Source: Personal Archive

How Different This Day

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A message from Begin to his Likud base after the 1973 elections, where there Likud gained a lot of ground on Labor. A fundamental shift in Israeli politics is taking place, and Likud is emerging as a true viable alternative to the Labor establishment. . In the settlements and the Arab sector the Likud is making some gains, but in the cities, which are what truly matters in elections, the Likud is making huge gains. And in the army the Likud received more votes than any other party despite an intimidation campaign waged to keep soldiers from voting for Likud. The government also lost ground to Likud despite its lies about being close to a peace deal that would allow Israel to keep the land it captured in 1967. Likud’s support comes from the “believers and the poor.” Likud’s appeal comes from its commitment to the land of Eretz Israel, its commitment to security, and to dissatisfaction with Labor.

Likud Leader

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An interview Begin gave to the American newspaper “The Stars and Stripes”. After doing well in the 1974 election but not winning the press reports that Begin’s influence over Israeli policy has grown. Begin says that the wars of 1948 and 1967 were wars of self-defense and that Judea and Samaria are integral parts of Israel that cannot be given up. He supports Israel’s participation in the Geneva Peace Conference. He would be willing to give back Egyptian and Syrian land Israel captured in the Yom Kippur . Many regular Israelis agree with him on the issue of territory. He also says that it would be a security risk, and the interviewer gives facts about Jordan and Egypt’s military capabilities that support Begin’s assertions. Kissinger acknowledges the security risks and says the answer is international guarantees. Begin cites the cases of the Sudetenland and the Sinai Campaign to show why international guarantees are worthless.

Confusion and Whitewash

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An op-ed Begin wrote for “Ma’ariv”. Shortly after the Yom Kippur War, Prime Minister Golda Meir admitted on national radio that “fatal mistakes” had been made, much to Begin’s surprise and satisfaction that she was admitting the truth. He says that the disinformation campaign has led to the government confusing itself to the point where important Ministers cannot agree on what the government already decided its policy would be with regards to peace talks with Syria in Geneva. The government keeps on falsely promising peace and warning of many wars if peace is not soon achieved while sending conflicting messages on how to achieve peace. However, the public is becoming aware of the lies of the government. The government is making a dangerous mistake in talking about the rights of the Palestinians, as they legitimize Arafat and anti-Zionist arguments. Though the government attempts to whitewash all of its lies and scandals it is unable to do so before the public catches on.

We Seek a Mandate from the Nation to Form a Government

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An interview Begin gave to Rafael Bashan of Yediot Aharonot during the negotiations for the formation of the Likud bloc. Begin asserts that there is a strong common denominator between the various parties that are trying to form this new bloc. Contrary to rumors that Begin chose the name ‘opposition alignment’ no name had as yet been chosen for the new bloc. The time of the National Unity Government is over, and a one-party government would not function better but would be worse for democracy. The government, while not being able to carry out the program, had undertaken to give back parts of Judea and Samaria. Begin believes that the public needed to see a party staying 100% committed to its principles. He is proud of his demand in 1967 that Moshe Dayan be made the Minister of Defence because the national unity government that resulted greatly helped Israeli and IDF morale in the days leading up to the Six Day War. Begin demands settlement of all of the Land of Israel.

American Jewish Congress

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A speech Begin gave while serving as the chairman of the debate at the 10th Annual American-Israel dialogue of the American Jewish Congress. The word revolution can be either progressive or retrogressive, depending on who the revolutionaries are fighting and their ultimate goals. After the calls to slaughter the Jews were ignored in the 1930s the left cannot expect Israel and the Jews to just ignore the Palestinian and wider Arab calls for the destruction of Israel and extermination of the Jews. Begin says that the people on the New Left are ignorant of the history of the Jews. Violence as used in revolutions should only be used against tyrannies. In democracies, there are other, better ways to bring about change. The Arabs have 20 countries and a vast land. There is no problem if a percent of them live in Israel, and there is no reason for countries to only have one ethnic group in them. That is the thinking of Hitler.