Cannot Sharon Comprehend What Jabotinsky Wrote?
- - - - by YMedad
In his speech before the Jewish Agency Assembly justifying the disengagement program, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon explained his rationale as assuring a Jewish majority.
Announcing that "we do not have the ability to ensure a Jewish majority in every area", he stated that "we had a dream of a Jewish state in all the territories of the Land of Israel, but, unfortunately, we do not have the ability to realize the entire dream."
In support of his position, he quoted (third paragraph from the end) from a 1923 article by Ze'ev Jabotinsky wherein the founder of the Revisionist camp had defined Zionism as meaning a Jewish majority and noting that Zionism could be "lost" without a Jewish majority.
A review of the entire article indicates that either Sharon's speechwriter has difficulty in reading or he purposefully manipulated Jabotinsky's intent.
But, at the very least, it should be pointed out that in 1923, the number of Jews living in the-then British Mandate, less than 100,000, was not at all a majority of the resident population. In fact, they were perhaps 20%, less than the
number of Arabs residing today under Israel's administration, in the state and the Yesha territories.
Obviously, Jabotinsky in 1923, in believing in a Zionism that would eventually achieve a Jewish majority, had a different value system that Sharon in 2005.
Announcing that "we do not have the ability to ensure a Jewish majority in every area", he stated that "we had a dream of a Jewish state in all the territories of the Land of Israel, but, unfortunately, we do not have the ability to realize the entire dream."
In support of his position, he quoted (third paragraph from the end) from a 1923 article by Ze'ev Jabotinsky wherein the founder of the Revisionist camp had defined Zionism as meaning a Jewish majority and noting that Zionism could be "lost" without a Jewish majority.
A review of the entire article indicates that either Sharon's speechwriter has difficulty in reading or he purposefully manipulated Jabotinsky's intent.
But, at the very least, it should be pointed out that in 1923, the number of Jews living in the-then British Mandate, less than 100,000, was not at all a majority of the resident population. In fact, they were perhaps 20%, less than the
number of Arabs residing today under Israel's administration, in the state and the Yesha territories.
Obviously, Jabotinsky in 1923, in believing in a Zionism that would eventually achieve a Jewish majority, had a different value system that Sharon in 2005.