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What made Benjamin Netanyahu's election as Prime Minister of Israel so important? Was there a rejection of the peace process? Did the need to place security and military needs outweigh political and policy needs? What does he bring to the table and how can we expect him to behave in the next few years? All are important questions that need examination in order to determine the course of events in the Middle East entering the new millennium.
He watched in horror as Arab terrorists captured a jetliner filled with passengers and brought them to Entebbe, Uganda. His brother Johnathan, aided in the planning and was instrumental in running the rescue mission on which he lost his life saving the lives of dozens of scared passengers. This event sharpened Bibi's resolve to deal with terrorists in a firm and harsh manner. The only way to deal with terrorists is to prevent them from bombing, hijacking, kidnapping and causing terror in the first place. Taking a hard line against terrorists therefore became first nature to Netanyahu and he developed his world view based on a need to ensure Israeli security without having to depend on anyone else for their security. He has been critical of the United States for trying to bully Israel into a position whereby it may be unable to defend itself if attacked by hostile forces. Negotiations with the PLO are probably the most difficult thing Netenyahu has ever done, since it was a terrorist group, much like the PLO, that cost his brother his life. It is difficult to imagine a zebra changing his stripes and Netenyahu has been extremely wary of Arafat's pledges for peace as long as the Palestinian's have been given autonomy and eventual statehood. In his book, Netanyahu mentions that the Palestinians already have a country they can call their own; Jordan because the British created two separate entities out of a 'Palestine' which encompasses modern Jordan and Israel. Following Israeli Independence in 1948, Arabs living in areas not retained by Israel were absorbed by Egypt, Syria and Transjordan preventing those Arabs from forming their own independent state. Netanyahu considers Palestinian nationalism to be an historical fiction unsupported by the facts since it did not exist until the last two decades, long after Palestine no longer existed. This viewpoint has widespread support among right wingers and even among moderates. Go To Page: 1 2
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