Eitan Haber
צילום: שלום בר טל
Walking a long road
Netanyahu, settler leaders went through great changes over the years
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to halt settlement construction may not seem like a big deal, but those who understand the long road walked by this man are also able to fully appreciate the move.
In order to utter the words that leftist politicians had been uttering every day for 40 years now, Netanyahu needed to go through 30 years in politics, a great failure in his first term in office, and a tortuous road filled with suffering and pain. He is going through, slowly, what Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon, Yitzhak Rabin, and many others went through.
So where is the problem? We, here in Israel, fully understand the difficulties, hesitation, and deliberations experienced by Netanyahu, who walked a long road since claiming that the whole of the Land of Israel should be ours. However, beyond his home court, and especially overseas, his words sound hesitant, as though they lack credibility and determination; as if they may be part of a scheme.
This is Netanyahu’s reputation worldwide, and now he needs to face truly difficult tests to ensure they believe him.
Only a matter of time
To the credit of settler leaders in Judea and Samaria, and mostly heads of the Yesha Council, we should note that they walked a long road too – ever since the wild protests of the mid-1990s they realized that it is better to invest efforts in persuading one Knesset member as opposed to organizing a mass protest in Jerusalem.
Indeed, they learned that the persuasion work must be undertaken face-to-face, one on one, rather than through mayhem whose end result no one can predict.
And why should we conceal the whole truth: These people matured greatly, and they may be tired and in need of some rest. The next generation of leaders, who has grown up despite their disapproval, is despicable in their eyes.
And maybe, just maybe, they too finally got it. Perhaps they too understand that the decision has already been taken by both Obama and Netanyahu, and that everything is now only a matter of time.
