The settlements don't help security, they hinder it
 | By Joe Millis
March 23, 2011 | Share |
Someone rewriting from a Israeli Foreign Ministry crib sheet believes that the toxic settlement enterprise helps Israel's long-term security. It doesn't, it hinders security.
From a mere logistic point of view, the Israeli army wasted 48 precious hours during the 1973 Yom Kippur War evacuating the far fewer Golan settlers rather than fighting the Syrians. The settlers simply got in the way. Just think how long it would take to evacuate the West Bank settlers in the event of a war.
Also, Israel spends an inordinate amount of human and financial resources on the security of the 350,000 West Bank settlers -- for not much thanks, it must be said. In fact, in exchange for sometimes downright abuse and hatred by the settlers' own Price Tag terrorists.
The West Bank is no security blanket. The settlements have not prevented one war, one act of mindless violence. It could be argued that they actually sometimes caused or escalated violence.
Israel does indeed concentrate too much of its resources in the centre. However, because it has wasted so much on a pointless enterprise, the settlements, it doesn't have the resources to build and develop the Negev and Galil. The Negev is Israel's future, that's where industry, roads, fast rail and an airport should be built, not leaving everything in place.
The settlements are toxic because they poison the debate in Israel and among diaspora Jews. They are toxic because they are creating hatred and distance. They are toxic because they are a waste.
Israel is the national homeland of the Jewish people, but it seems not to want to integrate into the region and by abusing the messianic dreams of the settlers and using them as pawns it appears to be going the way of any other transient presence in the Middle East. And that must be prevented.
It's time for the settlers to come home, to Israel, to make it an even better place to live. And to ensure wide Jewish support for Israel, our most vital asset.
COMMENTS
23 March, 2011 - 10:27 Rate this: 0 points | The settlements are perfectly legal and are of relevance only for bleeding heart Jews such as you, T-Sam. The Palestinian Papers showed that the Palestinians are prepared to have Jews living amongst them. Why would you want otherwise? |
23 March, 2011 - 10:45 Rate this: 0 points | YMedad, the settlements have prevented nothing and only added to Israel's problems. Leave Shiloh and use your idealism and energy to help build Israel where it needs it most, the Negev and Galil. You'll probably get great perks as an oleh chadash. |
23 March, 2011 - 10:47 Rate this: 0 points | Hoffman, the settlements are immoral and a blight on Israel. They will lead Israel to apartheid and eventually its demise. Whose side are you on? Israel as a democratic Jewish state or the one-staters? |
23 March, 2011 - 10:51 Rate this: 0 points | Come on, let's have some achdut, some Jewish unity. Let's unite around a two-state solution. Let's unite around hope, not the creation of more despair. Let's be Zionists, not one-staters. |
23 March, 2011 - 11:17 Rate this: 0 points | Of what relevance is my one-week suspension from the Board's International Division (which finished on Monday).... ......apart from demonstrating to all and sundry your truly spiteful and vitriolic nature, T-Spam? |
23 March, 2011 - 11:17 Rate this: 0 points | What utter nonsense. I and many others are no less Zionist for believing in the right of Jews to live anywhere in their ancient homeland. Being a supporter of keeping J&S Judenrein, ethnically cleansed of Jews, doesn't make anyone a Zionist. |
23 March, 2011 - 11:19 Rate this: 0 points | "Note: we surrendered Gaza and Ashdod, Beer-Sheva are now in range" Don't try to persuade JM with facts: he is immune and impenetrable to them. |
23 March, 2011 - 11:20 Rate this: 0 points | Hoffman, it goes to show your volatility. If anyone has a vitriolic and spiteful nature, it is you. You only serve those whom you hate most by continuing with it. |
23 March, 2011 - 11:23 Rate this: 0 points | Note the way T-Spam cannot stop himself descending from the substantive into ad hominems ... a real basket-case if ever I saw one ... |
23 March, 2011 - 11:24 Rate this: 0 points | Leah, if Israel holds on to the West Bank, then it will cease to be a Jewish and democratic state. It cannot keep control of another people, deny them their rights and remain Jewish and democratic. It has to decide, apartheid or Zionism. What would you suggest? Claiming all the "ancient homeland", from the Euphrates to the Egyptian River? |
23 March, 2011 - 11:25 Rate this: 0 points | Hoffman, it goes to show your volatility. If anyone has a vitriolic and spiteful nature, it is you. You only serve those whom you hate most by continuing with it. |
23 March, 2011 - 11:26 Rate this: 0 points | Hoffman, you are the king of ad hominems. |
23 March, 2011 - 11:26 Rate this: 0 points | Leah, if Israel holds on to the West Bank, then it will cease to be a Jewish and democratic state. It cannot keep control of another people, deny them their rights and remain Jewish and democratic. It has to decide, apartheid or Zionism. What would you suggest? Claiming all the "ancient homeland", from the Euphrates to the Egyptian River? |
23 March, 2011 - 11:28 Rate this: 0 points | Leah, Israel left Gaza unilaterally, to put the peace process in formaldehyde, to quote Arik Sharon's bag man Dov Weisglass. It shows the futility of unilateral moves. And Ashdod, the last time I checked, was still under Israeli control. Have you a different map? |
Anonymous 23 March, 2011 - 12:16 Rate this: 0 points | Comments for this page are now closed. |
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YMedad
23 March, 2011 - 10:21
Rate this:
"Toxic"? The only toxic material is your language - and thinking. My lad, you're looking at it from the wrong-end. The communities are the buffer between the high-density population areas of the state and terror. They provide time for early warning. Note: we surrendered Gaza and Ashdod, Beer-Sheva are now in range.
But besides that, pre-1967 - no commubnities and no "occupation". Right? So we had security, yes? No terror, yes? No killing of schoolchildren in Kfar Chabad? No fear in Jerusalem Corridor? No infiltration raids from Jordan or Gaza, right? Or are you very wrong?
I'll stop now, having wasted enough on this claptrap.