1 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:06,360 Okay. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the seventh week. 2 00:00:06,390 --> 00:00:11,700 We're almost finished. We're very excited to host today Dr. Maya. 3 00:00:11,700 --> 00:00:16,680 Marc. So, Dr. Maya Marc is a faculty member at the Institute for Israeli Studies at Ben-Gurion University. 4 00:00:17,610 --> 00:00:21,330 Her Ph.D. analyses Menachem Begin begins legal and administrative world view, 5 00:00:21,750 --> 00:00:27,910 and she also interned in the Israeli Supreme Court and was the legal assistant of the president of the Supreme Court as the hired. 6 00:00:27,930 --> 00:00:32,219 For those of you who know, her research in general examines the judicial, 7 00:00:32,220 --> 00:00:36,360 economic and political history in Israel and the civil ideology of the political right in Israel. 8 00:00:36,660 --> 00:00:38,490 And we're very excited to host you today. 9 00:00:39,630 --> 00:00:44,490 So, as always, we'll have a 45 minute presentation and then we'll have about 45 minutes for questions and answers. 10 00:00:45,420 --> 00:00:57,150 Thank you. Good afternoon. I'm very excited to be here and I wish to thank Professor Arriaga and Simon for inviting me and for the warm hospitality. 11 00:00:57,270 --> 00:01:07,120 Thank you. And I will talk today about Menachem Begin stand on the position of military government. 12 00:01:07,710 --> 00:01:15,810 But before I will actually start my talk, I would like to say a few words about why I think this is important. 13 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:20,130 Why is this an important historical episode? 14 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:35,370 So I will try to convince you today that this was a distinctive liberal campaign waged by the Israeli right for over a decade. 15 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:44,820 And given that it was such a campaign, I believe it reflects on the ideological baggage of left and right in Israel in the second decade. 16 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:51,030 And so that's the first reason that I think this is an important story, historical story. 17 00:01:51,740 --> 00:01:57,090 And secondly, I think it reflects on the ideological roots of the Israeli right. 18 00:01:58,590 --> 00:02:10,500 And thirdly, I think it's a very good starting point for any discussion on ideological shifts that played out in later periods in the Israeli life. 19 00:02:11,790 --> 00:02:16,469 So let's begin. How do I move the slides? 20 00:02:16,470 --> 00:02:22,110 Just I press this. Okay. Yeah. 21 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:34,450 So the military government over the Arab citizens of Israel was established several months after the founding of Israel, and it ended late at 1966. 22 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:40,990 During this period, the Arab citizens of Israel endured severe restrictions on their freedom of movement, 23 00:02:41,260 --> 00:02:48,040 expulsion from their lands, widespread unemployment, economic hardship, and limitations on their political freedoms. 24 00:02:49,210 --> 00:02:54,400 Mapai the ruling party, and particularly its leader, Israel's Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, 25 00:02:55,840 --> 00:03:02,530 supported an uncompromising position regarding the military government, arguing that it was a security necessity. 26 00:03:03,550 --> 00:03:07,360 I will focus, however, not on the position of the political left, 27 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:13,270 but rather on the position of the Israeli political right, and particularly the whole party. 28 00:03:15,370 --> 00:03:19,090 So it was founded in 1948 by Menachem Begin. 29 00:03:19,780 --> 00:03:26,530 It was a right wing National Liberal Party committed by its own admission to both Liberal and national values. 30 00:03:27,340 --> 00:03:33,220 Beginning his party lost the national elections eight times in a row until 1977. 31 00:03:33,550 --> 00:03:38,860 After 30 years in opposition, Burgon was nominated Israel's sixth prime minister. 32 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,910 As a political party committed to both liberal and national values, 33 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:56,290 the military government presented Howard with a profound ideological conflict from a Liberal perspective. 34 00:03:56,530 --> 00:04:02,019 One can find very few examples of a more severe violation of liberal principles than 35 00:04:02,020 --> 00:04:06,730 the one inflicted in a case of military government imposed on civilian civilians. 36 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:14,290 At the same time, maintaining that state security against an essential threat in the midst of a 37 00:04:14,290 --> 00:04:19,780 total war for self-determination reflects the ultimate fulfilment of nationalism. 38 00:04:21,260 --> 00:04:25,700 The necessity to formulate a common policy regarding the military government, 39 00:04:25,910 --> 00:04:31,340 confronted with the contradictions between the ideological foundation of its worldview, 40 00:04:31,820 --> 00:04:35,660 namely a strong commitment to both liberal and national values. 41 00:04:36,500 --> 00:04:42,890 It was under these extreme historical circumstances, the code had to establish its policy regarding the military rule. 42 00:04:43,790 --> 00:04:51,680 The party's struggle to reconcile its liberal and national values, leaving a fascinating documentation of this intellectual and political process. 