I admit that the recent evacuation of the Migron outpost [2] in the West Bank did not upset me too much. It was a sad day for those who support the settlement enterprise, and maybe for any Israeli with some sense of compassion, but it was not a major disaster. Comparing it to the uprooting of Yamit or the disengagement from Gaza is ridiculous. Those who oppose the settlement enterprise realize that the story of Migron is a classic example of losing the battle and winning the war – a victory for the Right, of course.
All the leftists managed to do was move a few settlers one hill to the south. Israel [3] established two communities in Migron's place, and perhaps the few structures that were left standing in Migron, in accordance with the High Court's ruling, will eventually become a third community – a permanent Migron.
Therefore, it is clear that the smiles of the Peace Now leaders are no more than forced facial distortions for the camera. They have no cause for celebration, unless the abuse of the residents of Migron is a goal in itself. Despite, and even because of Migron's evacuation, the past year has been great for the settlement enterprise.
The chance that the two-state vision will materialize is the same as the chance that Israel and Syria [4] will sign a peace treaty in the coming year and that Yitzhar and Cairo will sign sister-city pacts. Avid proponents of the plan to divide the land are becoming more and more frustrated with it. Danny Dayan and Yossi Sarid are in agreement that the Green Line is quickly becoming an outdated concept.
Is this a cause for celebration by the Right? Perhaps, but I would not recommend it. The energy that was exerted to fight the Left all these years should now be applied toward drafting a joint political solution that will be submitted to the Palestinians. Together, we can formulate multiple plans for a bi-national life here without being dragged into a state of apartheid and without risking the possibility that Israel will become a 'state of all its citizens.'
In any case, the Palestinians will never be a majority here. The birth rate in the Palestinian community is steadily declining and is nearing the birth rate in the West. Women in Bnei Brak and Beit-El will give birth to more children than those in Ramallah and Tayibe. If the next generation of Palestinians wants to live with us in peace, it will enjoy a very generous autonomy. If it does not, we will face a severe problem not only in Judea and Samaria, but in the Galilee and Negev regions as well.
In the meantime the Left can take comfort in the fact that an opportunity for the establishment of a Palestinian state never really presented itself. The supposed windows of opportunity that opened here and there were no more than facades of professional dreamers.
The Palestinian leaders never showed a real interest in the partition plans, and they never took seriously the proposals that were presented to them at Oslo and Annapolis, which included far-reaching Israeli concessions. The real dispute over the land has always been an internal Israeli matter. We've been arguing amongst ourselves, and this argument has been theoretical for the most part.
It's time we move on and exchange it for peace talks between the Left and Right. The winery near Migron has a very spacious visitor center. The talks can be held there, over a glass of quality wine produced in the territories.
Front Page Features