The director of Yisrael Sheli: The Sovereignty Discourse is gaining momentum while talk of withdrawals and dividing the Land is losing; but we must use the political window of opportunity to promote and strengthen the vision.
Publicist Sarah Haetzni-Cohen, director of the Yisrael Sheli Movement and leader of the struggle for the Land of Israel on social networks, participated in the Sovereignty Youth Seminar that was held at the Oz veGaon preserve in Gush Etzion. During her speech, she commented on the great change in political discourse that has occurred in recent years, but she also warned against Israeli lack of clarity regarding an alternative policy to the two-states idea.
Haetzni-Cohen spoke to the dozens of youths who are members of the Sovereignty Youth Movement, about the purpose of her organization, which has set for itself the goal of advancing the alternative political discourse and she described the changes since the Oslo days when “a Palestinian state was just over the horizon and it was prevented by our bodies and our blood, by the demonstrations that we held, sometimes with few participants and sometimes with many”, until today, when the discourse examining the alternative to two states has even reached the Israeli Left.
“We prevented a Palestinian state with our bodies. Now, we are in a situation where the pendulum has swung from the heroic action of blocking with our own bodies and blood to a period of initiative”, stated Haetzni-Cohen, describing the motive that drives her to a mission among figures of the Right from whom she sought the outline of an organized and well-based political plan.
She said that it is clear that “there will be no perfect solutions here”, but “there is a public and international desire to hear about the Right’s agenda”. Haetzni-Cohen noted that it was Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar who began raising consciousnes on the matter of sovereignty a few years ago “and they were considered delusional”. Today it has become the main axis of discourse. Even in the Left, they speak of alternatives to dividing the Land. If in the past the discourse was on how much we should withdraw, to include the blocs of Jewish settlement or not, etc., today the discourse is on how much we should annex. The story of today’s discourse is how much sovereignty to apply”.
Haetzni-Cohen notes that it is not only Naftali Bennett that has raised the discourse of partial sovereignty with his Stability Initiative, Yoav Hendel as well, of the Blue and White party, is presenting a plan whose goal is also partial sovereignty. She also mentions Minister Miri Regev’s decision to propose legislation for the application of sovereignty in the Jordan Valley as proof of her understanding that this is mainstream Israeli, this is the popular discourse in Israel. Former member of Knesset Shuli Mualem as well, is raising proposals for the application of Israeli law in Gush Etzion, and this is also the reason that when Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to attract voters, he declares his intention to apply sovereignty over the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria when he is interviewed.
“The Likud Central Committee has taken a decision to apply Israeli law over the communities and this brings the discourse to a totally different place”, she added, noting Jayson Greenblatt’s declaration in the New York Times that Israel has the right to apply sovereignty in parts of Judea and Samaria and David Friedman as well. The situation has changed”.
However, Haetzni-Cohen stresses that contrary to claims by leftist figures such as journalist Shalom Yerushalmi, the Right has not won, because while it is maintaining political discourse, in actuality, the Land is being systematically and methodically taken over and stolen by the PA.
Haetzni-Cohen noted that the largest moves did not stem from international pressure on Israel but from Israeli initiative. This was the case with the Oslo Accords, also the case with the decision to give the PA rifles as well as the Disengagement from the Gaza Strip. “The time has come for the alternative initiative to come from here”, she said, immediately noting that “in the international discourse we do not speak clearly”.
According to her, Israeli politicians and statesmen do not represent the sovereignty position even in pro-Israeli forums such as AIPAC. “We are absent from the international scene and our politicians do not sing these tunes”.
From her discussions with European figures, Haetzni-Cohen said that the Europeans claim that their support for dividing the Land and establishing a Palestinian state stems from concern for Israeli interests. She vigorously clarified during that conversation that Europeans living in Paris or London are not capable of understanding the needs of the People in Israel and their interests, “We have a clear understanding of what is good for us and we are much more interested in our Arab neighbor’s welfare. This approach stems from the European colonialist idea. They see us as natives who must be told by them what is good for us”.
“The sovereignty discourse is full of challenges but we must make this discourse heard, become familiar with the disadvantages and the challenges, but also understand the need to have an impact because we have no time”, concluded Haetzni-Cohen.
Other participants on the first day of the seminar: journalist Shalom Yerushalmi, Prof. Aryeh Eldad, Head of Gush Etzion Council Shlomo Ne’eman, Judea and Samaria coordinator for Regavim Shay Hemo, journalist Yair Sharki and Rav David Nativ.