43 00:04:55,560 --> 00:05:00,120 The ideological tension between liberal and national values was reflected in the party's 44 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:06,660 position towards the military government during the first years of statehood as early as 1949. 45 00:05:09,870 --> 00:05:19,260 Yumi Alperin, head of Cahoots ARB Department, demanded to immediately remove the razor wire fences surrounding the Arab settlements, 46 00:05:19,770 --> 00:05:27,510 arguing that the policy that had served a purpose during wartime should no longer be imposed on civilians in a free country. 47 00:05:28,380 --> 00:05:33,810 One month later, the party's organ, quote, devoted its editorial to this subject. 48 00:05:34,290 --> 00:05:40,380 It asserted that there was no justification for the continuation of the military government, 49 00:05:40,740 --> 00:05:49,220 arguing that it is violating the principle of equality and there's a harmful effect on the fabric of life of the population subject to. 50 00:05:53,510 --> 00:05:54,770 In practice, however, 51 00:05:55,310 --> 00:06:04,070 the parliament members of court took the view that while one should strive in principle to act to uphold the ideals of democracy and equality, 52 00:06:04,550 --> 00:06:08,120 there was an overriding obligation to protect national security. 53 00:06:08,930 --> 00:06:13,760 This orientation was reflected in the election vote in the Knesset, held in 1952. 54 00:06:14,510 --> 00:06:20,480 Although in opposition the party voted in support of the government's position to maintain the military government. 55 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:26,640 Representatives consider the violation of the Arab citizens human rights and 56 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:30,900 expressed the party's disapproval of the imposition of the military government. 57 00:06:31,500 --> 00:06:38,909 However, they regard it as a necessary outcome of the existing situation in light of state security 58 00:06:38,910 --> 00:06:45,480 needs that it himself rarely mentioned the military government during the first decade, 59 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:52,320 and when he did express an opinion he declared holds commitment to the principle of equality and regretted 60 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:59,040 that under conditions of severe security threats and ongoing attacks on Jews within Israel's borders, 61 00:06:59,340 --> 00:07:05,280 it was not feasible to end the military government and to grant full and equal rights to Arab citizens, 62 00:07:05,670 --> 00:07:10,440 but only to continue to pursue this aim in general. 63 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:15,120 Such references were fairly sporadic during the course of Israel's formative years. 64 00:07:16,770 --> 00:07:23,430 Like the other parties, with the exception of the Israeli Communist Party and a left wing Socialist Party, 65 00:07:23,970 --> 00:07:28,650 consider the military government as a necessity dictated by the security situation. 66 00:07:29,130 --> 00:07:32,610 And the question of its annulment found no place on its agenda. 67 00:07:37,230 --> 00:07:45,780 The Sinai campaign in 1956 led to a certain turnabout in the security orientation regarding the military government. 68 00:07:46,410 --> 00:07:53,880 This turnabout was mostly a result of the improvement in Israel's strategic position as a result of the Sinai campaign, 69 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:59,700 the involvement of Arab citizens in hostile activity against the state during the fighting, 70 00:08:00,330 --> 00:08:06,990 and the establishment's realisation that the presence of Arabs within Israel's borders was a fact. 71 00:08:08,490 --> 00:08:13,740 As the security necessity for the maintenance of the military government began to weaken, 72 00:08:14,130 --> 00:08:18,750 a gradual shift emerged in standpoint towards the military government. 73 00:08:19,380 --> 00:08:25,140 In December 1956, several weeks after the termination of the Sinai campaign, 74 00:08:25,650 --> 00:08:32,520 Klute took on the notion that its policy regarding the military government required a reassessment as 75 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:38,099 the government brought to the Knesset yet another bill constituting the extension of the military. 76 00:08:38,100 --> 00:08:41,970 Government representatives loudly objected, 77 00:08:42,570 --> 00:08:52,140 arguing that Israel's security condition had significantly changed and the revision regarding the necessity of the military government was in order. 78 00:08:56,170 --> 00:09:04,480 The gradual shift in the party's position regarding the security necessity of the military government was evident in Begin's keynote speech, 79 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,230 delivered of the code convention held in 1958. 80 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:13,870 At this point, Bevin had his sights on the elections to the fourth Knesset, Israel's parliament. 81 00:09:14,890 --> 00:09:18,190 He reached out to the Arab citizens from the convention podium, 82 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:26,020 quoting a line from a poem by the official Bhutan ski that kept selected to him the revisionist movement's 83 00:09:26,020 --> 00:09:32,980 vision regarding equality and the distribution of the country's resources between Jews and Arabs. 