Head of Israel’s Opposition MK Livni at 2012 Herzliya Conference: „Israel is isolated because we have not reached decisions.”
The Middle East’s leading security & policy gathering continues through Feb 2nd at the IDC Herzliya Campus
Speaking at the opening session of the second day of the annual Herzliya Conference, Head of Israel’s Opposition and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni criticized the current Israeli government for its inability to make the decisions necessary „to become a strong nation.” She added that certain important situations in Israel were often and „somehow decided in such a way that the real controversy… leads us to a situation where the minority in the state of Israel imposes its will on the majority of those in the state of Israel.”
Livni said that in making the many necessary decisions to create a strong nation, the people of Israel and their government needed to understand that they were not only guarding Israel’s „physical existence but also our values here in our home.”
Ms. Livni noted that „There are two visions in Israel which are completely different and they are colliding with one another.” The first sees Israel as a „national home for the Jewish people… a home for all its citizens” where the rule of law and authority sits within the courts; while the second is „another country which is some kind of improved ghetto” and the „source of authority is the rabbis and not the court.” She lamented that this separation was not „half and half that tears equally.”
She said that she wanted to see a country where all of its citizens shared the „egalitarian burden” of military or national service and all were educated with core subjects. The implementation of basic laws to ensure these two outcomes would „realize our entire puzzle.” She stressed that it should not be the case that 50% of students in Israel were being taught in Hebrew while another percentage was being taught in Arabic, and yet another percentage where taught in Yiddish „with no connection whatsoever with what they were being taught.”
Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Livni noted it was crucial that Israel reach a final status agreement but that the problem was that „in 2012 the word peace has become a rude word.” Alluding to the current discussions that are underway between the two sides, Livni said „For many months I was negotiating with the Palestinians and it did not reach a stalemate… just a dissolution.”
All of the proceedings are broadcast live with a VOD option on the Conference’s website: www.herzliyaconference.org/eng.
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