Thursday, July 5, 2012

Shamir: A fearless prime minister



Shamir: A fearless prime minister


Moshe Nissim




I had the privilege of serving in all of the governments that Yitzhak Shamir presided over, and I had the opportunity to see up close what he was made of. Since the inception of the state we've had 12 prime ministers, each responsible in their own way for writing some of the main chapters in the nation's history, but there is no doubt that not only was Shamir's character unique, so was his ability to withstand pressure.


Today, when words like ideology have been erased from the dictionary and standing for principles seems to have passed from this world, Shamir shines on us from the past as someone who stood for his beliefs and was loyal to his ideology. For Shamir, these values preceded any personal interests or survival instincts. He stood to preserve his world view and his ideology, solid as a rock, like an iron wall.


For Shamir, authority and honor were less important than his principles. I was near him at the time of what Yitzhak Rabin termed "the stinking maneuver" [the failed attempt by Shimon Peres, in 1990, to form a narrow government consisting of left-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties]. They tried to disguise this dirty trick under a cloak of political ideology but the simple truth was that its sole intent was to bring down the national unity government, headed by Shamir, and replace it with a narrow coalition headed by Peres.


I witnessed Yitzhak Shamir stand almost alone as his fellow party members, among them those whom he had mentored and cultivated, tried convincing him to succumb to the Labor party's ultimatum and respond positively to what was known at the time as the "Baker question," which stood counter to the Likud's core foundations — all this while these party members held onto a naïve belief that they could prevent the government's collapse. All they wanted was to hang on to their ministerial portfolios. Shamir told his ever-pushing party colleagues: I agree, but you have to choose yourselves a new prime minister. When they failed to do so it was proof of just how right Shamir had been all along — you don't forfeit your principles!


Shamir fired deputy prime minister and finance minister Shimon Peres, after which all of the Labor party ministers submitted their resignations and Shamir was left to assemble the next government.


Yitzhak Shamir knew how to stand strong against powerful and aggressive forces, both at home and in the international arena. You never saw him shy from a confrontation. However, despite how some have tried to depict him, he knew how to do so with wisdom, dignity, and by finding the appropriate manner with which to respond.


In regards to issues that didn't infringe upon his principles he was a little soft, even prone to concessions — but never when it came to essential matters.


We can remind ourselves here of the Middle East peace conference in Madrid in 1991 — a type of international get-together that Israel had previously rejected out of concern that a diplomatic solution would be forced on it.


Shamir presented his conditions: No to an international conference, rather an internationally sponsored conference; negotiations, after they begin, would be held between the two sides (the Israelis and Palestinians), without third-party involvement; negotiations only with Palestinians living in the West Bank (thereby excluding the PLO); and there would be no body with the authority to enforce a future agreement.


Having become familiar with Shamir and his penchant for standing by his principles, the U.S. administration had no choice but to agree to his terms. And it wasn't just the Americans, the Arab countries and Palestinians as well also had to go along with Shamir's outline because they all knew that without accepting Shamir's conditions there would be no conference.


On the domestic front, Shamir also knew how to hold firm against strong adversaries. His stance during the Persian Gulf War will always be remembered. Saddam Hussein fired 40 Scud missiles at Israel. Some of his senior cabinet members, including his defense minister and several army generals, pressured him to respond in any number of ways and get involved in the war against Iraq, which was being spearheaded by the United States. Again Shamir stood solid in the face of pressure to respond militarily. He reasoned that Israeli involvement would change the nature of the conflict and could disrupt U.S. plans. It seems that no one today can argue that Shamir was wrong.


Yitzhak Shamir was cut from the same fabric which gave rise to the first generation of Israel's leaders — humble and uncorrupt and entirely dedicated to the people and the state. He was unassuming; never condescending and never boastful. His life — from his time as a leader in the pre-state Jewish underground against the British, through the struggle for the creation of a state for the Jewish people, and all the way to serving as prime minister of Israel — was heroic, and history has indeed judged him well.


http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=2168

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