84 00:09:34,300 --> 00:09:43,030 In it will dwell in wealth and joy. The son of Arabia, the son of Nazareth, and my son, Meghan, 85 00:09:43,030 --> 00:09:51,909 declared that the principle of equality was a fundamental tenet worldview which the military government 86 00:09:51,910 --> 00:09:58,780 violated and accused mapai of exploiting the military government for its political and party ends. 87 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:10,150 Nevertheless, he conceded that there were valid security considerations that necessitate necessitated the retention of the military government, 88 00:10:10,660 --> 00:10:16,450 and that in an overall assessment, the matter of national security was superior. 89 00:10:17,770 --> 00:10:25,120 While declaring himself unable to commit to ending the military government, Bevin pledged that work would win the election. 90 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:30,309 It would conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether the measure was 91 00:10:30,310 --> 00:10:36,430 still necessary on security grounds and vowed never to use it to serve partisans. 92 00:10:37,930 --> 00:10:45,860 These remarks reflect the complexity of Bennett's position and are far removed from a classic election promise, as we shall see. 93 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:52,420 They revealed a process whereby the party was slowly shifting its position on the military government at that time. 94 00:11:00,450 --> 00:11:04,860 Several months later and only a few weeks prior to the general elections, 95 00:11:05,220 --> 00:11:15,720 a broad front united in the Knesset around the issue of the military government, with five parties submitted submitting bills for its annulment. 96 00:11:16,650 --> 00:11:23,850 What was not among them? Instead, the party's representatives protested against the timing of the discussion, 97 00:11:24,300 --> 00:11:29,850 arguing that the Knesset should not begin to discuss so serious and important as an issue. 98 00:11:30,330 --> 00:11:40,720 Just a few days prior to its dispersal. Proposal proposal raised at such a time where inevitably tainted by electoral considerations would claimed. 99 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:46,690 How is it possible they wanted that granting freedom of movement to the Arab citizens, 100 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:53,770 which had been considered to be dangerous for 11 years, had suddenly become harmless before the elections. 101 00:11:55,030 --> 00:11:58,149 The question was not left hanging in the air. So what? 102 00:11:58,150 --> 00:12:04,810 Accusations that Mukhtar had turned national security into a negotiable commodity provided the answer. 103 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:14,800 Finally, it argued that a week is an irrelevant time frame for a bill to pass all the necessary stages of legislation procedure. 104 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:23,290 And therefore, it is clear that this is nothing more than an attempt to gain popularity with the Arab voters prior to the elections. 105 00:12:24,560 --> 00:12:30,170 Upon conclusion of the discussion, the proposals were passed to the legislation committee, 106 00:12:30,710 --> 00:12:36,170 a decision supported by a majority of 41 Parliament members and with no opposing votes. 107 00:12:36,980 --> 00:12:44,570 Members of both Mapai and Holt abstained the former after realising they had lost their majority. 108 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:56,270 Sorry, and the letter in protest at what they described as a cynical and irresponsible political move on a fateful issue. 109 00:13:04,150 --> 00:13:10,360 So the question must be asked What's her position on the vote? 110 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:18,130 An attempt to evade a decision or a genuine refusal to cooperate with a course of action that is perceived as being populist? 111 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:29,530 The answer to this question soon presented itself is begging has predicted. 112 00:13:29,950 --> 00:13:38,800 Time constraints prevented any operational outcomes to this moon and the third canister dispersed without holding further discussions on the matter. 113 00:13:40,030 --> 00:13:44,590 At the opening session of the new Knesset, Bevan devoted much of his speech, 114 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:48,790 delivered as leader of the opposition to the issue of the military government. 115 00:13:49,900 --> 00:13:56,170 He pointed to serious misconduct on the part of the military government authorities during the election campaign, 116 00:13:56,830 --> 00:14:00,640 citing unjustified use of force against Arab citizens. 117 00:14:01,060 --> 00:14:07,990 Night-Time raids intended to generate fear and attempts to prevent Arab citizens from receiving 118 00:14:07,990 --> 00:14:14,380 notifications from the Central Election Committee affirming the right to vote freely. 119 00:14:15,620 --> 00:14:21,250 Vegan announced that based on its commitment to equal rights for all citizens, he wrote, 120 00:14:21,260 --> 00:14:26,150 intended to formulate a bill proposing the dismantling of the military government. 121 00:14:27,170 --> 00:14:33,890 He expressed the hope that all the Knesset factions that would lend their support for such a move prior to the elections 122 00:14:34,460 --> 00:14:41,650 would now prove that they had been guided by substantive rather than political considerations by supporting the proposal. 123 00:14:43,350 --> 00:14:51,960 At the beginning of 1960, and in line with its earlier commitment, Howard submitted a bill proposing the annulment of the military government. 124 00:14:52,590 --> 00:14:56,370 The bill failed to gain a majority in the Knesset and was rejected. 125 00:14:58,050 --> 00:15:01,920 Nevertheless preserved with its parliamentary campaign on this issue. 