by MK Yariv Levin
We have now reached the
ninth anniversary of one of the most shameful actions every carried out
by the State of Israel in its history. Nearly a decade has passed since
the terrible day on which the expulsion of the residents of Gush Katif
and northern Samaria from their land began. They paid an unbearable
personal price when they lost their homes, jobs, supportive communities
and, in many cases, their futures.
Today, with a majority
of Israelis under threat of Gaza rockets, we should remember the courage
of the residents of Gush Katif and northern Samaria who sacrificed
their safety and put themselves on the frontline against our enemies.
Their presence in those areas actually prevented escalations such as the
one we are witnessing now.
Their presence there
made the lives of all Israelis, from Sderot on northward, more secure.
We all owe them a thank you and an apology. A thank you for the personal
sacrifices they made under often tough conditions. And an apology for
the fact that instead of showing gratitude, we repaid them by expelling
them from their homes and their land, an eternal black mark in Israeli
history.
The writing was on the
wall, but most refused to see it. There were many warnings about the
enormous damage disengagement would cause, including the boost it would
give to terrorism and the creation of a rocket base in Gaza that would
be used to attack Israeli cities. Yet a majority of Knesset members at
the time declined to listen.
The late Ariel Sharon,
who was then prime minister, outdid himself, pledging, "Ashkelon will
not become the frontline. Not Ashkelon, nor other places." Current
Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Labor) said at the time that
disengagement was "an act of true historic importance" that would "pull
the state out of the mud." But now it cannot be denied that
disengagement in fact got Israel deeper into the mud of terrorism,
rockets and military operations meant to reduce those threats emanating
from Gaza. Rockets from Gaza long ago passed over Ashkelon and now reach
as far as northern Israel.
The main lesson from
the failure of disengagement must be that the key to eradicating
terrorism, creating deterrence and strengthening Israel's security is
the expansion of the settlement enterprise and our hold on the land.
This is how it was at the start of Zionism, in the Galilee, Negev,
Sharon regions, and in Jerusalem. This is also how it is now in Judea
and Samaria and the Jordan Valley. In areas where there is a Jewish
presence, there is security. In areas we vacate, radical Islamists
immediately fill the vacuum, imbued with a sense of victory and
motivated to step up their terrorist activities to push us out of other
areas.
It is astounding to
think that, even today, there are still those who want to follow the
same path, promoting a unilateral move to expel Jews from large parts of
Judea and Samaria and establish a Palestinian state in their place.
Such a move would have the same result as the disengagement from Gaza --
radical Islam would flourish in the vacated areas and an Islamic
terrorist base would be established in the heart of the land of Israel,
posing an existential threat to us.
The fact that we have
no partner for peace does not mean that we have to initiate unilateral
concessions without getting anything in return. Rather, the lack of a
true peace partner makes it imperative for us to expand the settlement
enterprise, so that our enemies will understand that we are here in our
ancestral homeland to stay.
Historic justice and
daily needs do not always fully interlock. But disengagement taught us
that they do when it comes to settlements. Standing up for our historic
rights will deal a blow to terrorism and improve the security of all of
Israel's citizens.
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=9133
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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