Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., November 30, 2007 Kislev 20, 5768 | | Israel Time: 17:14 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
del.icio.us
Digg It!  new
Last update - 12:42 26/11/2007
Demands of a thief
By Gideon Levy
Tags: occupation, Annapolis 

The public discourse in Israel has momentarily awoken from its slumber. "To give or not to give," that is the Shakespearean question - "to make concessions" or "not to make concessions." It is good that initial signs of life in the Israeli public have emerged. It was worth going to Annapolis if only for this reason - but this discourse is baseless and distorted. Israel is not being asked "to give" anything to the Palestinians; it is only being asked to return - to return their stolen land and restore their trampled self-respect, along with their fundamental human rights and humanity. This is the primary core issue, the only one worthy of the title, and no one talks about it anymore.

No one is talking about morality anymore. Justice is also an archaic concept, a taboo that has deliberately been erased from all negotiations. Two and a half million people - farmers, merchants, lawyers, drivers, daydreaming teenage girls, love-smitten men, old people, women, children and combatants using violent means for a just cause - have all been living under a brutal boot for 40 years. Meanwhile, in our cafes and living rooms the conversation is over giving or not giving.

Lawyers, philosophers, writers, lecturers, intellectuals and rabbis, who are looked upon for basic knowledge about moral precepts, participate in this distorted discourse. What will they tell their children - after the occupation finally becomes a nightmare of the past - about the period in which they wielded influence? What will they say about their role in this? Israeli students stand at checkpoints as part of their army reserve duty, brutally deciding the fate of people, and then some rush off to lectures on ethics at university, forgetting what they did the previous day and what is being done in their names every single day. Intellectuals publish petitions, "to make concessions" or "not to make concessions," diverting attention from the core issue. There are stormy debates about corruption - whether Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is corrupt and how the Supreme Court is being undermined. But there is no discussion of the ultimate question: Isn't the occupation the greatest and most terrible corruption to have taken root here, overshadowing everything else?
Advertisement
Security officials are terrified about what would happen if we removed a checkpoint or released prisoners, like the whites in South Africa who whipped up a frenzy of fear about the "great slaughter" that would ensue if blacks were granted their rights. But these are not legitimate questions: The incarceration must be ended and the myriad of political prisoners should be released unconditionally. Just as a thief cannot present demands - neither preconditions nor any other terms - to the owner of the property he has robbed, Israel cannot present demands to the other side as long as the situation remains as it is.

Security? We must defend ourselves by defensive means. Those who do not believe that the only security we will enjoy will come from ending the occupation and from peace can entrench themselves in the army, and behind walls and fences. But we have no right to do what we are doing: Just as no one would conceive of killing the residents of an entire neighborhood, to harass and incarcerate it because of a few criminals living there, there is no justification for abusing an entire people in the name of our security. The question of whether ending the occupation would threaten or strengthen Israel's security is irrelevant. There are not, and cannot be, any preconditions for restoring justice.