126 00:15:02,580 --> 00:15:12,750 And when the fifth Knesset convened in February 1962, it once again submitted a bill that was again rejected one year later, 127 00:15:13,110 --> 00:15:20,010 submitted yet another bill which was rejected this time by a majority of only one vote. 128 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:26,150 Throughout this entire period and up to the final dismantling of the military government. 129 00:15:26,660 --> 00:15:30,470 Wittenberg, in particular, never lost sight of this issue. 130 00:15:31,870 --> 00:15:35,680 It can therefore be concluded that during the first years of statehood, 131 00:15:36,370 --> 00:15:42,220 we decided to give priority to what it considered to be the current security interests of the state. 132 00:15:43,450 --> 00:15:49,330 Even though the party's senior leadership consistently promoted a liberal and democratic ethos, 133 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:53,950 it repeatedly stressed that security considerations took precedence. 134 00:15:55,180 --> 00:16:00,410 The shift in the party's position towards the end of the fifties, sorry, 135 00:16:00,940 --> 00:16:09,250 resulted from its assessment that the military government no longer served the security function and should therefore be terminated. 136 00:16:10,270 --> 00:16:13,480 This position was repeatedly affirmed by begging. 137 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:22,180 If we knew the ending, the military government would cause the shedding of one drop of a Jewish child's blood. 138 00:16:22,750 --> 00:16:31,750 We would agree to impose two military governments, but we were convinced that the military government was utterly unconnected to security. 139 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,770 No connection at all. And we demand equal rights. 140 00:16:41,790 --> 00:16:49,650 While the struggle to overturn the military government was waged by the party as a whole, Menachem Begin was its most prominent spokesman. 141 00:16:50,220 --> 00:16:54,990 And it was he who spearheaded the campaign and public discourse surrounding it. 142 00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:04,229 The range begins for living activities in the service of discourse, including raising the topic in opinion articles, parliamentary debates, 143 00:17:04,230 --> 00:17:12,810 election rallies, party forums and private letters paints a picture of a consistent, determined and well-orchestrated campaign. 144 00:17:15,950 --> 00:17:21,050 Underlying Bedouin struggle to abolish the military government was the democratic outlook, 145 00:17:21,500 --> 00:17:25,880 which ruled out military control over civilians as a matter of principle. 146 00:17:27,110 --> 00:17:37,760 It is a golden rule that soldiers should not and certainly not for extended periods control, supervise or regulate civilian matters. 147 00:17:38,350 --> 00:17:44,350 Meghan repeatedly asserted. In his view, the use of the military to oversee, 148 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:53,560 rule over or judge civilians constituted an abuse of the power of government and a violation of fundamental democratic principles. 149 00:17:54,700 --> 00:17:57,910 In a speech he made in the Knesset in 1962, 150 00:17:58,270 --> 00:18:07,840 he furthermore stressed There is not a single member of this House who would argue in favour of a military supervision over civilians. 151 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:11,980 I am certain that the entire Knesset could, 152 00:18:12,820 --> 00:18:24,280 and I mean unanimously agree that army commanders should be in charge of soldiers and citizens should be in charge of citizens. 153 00:18:25,030 --> 00:18:27,280 This is the golden rule in a free country. 154 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:39,890 The second fundamental principle underlying Bevin's drive to abolish military government was rooted in the liberal notion of equality. 155 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:46,550 So its commitment to the principle of equality lay at the heart of that in statements on the 156 00:18:46,550 --> 00:18:52,460 military government and constitute the ideological linchpin supporting the call for its annulment. 157 00:18:53,300 --> 00:19:01,760 We solemnly believe in the principle of equal rights for all begging declared repeatedly in the Jewish state. 158 00:19:01,940 --> 00:19:08,690 The should there should and will be equal rights for all citizens, irrespective of religion, 159 00:19:08,750 --> 00:19:15,350 nationality or ethnic origin, he stated during an election rally held in Tel Aviv. 160 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:22,130 He addressed the Jewish audience, referring his commitment to equal rights for the Arab citizens of Israel. 161 00:19:23,810 --> 00:19:28,970 It is not another US Yorker or till after all, Arab settlements in Israel. 162 00:19:32,550 --> 00:19:40,470 But it is in the heart of Tel Aviv that they wish to declare that the national movement in Israel believes in equal rights between all citizens. 163 00:19:41,130 --> 00:19:44,790 We shall not speak to the citizens of our country in two languages. 164 00:19:45,090 --> 00:19:46,680 There is only one language of truth. 165 00:19:48,260 --> 00:19:57,080 In these statements and others, Meghan repeatedly stressed the commitment of equality as a foundational principle throughout ideological capital. 166 00:19:57,950 --> 00:20:03,709 He presented the campaign for the lifting of the military government as a concrete manifestation 167 00:20:03,710 --> 00:20:08,870 of a broadly liberal worldview which constitute the party's ideological foundations. 