"The occupation lasted too long" | Darío Teitelbaum, s …

Darío Teitelbaum, Secretary-General of the World Meretz Union, who coordinates the political work of the left-wing Israeli party outside the country, said Benjamin Netanyahu's new mandate would be dangerous. Yesterday, the Israeli Attorney General's office announced that it would blame the Prime Minister for corruption, fraud and breach of trust. Despite the accusations and that it remains only a little more than a month for the parliamentary elections where he will try to represent himself, the head of the Israeli government was optimistic: "I will continue to sit at the post Prime Minister for many, many years, "he said.

Teitelbaum describes himself as a leftist Zionist Jew. The same position holds the party to which it belongs, which advocates the effective solution of two states for two peoples and rejects Israeli colonization. "The occupation, which is already too many years ago, has erased the dividing line between legitimate Israel and the occupation of Israel," said the professor of philosophy of Holocaust education and pedagogy. Born in Caseros 58 years ago, Teitelbaum traveled across the country on tour to Israel, in 77, where it was definitively established. He lives today in a tribe 7 kilometers from the Garza Strip. "The distance between Casa Rosada and Plaza Flores," he says, for that to be understood.

– An article in a Spanish newspaper said that the question of peace with Palestine was not a priority in this campaign. Is in agreement?

No, because it would be trying to dissociate the underlying theme from Israeli society and other more circumstantial issues. It is true that Benjamin Netanyahu's regime has weakened institutions. We have a Prime Minister who is not being investigated for serious bribery. That's why the defense of democracy, constitutionality in Israel prevails right now. But if we are going into the daily lives of Israelis and Palestinians, it is very important not to leave aside during the elections the deep commitment that the State of Israel should have. Not only say "two states for two peoples", but do everything to reach that solution.

-How do you evaluate the Netanyahu government in this regard?

It is unfortunate that not only have we not made progress, but that every new settlement in Judea and Samarita, every new illegal outpost, every new growth activity of isolated settlements is to place another stone more in the skin. people who must walk towards peace. And it's obviously intentional. At the strategic level, it is a question of avoiding a territorial continuity of what the State of Palestine should be in the future. It is the colonization policy of Israel.

-What are the chances that Netanyahu will get a fourth consecutive term?

First, Netanyahu's fourth term is dangerous, because the fourth term will, in a way, deal with legal causes, although there is no privilege in Israel. But I believe that we are facing a situation in which it is possible that a change will occur. The outbreak of Benin Gan in Israeli politics undoubtedly marks the first time that any brand in Netanyahu in recent years.

– The case of Ahé Taminia, a Palestinian woman imprisoned for hitting an Israeli soldier, had a considerable impact last year. What is the position of Meretz against Palestinian minors imprisoned in Israeli jails?

-I think that a young woman who slapped a soldier does not have to go to jail. It owes nothing to the soldier, it does not owe him any respect because it is the symbol of oppression. The soldier does not have to be there, he should play the role of defending the borders of Israel. However, the occupation, which is already 52 years old, has erased the demarcation line between legitimate Israel and Israel's occupation. And not only the geographical line, but also the moral and ethical lines.

– So you say that part of the Latin American left in the background is not looking for a two-state solution for two peoples?

– obviously.

– The position is perhaps based on the fact that the state of Israel exists and that the state of Palestine does not exist.

– Yes, but if the position was taken "we must do with all, every effort possible to raise awareness of two states for two peoples", excellent. If the way to raise awareness is that "murdered Israel mbadacred the Palestinian people" and that, instead of the state of Israel, it must be changed by an Arab state under Iranian influence, I think a little zafado. In this sense, what disarms the discourse of the Latin American left is that my references show that it can be different. As a Jew, as an Israeli, as a human being, as a leftist, I declare myself pro-Palestinian. They have every right to exercise their right to self-determination, and we both have the obligation that self-determination of both is possible. This is why I ask the Latin American left to play a positive role in this conflict, by changing the dialogue. You can leave Argentina.

Interview: Bianca Di Santi