Deputy Speaker of Knesset speaks

Iran, Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, and the concept of Israel as a nation that stands alone were some of the burning issues Danny Danon, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and Chairman of the Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee, addressed, in a recent phone interview with the Jewish Star.

“It is disturbing to watch Ahmadinejad come to New York to speak at the UN every year and go back to Iran to his master plan against the Jewish people,” said Danon. We are facing the “historical reality of a leader full of hatred acquiring military capability.” He stressed that “Obama failed to understand the reality in the Middle East, seeing the pictures from Cairo—Israel is the only strong ally in the Middle East” and he cites Obama’s “arrogant attitude” to “crucial issues” that Israel is

facing.

“We are trying to send a clear message that it is not only (a threat) to Israel, it’s a global threat,” he explained. He said that Washington has to be aware of the situation. “Israel must be ready for all options.” If the “option is to let them (Iran) build a bomb or bomb Iran, the option is very clear,” Danon said. “It’s a very dynamic area, a tough neighborhood. We only have ourselves. In the short run we will be condemned but in the long term we will be praised.” He cited his recently published book, “Israel: The Will to Prevail,” and, in it, the account of Israel’s attack on the Osirak Nuclear Reactor in Iraq ordered by then Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Danon recounted that it was widely condemned at the time by many including the UN and Shimon Peres but was praised by the State Department ten years later when the U.S. invaded Iraq.

He also noted that in 1973, then Prime Minister Golda Meir was afraid to react to the rumblings of war, concerned about the reactions of Washington and then U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. She “did not call up the reserves and did not initiate a pre-emptive attack,” pointed out Danon. It was “crucial for Israel,” he said. “We cannot allow ourselves the mistakes like in 1973.”

Another existential issue that Israel is grappling with is the towns in Judea and Samaria, most recently exemplified by the destruction of Migron. “One of the main goals in the near future is to push the government to adopt the Levy report and to bury the Sasson report,” stated Danon. “It requires the will of the prime minister and the government. They formed the committee and have to continue with this direction and adopt the report. We always have people try to scare us,” who say that if Israel doesn’t make concessions to the Arabs the Israelis will have negative consequences. “We will be able to overcome obstacles,” he continued. “We have to do what is good for Israel and not try to appease the U.S. when we have to take a

decision.”

Danon’s plan is to apply Israeli sovereignty over the Jewish communities in Yehuda and Shomron. He has a ”new vision” of a “three state solution with all the Jewish communities under Israeli sovereignty with “in the long run” the Arab cities in Judea and Samaria linked with Jordan and Gaza linked to Egypt. “To make change you have to make if from a strong party. You have to do it within Likud, to have the national camp lead Israel. It’s not easy. We have to make sure that Likud stays on the right track. Netanyahu is on the right course. It took some time.” Danon said that he was against the settlement freeze and although he couldn’t prevent the initial freeze he was able to prevent extending the freeze “with my colleagues. The public is moving to the right and the leadership is moving to the right.”

Danon is also Chairman of the World Likud Organization and a member of the Board of Governors of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency. He was against the expulsion of Jewish communities from Gaza, is in favor of building throughout Jerusalem and is a member of many Knesset committees including Foreign Affairs and Defense, Constitution Law and Justice, the Status of Women, and Finance.

Danon emphasized that Israel has to take charge of her own destiny but noted that, “we can count on our friends and ourselves, no matter who is president. We have a lot of support in the American people and both houses (of Congress) and will be strong, committed and dedicated no matter who is in the White House.”