168 00:20:10,250 --> 00:20:20,360 Interestingly, while commitment to the principle of equality derived from the universal discourse of human rights and rooted in the liberal tradition, 169 00:20:20,780 --> 00:20:24,730 Meghan believed that this commitment was drawn also from Jewish tradition. 170 00:20:26,140 --> 00:20:36,900 The existence for the densely or unlimited period of time of military government runs contrary to the principle of equal civil rights. 171 00:20:37,910 --> 00:20:44,480 We did not need to acquire this knowledge from the beliefs of the 19th or the 20th century. 172 00:20:45,230 --> 00:20:49,640 We received it before all other nations on the day we became a people. 173 00:20:50,150 --> 00:20:56,030 In the simplest yet all encompassing precept which is engraved on our hearts. 174 00:20:56,870 --> 00:20:57,170 One. 175 00:20:57,260 --> 00:21:07,730 All you shall have for the foreigner and for the native born like begin frequently refer to this basic idea when speaking of the military government, 176 00:21:08,270 --> 00:21:12,469 often quoting maxims from Jewish sources such as Justice. 177 00:21:12,470 --> 00:21:16,760 Justice shall you pursue? Or You were a stranger in the land of Egypt, 178 00:21:17,390 --> 00:21:26,450 calling them foundational principles in the world view of a national movement that loves its people and does not hate other peoples. 179 00:21:27,660 --> 00:21:35,990 The obligation to quality and fair treatment of the Arab minority derived, according to him, from these Jewish injunctions. 180 00:21:36,780 --> 00:21:44,070 This vast, the ideological manifestos reflect Meghan's belief that the nationalist right wing party 181 00:21:44,610 --> 00:21:49,350 could be committed to equality and fight for the civil rights of the national minority. 182 00:21:53,760 --> 00:22:02,590 Okay. So after considering the ideological aspects of Holt's campaign to abolish the military government, 183 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:08,950 it should also be analysed within its world historical and political context. 184 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:18,670 And over the years, Berlin fiercely rebuffed the accusation that towards campaign against the military government was politically motivated. 185 00:22:19,450 --> 00:22:25,900 Consistently maintaining that the party's decisions on this matter were dictated by ideals and principles. 186 00:22:26,650 --> 00:22:34,960 We would not propose anything that is not, in our view, just or right, because we feared losing votes. 187 00:22:35,770 --> 00:22:42,640 Nor would be abandoned anything which in our opinion is just alright for fear of losing votes. 188 00:22:43,210 --> 00:22:50,080 Nevertheless, the benefits of the poll derived from its campaign to abolish the military government cannot be ignored. 189 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:56,700 The WHO would venture to abolish the military government must also be also be 190 00:22:56,710 --> 00:23:02,050 scrutinised within the broader context of the rivalry between Mapai and Hold. 191 00:23:03,010 --> 00:23:07,930 This rivalry dated back to the twenties when the two stream streams of Zionism, 192 00:23:08,230 --> 00:23:14,980 namely the labour movement and the revisionist movement, struggled for ideological and political supremacy. 193 00:23:16,330 --> 00:23:21,610 This rivalry deepened in later years as Meghan became head of the Etzel underground, 194 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:29,890 leading a violent rebellion against the government of the British mandate in Palestine, undermining the opposing policy led by David Ben-Gurion. 195 00:23:30,850 --> 00:23:38,260 The struggle continued well into statehood as Benny led fierce opposition against Ben-Gurion and Mapai on various issues. 196 00:23:39,550 --> 00:23:46,750 Its campaign to abolish the military government must therefore be analysed in this road context. 197 00:23:48,910 --> 00:23:54,549 So the military government was initially driven by security considerations and fears 198 00:23:54,550 --> 00:23:59,200 concerning the Arab citizens involvement in hostile activities of future war. 199 00:24:00,130 --> 00:24:09,040 However, its political and economic usefulness to the government, and particularly to mapai became increasingly apparent over time. 200 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:15,790 The military government enabled to confiscate land, to manipulate the public's voting behaviour, 201 00:24:16,210 --> 00:24:21,510 and to stifle any attempt at independent political organisation. 202 00:24:23,170 --> 00:24:24,970 Considering this political context, 203 00:24:25,300 --> 00:24:34,570 one should stress that an annulment of the military government would weaken a significant electoral advantage mapai enjoyed. 204 00:24:36,370 --> 00:24:44,859 However, would the announcement of the military government have profited electorally as far as direct benefits were concerned, 205 00:24:44,860 --> 00:24:50,560 the answer is probably no. Both enjoyed only a tiny percentage of Arab votes. 206 00:24:51,130 --> 00:24:58,900 It was extremely unlikely that Arab citizens would vote for a homogeneous Jewish nationalist party that had, 207 00:24:58,900 --> 00:25:05,110 as a rule, no representation and was positioned on the extreme right of the spectrum. 208 00:25:06,630 --> 00:25:13,530 The Arab electorate at that time appeared to be farther removed from the world than perhaps any other body of voters. 209 00:25:14,850 --> 00:25:19,229 And crude doubtless did not believe that removing the obstacle of military 210 00:25:19,230 --> 00:25:24,780 government would result in the heart of Arab voters moving to support the party. 211 00:25:25,950 --> 00:25:36,779 Nevertheless, even though we did not foresee a direct electoral advantage, it certainly could have expected to profit in directly ending empires. 