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Arab Member Knesset: “We were here before you and we’ll be here after you’re gone”

Arab Member Knesset: “We were here before you and we’ll be here after you’re gone”

Netanyahu responds: “The first part is untrue, and the second won’t come true.”

No one can doubt Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu understands the many challenges facing Israel.

Whether his decisions — such as releasing murderers as part of getting the Palestinians to the bargaining table — are wise is subject to legitimate doubt.  I’d like to think he’s playing chess, not checkers, when it comes to the negotiations, and has an endgame with which we all will agree even if we don’t see what it is now.

Failure of the negotiations is an option and a likelihood, and my suspicion is that Bibi is preparing for that day.

Others are not quite so opitimistic:

Regardless, there were some words Bibi really needed to hear as the negotiations to negotiate got under way.   Those words, ironically, came from an Israeli Arab member of the Knesset, who bragged that “we” were here before “you,” and we will be here after you are gone.

As reported by The Times of Israel:

During a stormy debate in the plenum, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the lectern to admonish MK Jamal Zahalke for an insult the United Arab List MK had hurled at Strategic Affairs and International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz (Likud).

“You’re an enemy of peace,” Zahalke said to Steinitz. “We were here before you and we’ll be here after you’re gone.”

Despite the late hour — it was almost 3 a.m. — Netanyahu, apparently interpreting Zahalke’s “we” to mean Arabs and “you” to mean Jews, requested permission to speak and then retorted, saying, “I heard MK Zahalke’s statement. The first part is untrue, and the second won’t come true.”

Here’s Bibi rising to the defense, via Israelly Cool:

Of course, Zahalke then tried to walk back the obvious meaning of his words, via Times of Israel:

Zahalke explained that he hadn’t been referring to Steinitz or the Jews, but rather, “I meant that we’ll remain after racism is gone.”

Uh huh. In fact, in context his statements were clear, as explained at Israel Hayom:

Late Wednesday night, the Knesset voted on a bill to make the controversial “referendum law” a basic law, which would necessitate a national referendum on any peace deal that would require territorial withdrawals.

During the plenum debate, Arab MK Jamal Zahalka (National Democratic Assembly) said that the bill was irrelevant because it referred to “occupied territory, and as such, what applies is international law; the referendum should apply to the nations of the world.”

Zahalka was subsequently heckled by Habayit Hayehudi lawmakers, who said, “You are the foreigners in this land,” to which Zahalka responded, “We were here before you and we will be here after you.”

The current comment is in keeping with Zahalka’s past statements against Israeli independence, such as in 2012:

Balad faction leader Jamal Zahalka said, “Independence Day is a day of mourning for the Palestinian people and on this day we remember the victims of the banishment.” Zahalka added that Palestinians will not forgive and forget until the “historic injustice” is reversed.

“We have seen with our own eyes how nations have broken free from cruel rulers, and this can happen to us, too,” the Balad MK said. “Palestinians and Jews deserve to live in freedom, peace and equality, without the Zionist hegemony,” Zahalka said.

Zahalka’s comments were a timely reminder of the difficulty of reaching a true peace agreement.

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“They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.”

Jeremiah 6:14

Peace can never be one sided. All parties in conflict must desire peace for it to take hold. When one side actively is engaging in deceit, all the while crying “peace, peace” it only serves to further enflame the situation.

Human nature being what it is, it will take some divine intervention, in my opinion, to settle the dispute.

Carol Herman | August 1, 2013 at 6:10 pm

Drudge is more informative. With obama’s relationship with putin now on the skids … with the skid marks covering the White House; obama is “talking to Bibi on the phone.”

You know, if my dad (who was born in 1898) didn’t talk about the attitude among German Jews (years prior to the Holocaust), I wouldn’t know that German Jews looked down on Polish Jews (and those beyond the Pale). Not just for being poor. But for not having the “sophistication and class” the German Jews paraded around.

There’s something similar going on in Israel. Where the left once owned the whole table. As things changed, though, splits developed. The religious groups are divided along Sephardic/Ashkenazic “lineage.” And, it’s the secular Jews who owned military advancement. And, political clout. Bibi is an outgrowth of this system. A politician with more brains would have kept looking over to Putin to see what gives on an international scale … when you’re about to win chips. (Putin’s winning chips.)

All obama has left now is his ability to humiliate Bibi. And, Bibi’s 120 member Knesset … where he’s controlling with 68 seats … can explain why (with the media. Academia. And, the secularists) giving away land seems to work. Even if follow up’s show you that reputations disappear.

