Subjects: Free Market

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.

Confrontation

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Begin shares the issues he finds important regarding Israel’s upcoming electorate. He first addresses that elections on the basis of constituencies would ensure the Labor Party the majority of seats in the Knesset. Begin explains that some small parties voted in agreement for the constituent system because it would lead to greater legislative efficiency. However, unlike these parties, Gahal did not commit suicide. Then Begin speaks about the multiple debates Gahal initiated in the Knesset. After that, Begin speaks about the invalid argument that if Israel is not partitioned, it will become a bi-national State. He concludes that depending on which party Israel votes for, they will be choosing a socialistic regime (Labor Party) or a free society (Gahal).

A Deep Moral Crisis

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In this economic-centered piece, Begin questions the legitimacy of the Histadrut as an institution, both economic and political. He heavily criticizes the amount of control the union exerts over its members and the economy as a whole, comparing it to the worst aspects of socialism and fascism.

The Magnificent Emergency

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Article by Begin for Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day) 1968, recounting the events that had transpired since the previous Independence Day. On Yom Haatzmaut 1967, even as Jews were both mourning the Holocaust and celebrating the resurgence of their people Israel, Colonel Nasser of Egypt ordered his troops to go into the Northern Sinai Peninsula. Soon the combined forces of three large Arab armies from Egypt, Syria, and Jordan surrounded Israel. Israel still won and took the Suez Canal, but Nasser was still spouting the same rhetoric a year after the war. Other Arab leaders made similar declarations about their intent to destroy Israel, in Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. Israel is in a state of “magnificent emergency” where it is under threat but has great opportunities to settle and claim its land. To this end Israel needs another mass aliyah from western Jewry and to initiate economic reforms to ensure a free market and economic growth that westerners expect.

Israel’s Hope Lies in A Change of Regime

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Begin criticizes the current government, and specifically Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, for its inability to deal with issues of aliyah, emigration, and unemployment. He states that “it is the mission of this State to bring our exiles together, to congregate those who were scattered.” However, due to unemployment, there has been a major decrease in aliyah and an increase in emigration.