212 00:25:36,780 --> 00:25:42,569 Domination over the Arab citizens would have eroded the Arab strong electoral support 213 00:25:42,570 --> 00:25:48,090 for mapai satellite Arab parties and thus weakened its power in any future coalition. 214 00:25:49,140 --> 00:25:56,460 This would have presented a significant political gain to halt the electoral dimension that cannot be overlooked 215 00:25:56,760 --> 00:26:03,330 in an analysis of the motives that drove Throw to campaign for the abolishing of the military government. 216 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,990 A second insignificant political gain. 217 00:26:09,170 --> 00:26:17,480 The crowd, drew from the Campaign to Abolish the Military Government was the opportunity to fiercely criticise Mapai for close to a decade. 218 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:24,680 What's allegations against Mapai were many violating the principle of equality, 219 00:26:25,100 --> 00:26:30,800 infringing civil rights, undermining Israel's democracy and bargaining with national security? 220 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:36,290 Over all these accusations to the ultimate claim that equality, 221 00:26:36,290 --> 00:26:44,510 democracy and state security were all being sacrificed by mapai on the altar of political expediency. 222 00:26:48,690 --> 00:26:57,060 In June 1963, Ben-Gurion resigned his position as prime minister and Levy Eshkol was chosen to succeed him. 223 00:26:58,170 --> 00:27:06,510 Four months after Eshkol took office, the new Prime Minister's announcement in the Knesset of his intention to make a significant reduction 224 00:27:06,930 --> 00:27:12,570 in the scale of the military government marked the beginning of the end of the military government. 225 00:27:13,260 --> 00:27:21,060 After the elections for the sixth Knesset in November 1965, Eshkol declared his intention to end the military government. 226 00:27:21,510 --> 00:27:28,560 And in late 1966, he announced its annulment, effective as the 1st of December 1966, 227 00:27:30,690 --> 00:27:38,010 because announcement of his intention to annul the military government provided further validation of its longstanding claim. 228 00:27:39,420 --> 00:27:44,760 Mapai stalling was was shown to be irresponsible and driven by questionable motives. 229 00:27:45,330 --> 00:27:47,159 In response to Eshkol announcements, 230 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:54,420 Begging argued that is nothing has had change in the balance of power or in the political climate of the Middle East. 231 00:27:54,930 --> 00:27:59,350 The military government could have been abolished years beforehand when Herbert 232 00:27:59,370 --> 00:28:04,920 had called for it all the to change Begin's dress was a change of leadership, 233 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:12,270 and this, rather than any substantive security related consideration, explained the policy reversal. 234 00:28:14,580 --> 00:28:20,130 So as I mentioned before, Bevin was the prominent, prominent speaker for the cause. 235 00:28:20,700 --> 00:28:28,710 However, not everyone in his party shared his view. This is not a popular matter with our public, and it will harm us. 236 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:33,090 One of those faction members warned begging at one of their meetings. 237 00:28:34,590 --> 00:28:44,610 And indeed. Meghan's personal archives are filled with letters from members of the movement, 238 00:28:44,970 --> 00:28:53,940 protesting that they consider to be a deviation from the movement's path and criticising begging for his position on the military government. 239 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:59,999 Begging had the same reply for everyone. What's position on the military? 240 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:04,800 Government was derived from its principles and did not deviate from them. 241 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:14,930 So what's with what's position on the issue of the are minority and equal rights is not extreme but rather national and patriotic, 242 00:29:15,170 --> 00:29:18,680 he argued in July 1961, for example. 243 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:28,640 He replied as follows to a letter sent to him. The war we fought in the past against those who wish to eliminate us doesn't mean we should hate Arabs. 244 00:29:29,510 --> 00:29:36,710 The citizens of your country are entitled to equal rights, and we must do our utmost to put our beliefs into practice. 245 00:29:37,700 --> 00:29:47,120 In another letter, he replied to yet another angry petition protesting against the party's policy regarding the military government. 246 00:29:49,220 --> 00:29:53,300 We must do our utmost to put our beliefs into practice. 247 00:29:53,570 --> 00:29:58,880 Thus, our position on the military government, which has consistently been very judicious. 248 00:29:59,420 --> 00:30:06,590 Far from contradicted, contradicting our principles and in fact stems from the begging, 249 00:30:06,590 --> 00:30:11,000 pursued the movement's policy on this issue with great determination, 250 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:17,300 even in the face of criticism from member members of the faction who disagreed with his position. 251 00:30:18,290 --> 00:30:26,809 For instance, in early 1964, the Arab parties sought to table motion concerning allegations made by residents living 252 00:30:26,810 --> 00:30:31,220 under the military government regarding restrictions on the freedom of movement. 253 00:30:32,150 --> 00:30:37,040 Some faction members felt that they should oppose the motion, or at least abstain. 