Isaac Herzog: the other ugly face of Netanyahu
Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog’s “New Diplomatic Plan” is nothing but an attempt to present a Netanyahu-with-a-Prettier-Face Plan. Palestinians will get 100% more of nothing.
By Assad Abdi • 20 January 2016 •
“Ariel Sharon did the right thing.. but he didn’t finish the job. We want to finish it.” You would think it’s an extremist Israeli politician who said this quote. But it was none other than the so-called “moderate” and “left-leaning” Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog.
So perhaps when Palestinians and their supporters portray Netanyahu as being the worst ever Israeli leader in government, and many are waiting for the day he’s bygone, — they ought to consider the alternative.
Sadly the alternative is not that pretty either. Palestinians have nothing now and they will get more of nothing in the future.
The Zionist Union, or as previously was known as the Labor Party, knew how to better “manage the conflict” and indeed better manage the international public opinion. These “liberal” Zionists are the ones that created most facts on the ground that we see now. The majority of the illegal settlements, confiscations of land, and the process of the ethnic cleansing were more the products of the Zionist “left” rather than the current right and extremist government. The current extremist right-wing government is simply following in the steps of the Zionist liberals of the past. Indeed Gideon Levy was right in saying that Netanyahu is the most honest Israeli government so far. As least with Likud we all know where we stand. The whole world can see Israel’s true nature. With the deceiving Zionist Union, it’s hard to know or realise how bad the situation is until it’s too late.
Let’s not go any further than the presentation by Herzog which was reported by Haaretz today and promoted as a “New Diplomatic Plan.”
Speaking at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv yesterday, Herzog presented his plan- which is nothing more than a Netanyahu-with-a-prettier-face. This is what the Zionist Union has to offer. You don’t even need to read between the lines to realise that Palestinians will be no better off, or perhaps even worse under a Herzo-led government.
“I wish to separate from as many Palestinians as possible, as quickly as possible.. They over there and we over here; we’ll erect a big wall between us. That is the kind of co-existence that’s possible now. You exist there and we exist here.”
“Ariel Sharon did the right thing when he put up the fence.. but he didn’t finish the job. We want to finish it, to complete the barrier that separates us. We call it the establishment of a security line, the red line … Israel must part from Netanyahu so that it becomes possible to part from the Palestinians.”
“They (in Gaza) will have no immunity and for every attack they’ll pay a heavy price. This won’t mean dummy bombings of empty areas. We’ll employ an effective iron fist and shut down their radio and TV stations. After that they won’t have internet or mobile phone services.”
“We don’t want to remain stuck with them. We don’t want to annex Judea and Samaria and give the right of return to three million Palestinians..”
“Then we’ll re-unite the true Jerusalem without hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who will remain on the other side of the barrier. Issawiya is not and won’t be part of Israel’s eternal capital. Neither is the refugee camp in Shoafat. We’ll separate from them. We’ll build a wall. Terrorists won’t have access to Jews. Those who want to work and make a living rather than stabbing people — we’ll leave those for the consideration of the defense establishment.”
“Palestinians will have total freedom in civil but not military matters… The IDF will continue to sit on the eastern border in the Jordan valley. After a few years, if things are quiet, we can discuss what’s next,”
