Anyone who seriously believe the Likud party, which Benjamin Netanyahu currently leads, is interested in any deal that respects Palestinian rights is deluding themselves. Netanyahu is the fourth leader of the party, following Menachem Begin (former head of the terrorist organization Irgun), Yitzhak Shamir (former co-head of the terrorist organization Lehi) and Ariel Sharon (who was essentially accused of war crimes by an Israeli commission). Likud's "charter" (which has never been disowned) states:



a. The right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is eternal and indisputable and is linked with the right to security and peace; therefore, Judea and Samaria will not be handed to any foreign administration; between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty. b. A plan which relinquishes parts of western Eretz Israel, undermines our right to the country, unavoidably leads to the establishment of a "Palestinian State," jeopardizes the security of the Jewish population, endangers the existence of the State of Israel and frustrates any prospect of peace.

Judea and Samaria are the names used in the Bible for the West Bank. Likud was elected to lead the Israeli government based on this platform in 1977, 1981, 1988, 1996, 2001, 2009, 2013 and 2015. Lets all get our collective heads out of the sand shall we? Enough of the Israeli electorate is in love with this platform that no Israeli government will relinquish control over the lives of 4 million Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. That's what sovereignty means, having the power to govern.

Likud governs in a coalition, but its allies are no better. Ayelet Shaked, the Justice Minister and MK from the Jewish Home party, was recently quoted as saying:



"I don't think it's [two-state solution] a valid solution right now... I think that the status quo is the best option for everyone."

MKs who took part in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting — where the prime minister spoke — told Haaretz that Netanyahu turned to the politicians and said, hinting at the anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination: "These days, there is talk about what would happen if this or that person would have remained. It's irrelevant; there are movements here of religion and Islam that have nothing to do with us." Netanyahu then turned to opposition MKs and said: "You think there is a magic wand here, but I disagree. I'm asked if we will forever live by the sword — yes."

Israeli politicians have taken to blaming Palestinians for turning this into a "religious war" and "extremist sermons" encouraging "hatred of Jews". I have yet to see a journalist stop an Israeli spokesperson and ask them about rabbis who teach that Palestinian babies can be justifiably murdered since "it is clear that they will grow to harm us." Or extremist yeshivas that lionize Jewish terrorists like Baruch Goldstein. Or IDF rabbis who tell Israeli soldiers they are fighting a holy war. At last year's "Jerusalem Day" celebration, hardline groups distributed leaflets demanding the destruction of the al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount and construction of a third temple so they could resume animal sacrifices. Ironically, the term for animal sacrifice in Islam and Judaism is the same, korban/qurban. But of course, only Palestinians could be capable of dragging religion into this conflict, it certainly couldn' be the "Jewish state".

I thought it would be instructive to see what P.W. Botha was saying about apartheid South Africa's "predicament" in the 1980s:



"I am not prepared to lead white South Africans and other minority groups on a road to abdication and suicide," Botha told a National Party Congress in August 1985. "Not only will we survive (economic sanctions), we will emerge stronger on the other side." New York Times, Sept 1986. "I don't care what they remember about me. I led South Africa on the right path. Order, prosperity. Problems too, but the problems were dealt with effectively". In an Oct 2006 interview with Afrikaans newspaper Rapport.

a. “The Jordan river will be the permanent eastern border of the State of Israel.” b. “Jerusalem is the eternal, united capital of the State of Israel and only of Israel.

The government will flatly reject Palestinian proposals to divide Jerusalem” c. “The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan river.” d. “The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an important asset in the defense of the vital interests of the State of Israel. The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop these communities and will prevent their uprooting.

The Likud party platform of 1999 updated the 1970s platform and said:That is basically an elaboration of the position in 1977 with a call for more settlements added to spice it up.