254 00:30:37,610 --> 00:30:43,970 But many thought otherwise. We should not shut our ears to the request for an investigation, he argued. 255 00:30:44,780 --> 00:30:46,400 He urged his support his colleagues. 256 00:30:47,030 --> 00:30:55,610 Indeed, Bedouin and Salt were more vulnerable to internal criticism than its campaign partners on the left side of the political map. 257 00:30:56,420 --> 00:31:03,770 However, the political price of the campaign came not only from within the party, but from outside as well. 258 00:31:06,380 --> 00:31:14,480 The fierce campaign waged against the military government enabled external attacks on begging, patriotism and commitment to state security. 259 00:31:15,770 --> 00:31:20,640 What's campaign lumped together with ideologically remote parties such as Makki, 260 00:31:20,810 --> 00:31:25,160 the Communist Party, which was a vocal objector to the military government. 261 00:31:25,820 --> 00:31:31,520 Mapai, for its part, took advantage of its position on this issue to drive home in their active, 262 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:39,980 connecting and support and to spread propaganda materials, accusing it of compromise, of compromising national security. 263 00:31:41,210 --> 00:31:49,520 In this sense, the campaign against the military government took a toll on Bedouins major political undertaking during this period, 264 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:58,640 namely the rehabilitation of its public, public image and its establishment as a moderate and patriotic party. 265 00:31:59,890 --> 00:32:07,480 During that period, Howard underwent a certain transformation, a gradual shift towards the political consensus, 266 00:32:08,050 --> 00:32:15,580 gaining institutional legitimacy and establishing itself as a viable alternative to the existing government. 267 00:32:16,850 --> 00:32:24,229 During the second decade of statehood, Meghan devoted considerable effort to cultivate his image as a patriotic, 268 00:32:24,230 --> 00:32:27,770 responsible and statesman's like national leader. 269 00:32:28,930 --> 00:32:38,140 This image stood in sharp contrast to that of the radical revolutionary that had I'd heard him since his days as the leader of the atom, 270 00:32:38,830 --> 00:32:44,229 and which had become ingrained in the public consciousness following his militant 271 00:32:44,230 --> 00:32:49,480 standpoints with regard to several controversial public affairs in the first decade. 272 00:32:50,540 --> 00:32:56,479 Although this vast political project was to some extent damaged by the campaign to abolish the military, 273 00:32:56,480 --> 00:33:00,770 government beckons position remained unshaken. 274 00:33:01,670 --> 00:33:08,390 We shall vote with any faction without exception, on issues we consider to be beneficial to our people. 275 00:33:08,990 --> 00:33:13,940 Begging Declare the court once again found itself on the same side as McCain 276 00:33:13,940 --> 00:33:19,340 and Maupin in a vote on the issue of the military government in February 1963. 277 00:33:20,270 --> 00:33:26,960 When rejecting the criticism, Meghan continued to express his belief in the moral correctness of the cause. 278 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:38,910 Yeah. Some say that our position is not popular. 279 00:33:39,390 --> 00:33:48,990 It may be so. The opposition, which does not possess the power of the government, is naturally concerned with the popularity of its decisions. 280 00:33:49,710 --> 00:33:55,860 However, public morality should never be determined by the question of popularity. 281 00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:05,280 Our battle is above everything else. Marwan The lack of popularity will not deter us from continuing to fight it. 282 00:34:05,940 --> 00:34:10,650 Our position is just and based on both national security and national morality. 283 00:34:11,130 --> 00:34:16,530 We shall not back down. It is apparent, therefore, 284 00:34:16,580 --> 00:34:25,640 that Bergen and his party bore the brunt of external and internal criticism as a result of their position on the military government. 285 00:34:26,490 --> 00:34:29,510 We have been bombarded both within and without. 286 00:34:29,900 --> 00:34:37,070 I have received dozens of letters begging intimated in his speech at the eighth convention in 1966, 287 00:34:37,460 --> 00:34:41,140 by which time the campaign had, in effect, run its course. 288 00:34:43,940 --> 00:34:47,030 So ideology or politics. 289 00:34:49,380 --> 00:34:58,350 So the analysis so far shows that who derived significant benefits by campaigning for the enlargement of the military government, 290 00:34:58,860 --> 00:35:03,630 the most important of which was the erosion of McCain's electoral advantage. 291 00:35:04,620 --> 00:35:10,020 Moreover, from the moment that would place the issue of the military government on its agenda, 292 00:35:10,650 --> 00:35:19,410 both members of the Knesset fiercely criticised Magpies handling of the situation, thereby scoring on a number of points in the debate. 293 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:26,250 However, although people derived certain benefits by campaigning for the annulment of the military government, 294 00:35:26,550 --> 00:35:32,490 the campaign also came at a political price, both from within the party and from the outside. 295 00:35:33,660 --> 00:35:40,920 Moreover, it's important to establish that the political rivalry between MAPAI and code cannot constitute the sole motive. 296 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:51,240 The drove to commence this campaign. This rivalry did not begin in the second decade and was, if anything, more pronounced during the first decade. 