Begin recalls Ben Gurion’s declaration of the abandonment of El Arish and criticizes him for doing the same with Gaza. Begin stresses the importance of Gaza to the security of Israel. He encourages the settlers of the Negev not to abandon their kibbutzim and moshavim and gives hope to the soldiers that fought for the liberation of Gaza that “Gaza was, and Gaza will be, a liberated Hebrew town.”
Begin argues against Levi Eshkol’s decision for not having an army parade on Israel’s Independence Day in Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. Begin says that one of the Eshkol’s reasons is because in the past, the parades in Jerusalem were insignificant, which did not raise morale of the army or Jerusalemites. Begin accuses the Government of simply unwilling to organize a powerful parade in Jerusalem. Another reason of Eshkol’s for not having an army parade in Jerusalem is because it would breach the Armistice Agreement with Jordan. It is extremely troubling to Begin that Eshkol even mentions Israel’s capabilities to break the Agreement because Jordan has already broken the Agreement. Begin goes even further to say that all of the Armistice Agreements have been broken by the Arab nations. In the conclusion, Begin writes that because of Eshkol’s mistakes, the Israeli public will either think that if the parade is in Jerusalem, it will be lacking morale or breaching the Agreement.
Begin expresses serious concern about the safety of Israel because of the relationships between Arab nations and other countries. He compares Abba Eban to Moshe Sharett because both met with United States’ president. At first, both believed that the U.S. could have a positive influence for the advancement of peace in the region. Begin mentions that Sharett understood that his words did not benefit Israel, but rather put Israel’s safety at risk. Begin argues that Abba Eban and the current Government still does not understand the grave danger Israel faces as a result of France, the United States, and other nations providing weapons to Arab nations. Once the Arab nations are ready to destroy Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces will need to divide into three to protect its borders. However, Begin is confident that even with the odds against Israel, the Arab nations will not succeed in destroying Israel.
Begin speaks to the new Knesset focusing on his disappointments and lack of confidence in the new Government. Throughout the speech, he repeats that within the Government “‘yes’ is not ‘yes’; ‘no’ is not ‘no.'” He first discusses members’ actions in finding a loophole around the law the fifth Knesset adopted. He also discusses the actions of the new Minister of Labour, who demands Sabbath Law. This Minister demands the Ashdod Port to be closed on Shabbat, but because this could damage the national economy, he will determine if the port needs to operate on Shabbat. Ultimately, he argues that national action needs to happen and shares the actions Herut wants to take.
Begin wants to dissolve the discomfort Ha’aretz readers have about Etzel. He begins by emphasizing that it is most important that the readers contemplate his words. Then he continues to mention that no nation besides Israel has ever questioned its liberators’ actions. Instead, it “is considered a privilege by them.” Begin then goes into detail about the hatred he and Etzel felt from the Jewish Agency’s leader, Ben Gurion, prior to the negotiation. He said that Ben Gurion used a system of propaganda, which he referred to as “the hate system.” Along with propaganda, Begin dismantles the lie stating that Etzel did not want a united army after the emergence of the State. Lastly, he mentions the importance of Ben Gurion saying that taking down Altalena might have been a mistake. Through providing a thorough understanding of events that happened in the past, Begin ends his piece with: “it is not we [Etzel] who must correct any image, but they who must correct their angle of vision.”
