The Likud is probably the only political party in Israel whose primary election was a contest between ideologies, not personalities. The choice in Tuesday's primary was between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, Moshe Feiglin, on the question of how the Jewish-Zionist vision of settling in Israel will be implemented. All Likud members, without exception, feel that Israel's security is fundamental to our continued existence in the volatile Middle East, and that peace as it is touted by the Oslo camp and the Left is a delusional dream that has taken thousands of innocent lives. All Likud members, without exception, feel that the Likud is a socially oriented party. Likud voters are not members of Israel's old elite. The Likud's power base is situated in poorer cities and in suburbs of bigger cities. The political and social agendas of Zeev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin were founded on Jewish social justice principles, while taking advantage of the Jews' gift for entrepreneurship to benefit Israeli society and humanity as a whole. Implementing these social justice principles requires large-scale economic and social reforms. The kind of reforms Netanyahu's government is busy promoting these days. Reforms that have long fallen by the wayside as we try to avoid the harsh reality taking shape in Israel the deep social gaps in our society. All Likud members, without exception, feel that the Jewish people have an undeniable historical right to every part of Israel, which was re-validated by the British Mandate for Palestine. Tel Aviv and Ra'anana are no different than Beit El and Shilo. Anyone who questions our right to Judea and Samaria is in fact questioning the entire Zionist enterprise. Even our Arab neighbors understand that Haifa has the same status as Nablus. They, of course, prefer Haifa. The disagreement among Likud members hinges only on how to implement the vision of settling Israel a great vision, actively promoted by Likud governments. This vision has prompted half a million Jews, or more, to relocate to territories liberated in the 1967 Six-Day War. Hundreds of thousands of Jews are using their lives to prevent a return to the dangerous pre-1967 borders. Most Likud members, those who voted for Netanyahu in Tuesday's primary, understand that the settlement of Israel should rely on realistic considerations, not mysticism. Israel is not alone in the world, and it must consider the international reality before making any strategic decisions. None of us knows the ways of God until the messiah comes we must take into account the United States, Europe, the Iranian nuclear threat and the problematic and fluid situation in our direct vicinity. Therefore, Israel must cleverly juggle foreign pressures, its own government and its legal system. Those who stubbornly bang their heads against the wall will eventually break their heads, not the wall. About a quarter of Likud members, good, dear friends, people of truth, dedication and ideology, believe that mysticism can replace reality. God promised us the land of Israel thousands of years ago, and has taken it away from us on multiple occasions; even in our own lifetime, we've been forced to evacuate Gush Katif (in Gaza) an evacuation that still pains both the evacuees and most of Israel's citizens. Now, after the election, it would be logical to combine faith and reality and strike a good balance between vision and action in order to retain our hold on the state of Israel, which belonged to our forefathers.
The real Likud
מערכת ישראל היום
מערכת "ישראל היום“ מפיקה ומעדכנת תכנים חדשותיים, מבזקים ופרשנויות לאורך כל שעות היממה. התוכן נערך בקפדנות, נבדק עובדתית ומוגש לציבור מתוך האמונה שהקוראים ראויים לעיתונות טובה יותר - אמינה, אובייקטיבית ועניינית.
