ETCETERA
CULINARY QUICKSTEP
THE Q & A
Israeli MK Danny Danon: Don't Call Him a Lefty
By Bryan Gottlieb
ith the looming threat of the Palestinian Authority, in
partnership with Hamas, seeking unilateral recognition
of Palestine as a sovereign nation — with east Jerusa-
lem as its capital — later this month during the U.N. General
Assembly meeting in New York, Red Thread wanted to know
what that prospect really meant to Israel.
To get the answer, we reached out to Danny Danon,
deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset, whose often-candid
remarks can make Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
appear dovish by comparison. Danon also serves as chair-
man of World Likud, the mouthpiece of Bibi's political party.
W
It would be near impossible to impeach Danon's conser-
vative bona fides. Besides hosting conservative American
firebrand Glenn Beck during a session of the Israeli parlia-
ment over the summer, Danon wrote in a May 18 Op-Ed for
the New York Times:"... [Netanyahu] should annex the Jewish
communities of the West Bank, or as Israelis prefer to refer to
our historic heartland, Judea and Samaria!'
In an interview last month on Al Jazeera English television,
Danon, 41, reportedly said: "There is place only for one state
on the land of Israel," later adding, "I do not believe in a two-
state solution!'
RT: What tangible effect would a request by the Palestinian Authority for recognition of statehood at the U.N. General As-
sembly's meeting this month have on Israel?
DD: A unilateral request for Palestinian statehood is a blatant violation of the Oslo Accords. If the Palestinian Authority uni-
laterally declares Palestinian statehood, thereby violating the conditions of the signed Oslo Accords, then Israel reserves the
right to unilaterally implement full sovereignty over the land in which the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria currently
reside.
A Palestinian state would create an existential threat to Israel. It would directly threaten the security of all Israeli citizens by
enabling Hamas to fire rockets deeper into Israel, including Tel Aviv and, not to mention, directly into Jerusalem.
RT: Could the possibility of recognition help kick-start the peace process?
DD: Peace will not be achieved until we deal with viable partners. Hamas is not a viable partner. Until there is a complete
change in the way that Palestinians educate their children, it cannot be expected that they will be willing to make peace.
There is no point to enforce a peace agreement, which will essentially only be
meaningful on paper.
RT: Is the demand that Jerusalem be partitioned, so the eastern
half of the city becomes the new capital of a Palestinian state,
reasonable?
DD: Jerusalem will not be divided. Any partition plan poses immi-
nent danger to Israel and its citizens. Aside from the security threats,
former prime ministers have always maintained a strong connection
to all of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish people. David
Ben-Gurion moved the Knesset from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as a
symbol of this connection. Levi Eshkol never differentiated between
east and west Jerusalem or who lived there before or after 1967.
What's more, 80 percent of Israelis polled are adamantly against any
form of compromise [in dividing] Jerusalem, Israel's capital.
RT: If you were the prime minister, what would be the first
step you would take to reinvigorate the peace process?
DD: I would firmly tell them that if they choose to continue
to operate in this matter, through institutionalized incite-
ment and terrorism, or seek a unilateral U.N. vote for
Palestinian statehood, then Israel will unilaterally
implement sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
RT: The ongoing "tent protest" movement
questioning the government's commitment to
social welfare has galvanized the middle class.
How does a country that was founded on so-
cialist ideals and a centralized economy bal-
ance the effects of laissez-faire free markets?
DD: I identify with those people. The pro-
test is real and legitimate; however, certain
interest groups are abusing it to advance
their personal agenda.The government
must act to bring about these eco-
nomic changes, but it should be socially
sensitive while making the appropriate
revisions so that Israel does not suffer
economic strife like Greece and Spain.
RT: Do the winds of the Arab
spring bring chills to Israeli Mks?
DD: What is happening in Israel is
different from what happened in the
Arab Spring. These passive protestors
are exercising their democratic right;
the Arab nations are not democracies.
As for their internal regime shifts, Israel
can only hope that whoever comes to
power will not become an enemy of Israel.
RT: Much has been made of the increasing
concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.
How can the government resolve that charge?
DD: The Israeli market is limited and, there-
fore, the problem of excessive concentration
occurs. We must increase competition within
the market while applying specific bylaws
through regulatory tools. The government
should provide incentives for domestic pro-
duction while increasing foreign export.
RT: Rosh Hashanah is nearly upon us;
what is your hope for 5772?
DD: I hope for a year filled with a stron-
ger sense of Zionism and a deeper commit-
ment of the Jewish people to their eternal
right to the Land of Israel.
Butternut
Squash Souffle
ith the onset of fall comes a host of
awesome umber-colored recipes that
add accent to the change in seasons. A
favorite side dish in the Red Thread kitchen is
this little ditty. Butternut squash has a natural
nutty sweetness that makes it a perfect veg-
etable for finicky eaters (e.g. kids; and yes, we
know squash is technically a fruit).
Because this sweet side dish goes great
with beef and chicken, we have paren-
thetically offered parve alternatives to the
traditional ingredients called for — so those
who keep kosher aren't left out, red-faced, in
the cold.
W
Ingredients
1 butternut squash
3 /4 cup raw honey :1:
1 1/4 cups milk (soy milk or almond milk)
1 /4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
2 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 /4 cup margarine, melted
Topping
1/2 (16-oz.) package vanilla wafer cookies,
crushed° (Kedem-brand Vanilla Tea Biscuits)
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Put butternut squash in the
microwave and cook on high,
2 to 3 minutes, until soft. Cut
in half, scoop out seeds and
cube. Bring a large pot of wa-
ter to a boil. Add squash and
cook until tender, about 15
minutes. Drain and mash.
In a 9x13-inch casserole
dish, combine mashed but-
ternut squash, raw honey,
milk, vanilla extract, bak-
ing soda, salt, flour, eggs
and 1/4 cup melted
margarine.
Bake for 45 min-
utes or until set.
In a medium
bowl, combine
crushed vanilla
wafers,0 1/2 cup
melted mar-
garine and
brown sugar.
Crumble over
top of cooked cas-
serole and return to oven to brown.
'Remember not to give honey to infants less
than 12-months-old.
Raw honey is, by definition, kosher and
does not require a hechsher (certification).
0 Dairy ingredient.
— By Red Thread Staff
CIAIN
is off this month.
Want more on the Peace Process? See page 21.
18 September 2011
•
I RED THREAD
www.redthreadmagazine.com