrorist army to Israel. This was a stupid policy of surrender on the
basis of meaningless promises by terrorist Arafat to embrace peace and
renunciation of terror. Rabin had gravely jeopardize Israel's future
by turning resounding Arab defeat in the 1967 War into a new victory,
giving the Arabs dangerous new beginning for their war against Israel,
ensconcing their armies within what had been Israel's defensive
perimeter.
In recounting Netanyahu's policies, Makovsky obscures the fact that
Netanyahu, who had posed as a strong, defense minded leader in Israeli
elections, in his actual governance he soon betrayed his right wing
supporters by gratuitously surrendering large sectors of Israeli lands
surrounding Hebron to the control of the Arabs, compromising to this
day the security of Jewish communities around Hebron. Such a grievous
betrayal -- about which Netanyhu openly bragged about as showing he
was not it the pocket of the Israeli right wing -- turned his right
wing support against him and turned him out of office.
But, now, Makovsky in his article attributes Netanyahu's earlier
ouster to his placation of his right wing supporters. It is evident
that Makovsky wishes to do so in order to peddle the view that
Netanyahu has since grown in political maturity -- maturity being
defined as willingness to surrender to the enemy -- and that he has
now seen the light of the merits of continuing with Rabin's policies
of surrender and appeasement. Fresh from his recent meeting with
Netanyahu, Makovsky lauds Netanyahu's conversion in his recent embrace
for the first time of the so-called two-state solution and Netanyahu's
role in sparking the economic transformation in the West Bank's
spectacular 7% growth rate -- something highlighted this morning in a
glowing article in the Wall Street Journal by Israel's Ambassador to
the US Michael Oren, evidence that Makovsky's push is part of an
organized policy shared in by Netanhayu.
The fact is that if Makovsky is right about Netanyahu's policy of
peace through economic reform in the West Bank, it is not that
Netanyahu has changed, but that Netanyahu has merely reverted to what
he was a decade ago -- a confirmed leftist economic determinist and
surrender artist. Economic determinism is the belief that economics is
fate, that what the Arabs have lacked all these years was economic
prosperity, and that by feeding and nourishing them, they will
automatically abandon their Islamic and nationalistic aims and hatred
of Jews and Israel and will turn toward peace. Wow, What a theory!
Of course, CIA agent Makovsky approves.
Does anyone think that this version of the mercy of fools works? Does
anyone think that the compassionate mercy of the young shepherd who
nourished sick, baby wolves to health with the milk of goats and cows
of the herd led to the long term welfare of that herd? The Nazis were
economically enterprising and even wealthy. Did that stop them from
trying to gobble up Europe as their rightful portion? Will the fact of
an economically healthy and strong Muslim-Arab populace turn them away
from their desire to expand the Islamic realm and expunging a non
Muslim entity from what they regard as their lands? If that is where
economic determinist Netanyahu sits, Israel's people ought to be
prepared to be disappointed, as Islamic economic strength turns into
more vigorous and determined efforts to take over the even greater
prosperity that they think should be theirs by expunging Israel and
usurping its wealth.
Economic determinist Netanyahu fails to understand that the Arabs in
the territories are not some minority but are part of the greater
Muslim Arab world of well over 200 million. Even a tiny fraction of
that number is sufficient to feed the cadres of fighters with millions
of warriors to undo Israel, while many others remain passive.
The point is that, for her survival, Israel must keep her eye on the
ball to prevent the penetration of her turf -- like the Nazis did by
getting hold of the strategic territory of Czechoslovakia and getting
past the protecting Czech mountains -- that can render her defenses
futile. Israel stupidly let her guard down in Gaza -- a surrender
approved by Netanyahu in the name of allowing economic prosperity to
its Arab residents -- and it became a dangerous Arab war front that
menaces southern Israel to this day.
A word to the wise is sufficient. The attempt to buy off Islam by Nike
sneakers will fail. It is not a substitute for maintaining a strong
defense that does not depend on a fictional Arab willingness to give
Israel peace. The implication is that Israel must control her borders
and preclude the enemy from gaining the kind of control they gained in
Gaza to rain down rockets on neighboring Israelis.
The US push for selling out Israel to curry favor with savage Arab
allies and having CIA operatives getting into action to work with
obsessed liberal leaders like Netanyahu with deterministic economic
theories will pay no heed to the dangers of Israel, any more than
Roosevelt did, who did not divert US bombers to destroy the Nazi
ovens.
I used to think that Israeli leaders only lacked information on the
realities of Israel's dangerous position in the region. After decades
of failed attempts of trying to supply this kind of information I
realize that such liberal leaders are obsessed by their beliefs and
are immune to reality. Their shortcomings are characterological. They
believe in the absolute rightness of their policies of surrender as
winning over dedicated Islamic warriors. Such liberal flakes can only
be changed by the more clear eyed succeeding in removing them from
positions of leadership where they can do no damage -- any more than
education could reeducate the Nazis or the devout Muslim dedicated to
jihad.
Unfortunately for Israel, Netanyahu is beginning to show the same
signs of his surrender obsessions that dominated him a decade ago.
*******
The push for Mideast peace hinges on Netanyahu 2.0
(Bibi wants to build consensus)
By David Makovsky - DAILY NEWS - 8.9.09
==================
David Basch is an architect and city planner in New York as well as the Freeman Center's political philosopher. Basch is also an expert on Shakespeare and the author of the book, The Hidden Shakespeare, which proves through talmudic and other Jewish sources that Shakespeare was in fact Jewish.
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