Weekly Commentary: Response To Prof. Inbar Supporting Annexation
Dr. Aaron Lerner 23 February 2018

Prof. Efraim Inbar, President, Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies,
argued this week against annexation - "The Demand for Sovereignty Over Judea
and Samaria Is a Waste of Zionist Energy" Jewish News Service
February 20, 2018.

I beg to differ.

Let's walk through his argument:

#1. The State of Israel has a difficult time enforcing decisions within
Israel's sovereign territory so extending sovereignty over Judea and Samaria
won't impact developments there relating to illegal Arab construction in
Area C.

Response: The issue is Jewish construction much more than illegal Arab
construction. Today a Jew can't build a shed on a plot of land that he owns
in Judea and Samaria unless Prime Minister Netanyahu and scores of military
government functionaries (and courts) give their consent. Today there are
vast areas of land slated for Jewish construction near Jerusalem, for
example E-1, that Arabs are illegally building on because permits for Jewish
construction have been frozen. Applying Israeli sovereignty would be a game
changer. Yes, PM Netanyahu has taken measures to freeze Jewish construction
in certain areas of Jerusalem, but the scope and efficacy of the freeze
doesn't come close to the freeze in Judea and Samaria. Add to that the
impact of annexation on "lawfare": today a Jewish home can be demolished if
a centimeter of a wall extends into a plot of questionable ownership.
Inside sovereign Israel such an occurrence is resolved by the courts via
financial compensation.

#2. The Israeli military has several advantages over the country's
democratic regime when it comes to fighting terrorism

Response: We face a profoundly dynamic and uncertain situation. The
operative question for setting policy is not what the Israeli military can
do inside Judea and Samaria this February 2018 but instead what conditions
and limitations the Israeli military may be subject to in the coming years in
the absence of an Israeli initiative to annex.

#3. A Knesset declaration or legislation is devoid of meaning.

Response: The massive building boom that could follow annexation would be
extremely meaningful - benefiting by Jews and Arabs. Add to that, the
Arabs lucky enough to be within the areas annexed and thus qualifying for
Israeli citizenship may have a positive impact.

#4. It would still be wiser not to add difficulties to relations with other
countries.

Response: The operative question for setting policy is not how annexation
would add difficulties to relations with other countries this February 2018
but instead how this compares to the conditions we may very well face in the
future if we fail to annex now. Here's a concrete scenarios: the next U.S.
president could be a Democrat determined to shove a sovereign Palestinian
state down our throats in alliance with Russia, the Europeans and Arab
"moderates" shamed into joining the initiative. This sovereign Palestinian
state would serve as the means to inject many millions of Arabs into the
area and ultimately the destruction of Israel. To be clear: the fait
accompli of annexation won't prevent such an initiative, but it would most
certainly improve the likelihood that Israel can foil it.

#5. According to all surveys, the vast majority of Israelis are prepared to
make territorial concessions in Judea and Samaria, but they do not believe
that there is currently a serious partner to talk to on the Palestinian
side.

Response: Polls asking Israelis if they are prepared to make territorial
concessions in Judea and Samaria in return for "peace" are asking an "if
pigs could fly" question. Assuming that there is some magical deal out there
that can truly deliver a stable and robust peace is a luxury that policy
makers can ill afford to base their decisions on.

#6. A government that would declare Israeli sovereignty over Judea and
Samaria would lose its ability to mobilize the people to go to war and to
bear this price when the time comes.

Response: We don't go to war by choice - we go to defend ourselves. For a
generation the Left has predicted that reservists won't show up to fight out
of frustration with what they see as the failure of Likud governments to
make "peace". These predictions proved to be absolutely wrong.

Conclusion: Annexation most certainly will cost the Jewish State. But the
question is not annexation versus continuing a snapshot of today in
perpetuity. And when one compares where we will be in a decade if we annex
today to our situation in the absence of such a dramatic move, annexation is
clearly the best bet for our future.

________________________________________
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Arab-Israeli relations

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