297 00:35:52,700 --> 00:36:00,540 For had this been its principal motivation. So what could have launched its campaign for the annulment of the military government far earlier? 298 00:36:01,170 --> 00:36:08,760 However, not only did the court neglect to do so, but during the first decade it actually voted with Mapai to maintain military government, 299 00:36:09,150 --> 00:36:17,070 demonstrating that its decision on this issue consistently derived from a genuine assessment of security. 300 00:36:19,620 --> 00:36:28,680 Hence, even if political rivalry between the two parties played a role in its campaign to end the military government, it was not the decisive factor. 301 00:36:29,430 --> 00:36:30,030 Thirdly, 302 00:36:30,300 --> 00:36:38,250 its campaign to abolish the military government was one of many liberal campaigns and struggles led by the party during the first two decades. 303 00:36:45,190 --> 00:36:50,860 So the analysis of who would complain to another military government provides, I believe, 304 00:36:50,860 --> 00:36:57,280 far reaching insights that far exceeds the parameters of the campaign itself. 305 00:36:58,990 --> 00:37:09,250 So firstly, I think it is an important chapter in the history of the ideological and political rivalry between left and right in. 306 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:13,480 Israel. Secondly, 307 00:37:13,990 --> 00:37:18,729 the argument over the issue of the military government reflects on the ideological baggage and 308 00:37:18,730 --> 00:37:23,350 political perceptions of the Israeli left and right during the second decade of statehood. 309 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:30,040 One cannot overlook the considerable energy devoted by the Israeli right to demonstrating its 310 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:35,650 patriotism and convincing the public that it is more than matched the patriotism of the left. 311 00:37:36,430 --> 00:37:42,879 Moreover, it sought to instil the narrative in the public's consciousness that identified the struggle 312 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:47,890 for civil rights with the ideological right no less than with the ideological left. 313 00:37:49,270 --> 00:37:56,840 Even when the campaign came under fire from within, the right wing camp, camp begging continued to regard this commitment. 314 00:37:57,730 --> 00:38:03,730 And this is the crux of the matter is the natural outcome of the world worldview 315 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:08,320 held by the movement and the principle upon upon which it was founded. 316 00:38:10,180 --> 00:38:16,270 Thirdly, an analysis of the old campaign to lift military government illuminates the liberal 317 00:38:16,270 --> 00:38:21,940 ideological foundations of the movement that has held sway in Israel for over four decades. 318 00:38:23,170 --> 00:38:28,239 My analysis has sought to uncover those elements of the campaign that lay beneath 319 00:38:28,240 --> 00:38:33,190 the surface and were linked to broader political and historical processes. 320 00:38:33,610 --> 00:38:44,469 However, this should not be allowed to obscure the major element of the campaign an unmistakeable ideological and over waged by a committed 321 00:38:44,470 --> 00:38:52,600 movement whose leaders whose leaders sought to instil liberal values and a democratic worldview in the minds of his supporters. 322 00:38:53,410 --> 00:39:02,710 Ultimately, it could be argued that the overriding significance of this campaign to another military government can perhaps be found in the public, 323 00:39:02,980 --> 00:39:05,440 educational and ideological realms. 324 00:39:06,550 --> 00:39:15,370 For close than a decade, the essential call to dismantle the military government over the Arab citizens of Israel appeared on Howard's platform. 325 00:39:16,270 --> 00:39:26,740 Throughout those years, the movement's executive body and its leader articulated their position clearly, placing this demand squarely on its agenda, 326 00:39:27,850 --> 00:39:34,270 begging to preach emphatically and explicitly for equality, liberty and democracy at every opportunity. 327 00:39:35,170 --> 00:39:44,680 This important historical chapter constitute the legacy of a doctrine explicitly held by Israel's hegemonic party in the last four decades affirming 328 00:39:44,950 --> 00:39:53,410 affirming its commitment to liberal values and the belief of its founding father begging in civil civic equality between Jews and Arabs in Israel. 329 00:39:56,840 --> 00:40:01,160 The campaign for the announcement of the military government reflects a venture to 330 00:40:01,580 --> 00:40:06,560 implement liberal values through the process of decision making and policy formulation 331 00:40:06,980 --> 00:40:12,320 during a period in which the revisionist movement upheld it as a principal 332 00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:17,840 component component of its worldview that shaped its political and public agenda. 333 00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:25,850 Given that this was a distinctly liberal campaign conducted by court and driven by a profound, 334 00:40:25,850 --> 00:40:29,720 committed commitment to equal civil rights for the Arab minority, 335 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:36,620 it provides an important perspective on the fundamental principles of political thought on Israel's right. 336 00:40:37,340 --> 00:40:46,460 In this sense, it lays the foundation for future research on ideological shifts within the Israeli right that played out in later periods. 337 00:40:47,060 --> 00:40:47,510 Thank you.