Israeli right-wing researcher: "It is true that Ben-Gurion was admired, but Begin was loved: he is the most present absentee in the Israeli public" | Israel today

Dr. Moshe Foxman above, this year, in March, will mark the 30th anniversary of the death of the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

In your new book, "Ladies and Gentlemen, a Revolution" (Sela Meir Publishing), you outline the plot of the dramatic four years in which the right-wing coalition was formed - and in fact became the central axis around which politics and society in Israel were organized.

The Blue Chair section: Interview with Israeli right-wing researcher Menachem Begin, on the occasion of his 30th birthday

"Absolutely. When you think about it, Begin is perhaps the most absentee present in the Israeli public, even though he has been locked in his home since 1983. Even today we talk about the 'Begin Doctrine', 'there are judges in Jerusalem.' "When I was writing my doctorate, I spoke with Geula Cohen, and she told me an unforgettable sentence:" It is true that you admired Ben-Gurion - but you loved Begin. "To this day, Likud branches around the country use his photos in local elections."

And despite the great love, his rise to power was not at all self-evident.

The common story is that someone sat next to a wolf fortress and shouted "Begin for power" throughout the day.

When asked how much he was paid for the work - he replied "penny for every shout".

When asked if it was worth it to him, he said: "It's not a lot of money, but it's a lifelong job."

"Indeed, his rise was not trivial, after eight times in which he failed to do so. Only at the age of 64 did he become prime minister. "They experienced such a fall in seats that simply did not allow them to remain in power after it. However, in my eyes '81 is the real victory, the upheaval. So Begin brought the Likud to a historic record - 48 seats, an achievement that was not repeated with any other Likud leader."

And further on, your main thesis in the book is that the Begin regime has shaped Israeli society to this day.

"And this was reflected, for example, in the construction of the national camp. Religious Zionism was still in the remnants of the historic alliance with the alignment, and the ultra-Orthodox were also difficult to bring in. But Begin managed to change paradigms among the ultra-Orthodox. At Begin, they understood that this was an ideological change, in the direction of a more Jewish state. "

You attribute this to Begin's magnetism.

"True. He was the first religious prime minister, with a see-through dome. He had a religious identity, a very strong faith, and his supporters connected with it. At one point, Begin turned to them in Yiddish and asked, "Rabosai, have you given me a mincha?"

- 'Gentlemen, have you already prayed a mincha?'

"And they prayed for a guide, the anger disappeared, and the conflict was resolved."

In the long run, this was the right model - bringing the ultra-Orthodox into politics?

There has been much criticism of this.

"I do not think that Begin then assessed the consequences of his steps, regarding the abolition of the quota exemption from recruitment, for example. He did not consider the tensions that this would create in Israeli society. "That there was no money in the family. Later, he said - 'I will prevent Jews from studying Torah?'"

Record support.

Likud election conference in Lod, 1981, Photo: Hanania Herman / GPO

To all this must be added the memory of the Holocaust, which was significant to him.

"The New York Times commentator Thomas Friedman wrote about Begin upon his retirement that he turned Israel into a Yad Vashem with the F-16. After all, his family was horribly murdered in the Holocaust. His mother was taken out of a hospital and shot. "And threw them alive into the river. These are things that influenced Begin deeply, with an emphasis on the re-existence of the world of Torah and Jewish identity. He wanted to return to the traditional model of yesteryear, and perhaps he can be said to be the father of Israeli conservatism."

"These are our luxury residences"

Begin's right-wing coalition was characterized by giving a stage to second Israel.

His government was the first to receive a minister from the development towns - David Levy.

He chose a chief of staff with roots from Iraq - Moshe Levy, and also Mizrahi president - Yitzhak Navon. This is another tier around which politics and society in Israel were organized.

"The American writer Tony Morrison, the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, said even before Obama was elected - that Clinton was the first African-American president: he played the saxophone, ate junk food, came from a poor country. First, many perceived him as a Moroccan, and Begin felt that.

"So Begin placed the Mizrahis among the most important symbols of the state. It was for him the change of consciousness, which was more important than being. "To a non-Ashkenazi, for example, and an Mizrahi president - and he paid political prices for that."

His commitment to the Eastern audience was not a lip service.

"No. I once went through a closed protocol that was not supposed to be published. Begin spoke there with the movement's representatives in the Tel Aviv municipality and called the Hatikva neighborhood and the Yemenite vineyard 'our glorious dwellings.'

Begin also raised the biggest social project since the establishment of the state to date - a neighborhood rehabilitation project.

He also initiated a free high school law that improved the chances of Easterners entering the market, the Income Security Law - and these are laws that brought him five more seats in '81.

The second generation brought the first generation, and this connection to the Likud takes place to this day.

I think Netanyahu lives a lot on Begin's steam today. "

Do you have an explanation for how Begin, one might say a Polish-Ashkenazi, knew how to enter the hearts of members of the Eastern community?

"This is a good question. The connection between them was born in the Irgun.

He too was persecuted underground, and many turned their backs on him, but not the East.

Beyond that, in the Irgun's gallows immigrants you see the ethnic combination - Feinstein and Barzani, Dresner and Nakar, Gruner and Alkachi, Weiss and Habib. Later, with the establishment of the state, the Irgun members brought Begin more supporters.

Every week on Saturday night, many of his fans came to his home from the Yemenite vineyard and the Hatikva neighborhood.

There was love there, and the tradition and respect he gave them contributed to that. "

for example?

