The "This is Their Land" Mentality

Abba Kovner

Moshe Feiglin..
jewishisrael.org..
26 October '12..






Translated from the Makor Rishon newspaper

The ritual of rockets that periodically pummel Israel's southern communities also includes numerous media interviews with the important people. The journalists attempt to extract from anybody who thinks he is a somebody some scrap of a resolution for this crazy situation that is unparalleled anywhere in the world.

The first to express himself during last week's round of rocket fire was President Shimon Peres, who during a visit to the north expressed his anger at the situation in the south. "We haven't seen Shimon Peres this angry in a long time," the reporter noted.

After Peres it was the candidate for premiership, Yair Lapid's turn: "What is the solution?" asked the reporter in the studio. "We must coordinate all the public relations bureaus," Lapid hurried to steer the discussion to the topic of his expertise. "I would coordinate all the public relations in the Foreign Ministry.

Shelly Yechimovitz of Labor spoke eloquently, but said nothing memorable. Former Defense Minister Amir Peretz said that we must build more protective shelters. A security expert jabbered with self importance, leaving me confused. Eventually I gave up and put on a music station.

A simple truth is hiding behind the cacophony of non-solutions: Those responsible for the debacle cannot fix it.


In the mid-90s (the Oslo era) Israel's "This is our land" mentality switched to "This is their land". A large swath of influential people in the arts, communications, politics, security, justice, media and politics are responsible for the transformation. They built their careers on it and cannot go back to the pre-Oslo days of "This is our Land."

That is why there is no solution to the missiles screeching into southern Israel from Gaza.

In the "This is our Land" days, famous Zionist icon and fighter Abba Kovner* explained the imperative to conquer Gaza. Kovner did not talk about eliminating terror. He talked about victory. Victory is impossible without moral resolve. Those who want to solve today's missile problem would be well advised to read Kovenr's battle order, written for IDF troops as they prepared for battle in the 1956 Sinai War:

"The will to triumph is a prerequisite for victory."

No containment, no control over the height of the flames and none of the other anti-army, pseudo intellectual discourse that dominates the army today. An army must strive for one thing only: victory.

After some words of encouragement, Kovner explains:
"Gaza: A living organ torn from the body of the State of Israel."
Kovner takes a moral stance: Gaza is ours!

He continues:
"A clenched fist is hovering over the state, a base for the murderous Egyptians."
Kovner refers to the security threat to the state, while homing in on the perpetrators of terror and the country that is behind them.

At the very end of the battle order, Kovner mentions the only claim that is being made today: the suffering of the people:
" Nachal Oz, Be'eri, Kisufim, Nirrim – a chain of flourishing settlements facing a hostile border."

"Fighters," Kovner sums up his words, "Smite the enemy!" (There is an enemy and it is not "terror") "Smite him again and again!" (No "proportionality" here)
"The enemy will be destroyed by the sword of the division fighters" (No stopping in the middle).
"Forward to battle and to victory!"

Link: http://www.jewishisrael.org/eng_contents/articles/73/article7313.html

*Abba Kovner was commander of the partisan underground organization, founder of the “Breha” (escape), poet and writer, and activist in Israel's cultural and public life.

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