What’s Arik Sharon’s reputation now?

What will Bibi’s be IF he can gain recognition from the europeans and obama’s ilk (which includes the American leftist universe?)

Obama is threatening not to go to Putin’s summit. He’s gonna avoid the Geez-20 political affrair, as well. As if just avoiding Putin changes what’s happening on the ground.

It’s hard to fit all the puzzle pieces together. Because Bibi is working with Livni and Olmert. Having fewer elected seats between them. BUT (or except for) the powers the prime minister gets to play at the international table.

It’s hard to figure out how Bibi gets out of this.

Because? Because Bibi may be a very willing player who wants to establish “secular” bonafides? For Bibi? The only weak link may be in obama’s loss of popularity?

While I’ve seen religious posters commenting at the Jerusalem Post saying all Bibi is doing is “Yakity-Yak.” Being a master of “talks to nowhere” that lasts for 9-months is one of the outcomes some in the religious Israeli community expect.

Perhaps the bigger danger, though, is that Assad is regaining his power. And, Syria has the experience of running modern warfare tactics. Will the Syrians be tired of spilling more blood?

Can Bibi be trusted?

    BannedbytheGuardian in reply to Carol Herman. | August 2, 2013 at 4:19 am

    You make some brave points .

    German Jewish vs Polish & Russian Jews is a secret that they hoped would be buried amongst holocaust grief.

    I have 2 words that your father might have been speaking of. Rosa Luxembourg.

    Only this April I read a Jerusalem Post article flaming Rosa – the epitome of Polish / Russian educated jewess as evil personified.

    That is an intriguing facet of Israel today – the descendants of he German Jews vs the Russian wave.

    As elsewhere in Israel – all things come home to roost.

Netanyahu won’t fold unless somehow the anointed one buys him a cheap suit and I don’t see that on the horizon.

I think that the time of reckoning is fast approaching. These “peace talks” are a farce especially be being managed by the likes of Kerry/Obama…

    Carol Herman in reply to GrumpyOne. | August 1, 2013 at 8:05 pm

    I hope you’re right. Perhaps Bibi understood obama and company would not leave him alone?

    And, yes, I’ve known hostile American presidents. What would Truman have done IF the arabs (back in 1948) succeeded in their quest to destroy the new State of Israel?

    If God works in strange ways, than Israel’s battles were miraculous victories. Even when you add the world of politics. And, how infested the IDF became with rewarding the lefty commanders.

    You ever hear about Bar Lev? And, Gonen? Do you know what happened to them after their failures became apparent during the Yom Kippur War? Do you know what the infighting was all about?

via CAMERA:

Arab MK Envisions End of Israel… Nothing Happens

On August 1, an Arab member of Israel’s parliament, or Knesset, Jamal Zahalka, stood at the podium and declared, “We [Arabs] were here before you and we’ll be here after you.” In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that he wanted to speak, went to the podium and answered, “The first part is not correct and the second part will not happen.”
It is clear that this could not happen if Israel were an “apartheid” state because there would be no Arab members of Knesset. And, if Israel were not a free state, certainly no member of the Knesset could openly declare a desire for the end of the state without fear of prison or even censure.

Imagine even the most radical member of Congress, from anywhere across the political spectrum, standing on the floor of the House or Senate and envisioning the end of the United States. It would cause an uproar. But in Israel, it only elicits a brief remark from the Prime Minister.

Carol Herman | August 1, 2013 at 8:08 pm

It’s 3:00 AM. So it meets Hillary’s requirement, when she spoke against Obama. And, said (in 2008) when they were both racing towards the democratic nomination. That obama wouldn’t be able to handle the ringing phone. Because at 3:00 AM he’d be asleep.

Carol Herman | August 1, 2013 at 8:37 pm

Ah, Professor Jacobson, there are millions of combinations for end games in chess.

I think there are legitimate worries over the releasing of murderers, that Bibi didn’t even anticipate. Perhaps, he just underestimated the ROAR that would be let loose?

Heck, in the United States, can you tell me why we are still holding onto Pollard? Could it be Clinton. And, Dubya. And, now obozo, are all in fear of letting Pollard out?

And, to “appease” whom? Kerry? Kerry has HATED Jews since he got elected to the senate. He’s the guy, too, that befriended obama, when obama first got elected.

I had actually thought Israel would have psychiatrists. And, before Bibi made a move, he’d have asked for psychological profiles done on all the “players.” Including Putin. Has the study of psychiatry gotten so esoteric that such profiles can no longer be done, without first interviewing mothers?