"I'll give you an example: Ben-Gurion came to the transit camps in short khaki clothes. But Begin came with a suit - a sign of great honor. They felt his tradition, which was not harmed by modern guests. A room and a half in key fees in Tel Aviv, as I recall.

He never knew how much a car cost, but always knew how much a loaf of bread cost.

This contributed to his perception as the first Mizrahi prime minister, as mentioned, despite his love for Gefilte Fish. "

Priesthood without a meager moment.

Begin and his daughter after the victory in 1977, Photo: AP

A comma between life and death

He advocates for the Greater Land of Israel, but also makes peace with the Egyptians.

This was not always consistent.

"Begin came across Carter, the most pro-Palestinian president who has ever been in the White House. He saw the Palestinians as blacks in the United States.

And Begin went towards peace with Egypt and agreed to sacrifice Sinai to continue erasing the Green Line.

He knew that peace with Egypt and concessions in this arena would allow him to overcome international pressures to build and deploy infrastructure in Judea and Samaria and Gaza.

And yes, the contrast exists as you said.

In my view, he had two 'beginners' running around in him - one who was in favor of human rights and the other who wanted a whole Land of Israel, a strong Jewish identity.

And that created clashes. "

In the book, you describe how Begin governments established many settlements in Yesha, and laid the legal and organizational infrastructure for Jewish settlement there. How did he create the settlement mechanism in question?

"Begin succeeded in creating the mechanism that has led to the fact that we now have about 250,000 settlers. During his time, tens of thousands of dunams became state lands. "If his government establishes facts on the ground.

Both Begin and the ministers of Herut who came from the underground were obliged to speak.

This is the commitment to Jabotinsky's theory - two banks of the Jordan.

We saw evidence of this even in his last step, in his decision to be buried on the Mount of Olives, in the Jewish Pantheon, outside the Green Line, and not in the state-owned Israeli Pantheon. "

We will immediately speak of the matter of his burial.

But even before that - further evidence of Begin's commitment to settlement can be seen in his remarks towards Ezer Weizmann, in the same debate in the government in the context of Elon Moreh.

"Indeed, he had a great commitment to the issue of settlement. He replied to Ezer Weizmann, who opposed the many resources allocated to Judea and Samaria: 'When my time comes to enter the gates of heaven and they ask me why I deserve to enter, I say two words - Alon More He fights to be heard. He fought against Carter, who took the juice out of every settlement, and also against other leaders in the world. "Your settlements are illegal and an obstacle to peace; and I told him - our settlements are legal and strengthen peace. He is mature and I am mature, and in the meantime we have established 144 settlements."

Let's return to the matter of his burial.

You discovered in his will an interesting detail.

"When you read Begin's will, people think he wanted to be buried on the Mount of Olives only because gallows Feinstein and Barzani are buried there. But there is a small comma that is not noticed. It says: 'I want to be buried on the Mount of Olives, near Feinstein and Barzani.' Very significant because it symbolizes the exact location - on the Mount of Olives. This is important because Begin is the first and last prime minister to be buried outside the Green Line.

Important rabbis are buried there, and according to the belief - as soon as the Messiah comes, they are in fact the first to be resurrected. "

Young people in Elon Moreh, Photo: Yaakov Saar / GPO

When the press celebrated

Although your book is dedicated to activities for the branch, in the eyes of some of the people, it can also be considered a mediocre prime minister, one who brought peace but also an economic crisis and war.

"I do not agree that he was a mediocre prime minister. In his tenure, we saw social projects, the realization of ideology, the elimination of the reactor in Iraq, the decision to build the space project, the mass chariot tank project and of course the elimination of the Eastern community." Externally, the shekel was determined by the free market and began to collapse against the dollar, which is to be expected, because when companies leave the socialist interface, inflation usually begins, followed by stabilization and growth.

"Regarding the Galilee Peace War - although we entered the Lebanese mud for a long time, it is also the first time that a guerrilla organization fought against an army and the army won. And no less important - the PLO, as Begin wanted, eventually boarded ships and arrived in Tunis, .

So in conclusion - when I buy a ticket to a football game, I do not want to see a bunker, but moves, goals.

And so it was with Begin's tenure - there was not a dull moment in it.

It was a time when the Israeli press was celebrating. "

What can we conclude from the book about the political future in the State of Israel?

"There is a clear sign here of where the State of Israel is going from '77 onwards. I believe that Mizrahis, Haredim and the liberal right will continue to walk together as a coalition: these are not just opposing audiences - but those with overlapping interests. We see how many settlements in Judea and Samaria are characterized by The ultra-Orthodox sector and housing improvers from among the Mizrahis.

There is also an overlap between the free market and the Eastern community.

"I believe that the political commentators, who focus a lot on Netanyahu, should zoom out, and understand that beyond things - there are also interests and an essential ideology that causes the connection of a particular coalition."

Benny Begin recently suffered a brutal attack on the street, and was accused of "betraying his father's legacy."

Do you recognize that Father Begin has become an Archimedean point, the compass of the right?

"Indeed, it is a kind of Archimedean point that distinguishes the older generation of the Israeli right, which admires Begin, the father of the national camp, compared to the younger generation on the right, which has difficulty with Begin's positions on statehood and the rule of law."

What would he think of the place we came to today?

"I think Begin was pleased with our situation today. He would see a country with a developed high-tech industry and economic power. He wanted Israel to be the Switzerland of the Middle East - and we can say that we are fulfilling that. He was pleased with the number of localities in Judea and Samaria. "He was pleased with his handiwork. He was pleased with his handiwork, and understands that even 30 years after his death, his fingerprints still appear well all over the country." 

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