No one will discuss this at Annapolis. Even if the real core issues were raised, they would focus on secondary questions - borders, Jerusalem and even refugees. But that would be escaping the main issue. After 40 years, one might have expected that the real core issue would finally be raised for honest and bold discussion: Does Israel have the moral right to continue the occupation? The world should have asked this long ago. The Palestinians should have focused only on this. And above all, we, who bear the guilt, should have been terribly troubled by the answer to this question.
Bookmark to del.icio.us
Do Jews have a say?
How much influence should Diaspora Jews have over Israel's decision?
Nixon's nuke concern
Former U.S. president feared Israeli nukes would spark an arms race.
  1.   Demand of a "thief"? 10:23  |  Gabe 25/11/07
  2.   Gideon Levy, I am on My Knees Before You! 10:28  |  Tzfonit 25/11/07
  3.   ONE FATAL MISCALCULATION SINCE 1967 10:29  |  indrajaya 25/11/07
  4.   The dim light at the end of the tunnel 10:30  |  Steve the Pals. 25/11/07
  5.   What Israel gives... 10:32  |  Esther 25/11/07
  6.   Gideon Levy the Traitor is acting to dismantle only Jewish State 10:35  |  Genuine Tosefta 25/11/07
  7.   Who pays Gideon Levy`s salary? The PLO or Suicidal Israelis? 10:39  |  nh 25/11/07
  8.   Levy, before occupation Israel was just blessed with peace... 10:42  |  Rob 25/11/07
  9.   gideon levy 10:50  |  A.M. 25/11/07
  10.   Gideon Levy once again both right and wrong..... 10:52  |  Swiss (Dino) 25/11/07
  11.   murderer, occupier, thief and liar 10:53  |  Israeli 25/11/07
  12.   IT WAS QUIET BEFORE ISRAEL BEGAN TO OFFER LAND FOR PEACE)) 10:54  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 25/11/07
  13.   Cross-eyed 10:59  |  Pinchas 25/11/07
  14.   Demands from Pals who have NOT changed their OFFICIAL attitude 11:00  |  PETER S.M. 25/11/07
  15.   1ST BOOK OF THE TORAH WAS WRITTEN FOR ALL NATIONS TO KNOW THAT 11:01  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 25/11/07
  16.   Re Gabe #1 11:02  |  Esther 25/11/07
  17.   Justice and Injustice 11:11  |  Dan 25/11/07
  18.   Very interesing Gideon - you should read what our Foreign office 11:11  |  Judith, Haifa 25/11/07
  19.   Fundamental Islam VS Fundamental Human Rights 11:18  |  Klaudia 25/11/07
  20.   it is not VOICE of MOSHIACH but face of Voice of the Devil 11:20  |  Messianic 25/11/07
  21.   Palestinains are not a myth 11:21  |  Palestinian Brit 25/11/07
  22.   It takes one to know one 11:24  |  Zev 25/11/07
  23.   Are you Jewish? 11:30  |  Avi Yerushalmi 25/11/07
  24.   False Leftist " Morality " 11:31  |  Klaudia 25/11/07
  25.   Philistines are triple myth, disappeared 2,500 yrs go 11:33  |  Genuine Tosefta 25/11/07
  26.   "OCCUPIER"Without Arab imperialism it would never have happened 11:33  |  PETER S.M. 25/11/07
  27.   actually it`s exactly vice versa because the arabs who started... 11:39  |  scallywag 25/11/07
  28.   gabe 1 translation 11:40  |  realism 25/11/07
  29.   a question to palestinian brit 11:42  |  scallywag 25/11/07
  30.   genuine tosefta 6 11:42  |  realism 25/11/07
  31.   Gideon manipulates the ignorant 11:44  |  Gilad 25/11/07
  32.   PAL BRIT Of course not a myth.UN made ALL Arabs residing 2 yrs 11:44  |  PETER S.M. 25/11/07
  33.   Israels peace policy has returned good and bad news 11:47  |  Natallie Durson 25/11/07
  34.   What Gideon Levy Should Be Emphasizing 11:52  |  Tzfonit 25/11/07
  35.   Justice is a luxury Israel cant afford. 12:17  |  David 25/11/07
  36.   Is Israel a "thief" or rather a bit "insatiable"....??? 12:21  |  Swiss (Dino) 25/11/07
  37.   Levy 12:22  |  Choni Davidowitz 25/11/07
  38.   #23 Avi Yerushalmi 12:27  |  Jim 25/11/07
  39.   Demands 12:32  |  Veni Vidi 25/11/07
  40.   to Judith, Haifa #18 12:33  |  zeev 25/11/07
  41.   The Arabs are the thieves Gideon 13:18  |  Steven 25/11/07
  42.   to Choni Davidowitz #37 13:18  |  zeev 25/11/07
  43.   standing on a soapbox 13:27  |  yonah 25/11/07
  44.   Gideon Levy thinks good but do some misses 13:28  |  Harald Haaretssen 25/11/07
  45.   # 34 Tzfonit 13:29  |  Jim 25/11/07
  46.   Dino...a Q.... 13:34  |  Ofer 25/11/07
  47.   # 36 Swiss Dino 13:41  |  Jim 25/11/07
  48.   Klaudia Dearest #19 13:57  |  GABE1 25/11/07
  49.   Ha`Aretz I am asking nicely...................... 14:01  |  Ari ben Yisrael 25/11/07
  50.   Jim #44 14:02  |  GABE1 25/11/07
  51.   #4 Steve the Pals, Who trows partners from roofs to solve issues 14:04  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 25/11/07
  52.   ZEEV #41 14:05  |  GABE1 25/11/07
  53.   Israel belongs to the Jews... 14:07  |  Kenneth 25/11/07
  54.   I cry for Israel 14:08  |  Izwick 25/11/07
  55.   # 45 Ofer 14:12  |  Swiss (Dino) 25/11/07
  56.   Well said Gideon,but judging from the comments of most of the 14:15  |  lakshmi 25/11/07
  57.   Yes, Levi, I also think we should just pack up and walk 14:18  |  Anat 25/11/07
  58.   nh, @7. haaretz pays his big salary and EU. 14:22  |  vladimir 25/11/07
  59.   # 46 Jim 14:24  |  Swiss (Dino) 25/11/07
  60.   @8, rob, levy has different logic; israel is always wrong, wrong, 14:25  |  vladimir 25/11/07
  61.   #15 1ST BOOK OF THE TORAH -IS `3` BOOKS)))) 14:27  |  VOICE of REASON))) 25/11/07
  62.   Israeli #11 14:28  |  GABE1 25/11/07
  63.   Swiss (Dino)....I see 14:29  |  Ofer 25/11/07
  64.   Ari ben Deluded 14:31  |  GABE1 25/11/07
  65.   to Avi Yerushalmi #23 14:32  |  zeev 25/11/07
  66.   @32, peter s. m. 14:39  |  vladimir 25/11/07
  67.   Jim 14:42  |  Walid 25/11/07
  68.   Censorship At Its fines 14:45  |  Bracha of SS 25/11/07
  69.   @36, swiss, we are smart people by any acceptable 14:46  |  vvvv 25/11/07
  70.   to Ari ben Yisrael #50 14:48  |  zeev 25/11/07
  71.   # 64 Ofer 14:52  |  Swiss (Dino) 25/11/07
  72.   Choni`s false dichotomy. #37 14:54  |  Voice of Reason))) 25/11/07
  73.   gabe1, the corned beef toronto is great by in williage is even 14:55  |  vladimir 25/11/07
  74.   vladimir thanks for the information on "instant" Palestinians 14:57  |  PETER S.M. 25/11/07
  75.   Something to be proud of... 15:03  |  Tess 25/11/07
  76.   Levy - Wrong Again, Anti-Israel Again 15:06  |  David Samson 25/11/07
  77.   The BIG LIE from a sick man;read the bible 15:08  |  sam 25/11/07
  78.   thief,occupier,racist and other dogma 15:20  |  peter 25/11/07
  79.   Vladimir #74 15:25  |  GABE1 25/11/07
  80.   Israel is more like a RAPIST: 15:29  |  POP 25/11/07
  81.