Things are even worse, now. Because Putin went and gave obama such a kick, he can barely stand up and hold his golf club. Let alone raise it over his head. Without doubling over from the pain.

How did Putin do this? Well? All the king’s men could get to Snowden. Who was trapped in an airport lounge. In Russia.

Ah, obama thought he’d throw a fit and say “now he won’t come to Russia.” As if Putin gives one whit.

Chess has rules to it that date back in time. Not so much current events, which seems to be traveling as fast as the speed of sound. To devices people have that are wireless.

While back in Israel you were there when this “situation” hit the ground running. What has surprised me the most is that religious Jews are not worried. Why? Why not?

Juba Doobai! | August 1, 2013 at 9:53 pm

If Netyanhu keeps on giving up land for some non-existent peace then the second half what the Arab said will come true.

That has, historically, always been the problem with Israel. Back then, they failed to claim all the land that they should have. Today, they are giving up the little that they have. That is totally unserious. That is a rejection of their patrimony in exchange for a ghost.

I think you’re foolish to trust Netanyahu. How much experience must we have with him, how many times must he show the same character, before you realise that he talks a pretty game but has no spine? He knows the right things to say, but will always do the wrong thing.

Olmert also gave a pretty speech, on the first day of the last Lebanon war; do you remember it? It was breathtaking. But it bore no relationship to the way he conducted that disastrous war.

Netanyahu has a long long history, but he was the one who gave away Hevron. Rabin didn’t do it. Peres didn’t dare. Netanyahu came in and the first thing he did was give it away. That should have been enough to let everyone see who he really is.

BannedbytheGuardian | August 2, 2013 at 4:52 am

When Netanyahu went for the early election he knew he was getting weaker by the month.

Israel is the world’s most symbolic nation but they must do one thing now.

Go tell it on the mountain & let Ariel Sharon go.

It is a new age , he is dead , he will not arise.

Netanyahu & the IDF cannot live in the past. If you believe God is on your side then have courage to face one era is over & another needs to be faced.

    I challenge you to tell that to the Palestinians. They certainly believe they have their god on their side. They murder in his name with their screams of Allah Hu Akbar. They preach the destruction of Israel in Allah’s and Mohammed’s name.

    Tell THEM to have the courage to face that one era is over and another needs to be faced.

    Israel has given up enough tangibles to the Palestinians for the grand total of zero reciprocity. It’s time for the Palestinians to pony up something tangible for a change.

      Uncle Samuel in reply to anneinpt. | August 2, 2013 at 8:55 am

      Islam was invented by ego-centric, megalomaniac Mohammed to ‘best’ and ‘subsume’ Judaism and Christianity which he rejected.

      His religion produces the opposite of the fruit of the Holy Spirit – rape, murder, persecutions, aggression, lies, war, vilest violations of human rights and dignity – behaviors that completely contradict the character of G-D it claims to serve.

      BannedbytheGuardian in reply to anneinpt. | August 2, 2013 at 9:10 am

      The situation is real . the Americans are making demands that they have chosen not to before..
      Israel & foreign supporters are being softened up for announcements they will not like.

      If Netanyahu could avoid it he would.

    Yes, go tell it on the mountain that the era of concessions is over. The era of Israel practising racial cleansing against its own people is over. The era of Camp David and Oslo and Wye and Gaza is over. Tell it.

    That is what you meant, isn’t it?

    Unfortunately, Netanyahu has completely abandoned the beliefs he was raised with, and has become committed to giving away whatever he can get away with, just like Sharon.

      Milhouse in reply to Milhouse. | August 2, 2013 at 4:12 pm

      By the way, anyone who was shocked when Sharon gave away Gaza just wasn’t paying attention. Not only was Sharon originally elected to the Knesset as a peace-flag-waving leftist, but his sending the army on Shabbat to prevent protesters from getting to Yamit showed his true colours. It’s been obvious since then that his right-wing rhetoric was just that, and the only hard line he would ever take was whatever would advance his career at that moment.

Uncle Samuel | August 2, 2013 at 8:51 am

Meanwhile, Iran’s new President calls Israel an old wound that should be removed.

Just say NO, Bibi.

Until Islam renounces its rabid racist hatred for Israel, Judaism and Christianity and its violent aggressiveness, there is no hope for peace with any who follow this ideology.

If I were an Israeli, I would not allow Islamists in the Knesset or in political office.

[…] right on cue, Netanyahu’s people have released a made-for-youtube tough talking video. But words are cheap. The referendum bill, which at best protects Jerusalem and […]