Prof. Paul Eidelberg
“Gentlemen, all of you have experience in war. As senior officers, all of you have studied the history of warfare. All of you know that since the end of World War II, and despite the United Nations, there has hardly been a week without as many as ten wars raging on this planet. Hence war is the norm of international relations, and peace is merely a period of preparing or blindly waiting for the next war.
“Now gentlemen, you know that political scientists define politics as a struggle for power. Yet, when discussing the Arab-Jewish conflict, the same political scientists would have us believe in ‘conflict resolution,’ a notion opposed to the Islamic concept of jihad. Thus, while war may be too serious a matter to be left to generals, it is certainly too serious to be left to morally neutral academics.
“Notice that I myself used the morally neutral term ‘Arab-Jewish’ conflict, when this is in fact an Arab war against the Jews. This war has been going on at least since the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which was followed by one Arab pogrom after another. The Arab’s murderous and implacable hatred of Jews is obvious to all but fools. While tired democratic politicians intone ‘peace, peace, peace,’ Arafat brazenly declares: ‘Peace to us means the destruction of Israel!’
“Peace has become the mantra of democracy, of people steeped in comfort and comforting illusions. The same individuals who enjoy the most violent movies are among the most vociferous anti-war activists who believe that man is basically a tame and peace-loving animal. The one thousand and more wars that have occurred during the past 2,500 years in Europe and the Middle East prove otherwise.
“Although Israel has never been defeated in war, she has yet to win a war—not a single one. No war is won unless the victor prescribes the terms of peace over the vanquished. Hence victory in war has always eluded us.
“What prevents Israel from winning a war? Almost any housewife will tell you: Washington! The United States will not let Israel win a war over its Arab enemies. Why not? A three-letter word: oil. Political scientists will give you the same answer as a housewife!
“Gentlemen, has it ever occurred to you that these amateurs and experts obscure what is more fundamental, namely, Israel’s internal defects? Has it ever occurred to you that Israel’s political system is not conducive to victory in war and that her political leaders lack the moral courage and wisdom required to win a war?
“Regarding Israel’s political system: both Arabs and Jews can vote and hold office. As a consequence, virtually all parties in Israel seek Arab support before and after national elections. Which means that Israeli politicians cannot base their domestic and foreign policies on the truth regarding the Arab’s implacable hatred of Jews.
“Israeli politicians--Left and Right--tolerate the disloyalty of Israel’s Arab citizens. They pander to Arab regimes, especially Egypt, the patrons of the PLO-Palestinian Authority. Moreover, by failing to expose the religious and cultural character of the Arab war against the Jews—by trivializing this war as a territorial dispute—they undermine the realism of our people and fail to arouse them to new heights of glory.
“Furthermore, given the democratic principle of one adult/one vote in
a state where Arabs comprise 20% of Israel’s population, Jewish politicians
must not display Jewish pride or Jewish national honor. Indeed, various parties
in Israel disparage the heritage of the Jewish people--a convenient way to curry
the favor of Arab voters.
“What kind of Jewish politicians are to be expected in this bi-national state? Who or whose heritage will they represent? Will their paramount loyalty be to the Jewish people? Will they possess confidence in the justice of Israel’s cause? Will they possess the will and wisdom to go on the offensive vis-a-vis Arab despots?
“Is such a thing possible given our inept system of multi-party cabinet government, which divides us and allows Washington to play on our divisions to the extent of determining who will be our prime minister or what will be his foreign policy?
“And so, gentleman, Israel is institutionally as well as psychologically incapable of winning any war. We need unity in the Executive. But we also need national unity, which means national pride and purpose. Impossible unless it be Jewish national pride and purpose.
“This will come, gentlemen, but only in the next full-scale war. This war we shall win. This war will put an end of our bi-national state. That’s right, gentlemen, from the crucible of the next war, a New Israel shall emerge—Jewish and triumphant!”