The Jabotinsky Zionism Conference, which celebrates the vision and legacy of Zionist leader and founder of the Betar youth movement Ze'ev Jabotinsky, got underway on Sunday at the VERT Jerusalem Hotel. The conference was organized by Israel Hayom and the Betar youth movement.
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The editor-in-chief of Israel Hayom, Boaz Bismuth, said at the opening plenary that "Jabotinsky wanted to pursue the humane value of making justice, from which he derived the call to give back to the Jews what they rightfully own."
According to Bismuth, the "Jews were forcibly exiled from their land, but they never gave up their right to it, and there is no greater historical justice than their return to their homeland." Bismuth then said, "The young Jabotinsky was among the harshest critics of the idea that Jews could find an alternative homeland, and was among the most vocal opponents of having the Jews establish a refuge, albeit temporary, that would serve as an artificial national home, be it in Uganda or in other places around the world."
Bismuth further said that the "troubles facing the Jews were a consequence of their very presence in exile and their sense of foreignness. A mere decades later, the tragic events of the Holocaust proved just how right he was." Bismuth concluded that "it is no coincidence, that every time Israeli governments pursued territorial concessions and essentially discarded the notion that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, Israel's situation worsened. In international forums, we have made it clear what the strategic depth in these areas have and how crucial they are to the nation's defense, but we forgot to drive home the most important and principled value: the indisputable right of our people to come back to their homeland, which is above and beyond what any other peoples can prove."
The conference's speakers include President Isaac Herzog, who sent a video message in which he said, "Jabotinsky knew that only by being proactive and determined can we build our national home and it is amazing to see just how essential these values are today in Israeli society." Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to address the conference on Sunday evening.
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