Only in Haaretz. By Zeev Sternhell:
The real reason for the settlements…was occupying the land… [R]ight and left were partners to the act. The
nationalist-messianist fervor and the desire to end the War of
Independence merged into the momentum for occupation: The entire right
and most of the left – We have returned to the land of the Judges and
the kings of the Davidian dynasty, said defense minister Moshe Dayan
emotionally in the summer of 1967 – bear joint responsibility for the
gradual creation of the disaster in which Israeli society is wallowing.
Since it was impossible to take control of the lands legally, a
mafia-like culture of theft, lies and deception developed in the
territories, in which the various government authorities are still
wallowing, from ministers in tailored suits to the last of the
policemen sweating on the highways. Contrary to the rules of
international and Israeli law, contrary to elementary rules of justice,
contrary to all logic and every genuine Israeli interest, broad areas
were confiscated for the sake of the settlers and huge sums were poured
in….
Thus a minority took control of the fate of the entire society and
held it hostage, due both to the left's ideological impotence and a
lack of character, determination and leadership. If society does not
find the emotional strength to remove the noose of the settlements,
nothing but a sad memory will remain of the Jewish state as it still
exists.
