Gestures

Gestures
September 27, 1996

David  Makovsky's  headline article in today's  Jerusalem
Post  is  titled:  US WANTS ISRAEL TO MAKE A  GESTURE  TO
DEFUSE  TENSION.  The first paragraph states:  "Secretary
of  State  Warren Christopher has asked   Prime  Minister
Binyamin  Netanyahu to take "concrete steps,"  after  the
premier  meets  meeting  with Palestinian  leader  Yassir
Arafat,  that  would end  the fighting AND  LEAD  TO  THE
RENEWAL  OF  NEGOTIATIONS ON HEBRON AS SOON  AS   SUNDAY,
diplomatic sources said."

      Bill Clinton's Secretary of State is looking for  a
GESTURE  from  Israel.  In other words, he  is  demanding
that  we capitulate - cave in to palestinian bullets,  in
order  to  allow us to continue down suicide  lane.   The
American  position follows a certain logic - acquiescence
easily  results in further debacle.  This is,  it  seems,
America's goal.  And the theater of the absurd plays on.

      Our  dead  are  not yet buried, the  wounded  still
hospitalized - the country is in shock.  Even the Israeli
left,  best  represented by the news media,  keep  asking
their interviewees, over and over again, `how do we  deal
with the fact that WE GAVE THEM THE WEAPONS THAT THEY ARE
USING  AGAINST  OUR  OWN SOLDIERS?!'.   This  morning  11
funerals  are being conducted - 11 young men whose  names
have been repeated on the news since yesterday night, who
died, not because of a 15 meter tunnel in Jerusalem,  but
because  Arafat's terrorist soldiers are still  convinced
that  using  violence is the best way  to  achieve  their
aims:  a  Judenrein Gaza, Shechem and Beit Lechem.   They
fighting  in  Gaza  by Kfar Dram and Netzarim  was  based
around a desire to see these two communities uprooted and
annihilated.  As it was in Shechem.  And in Shechem  they
almost succeeded.  Today's newspaper accounts report that
a  final  decision  was made by DEFENSE MINISTER  YITZHAK
MORDECHAI  TO EVACUATE OUR SOLDIERS FROM KEVER YOSEF  AND
ABANDON  THE  SITE  TO  ARAFAT.  Why  didn't  it  happen?
According  to  these  reports, Central  Region  Commander
General  Uzi  Dayan  superseded these  orders  and  later
convinced  the cabinet, meeting in special session  after
Bibi's return from Europe, not to abandon the site.   His
reasoning:   if  we  abandon  Kever  Yosef   because   of
palestinian warfare, this will be used as a precedent  to
force us out of other areas.

      And  he  is right - one hundred percent.  And  that
decision,  not  to abandon Joseph's Tomb, may  have  been
instrumental in other decisions, and in the tone used  to
convey  the  decisions.  According to a radio  report  at
11:45 this morning on Kol Yisrael, correspondent Yoni ben
Menachem  revealed that the Arabs have been  warned  that
Israel  regards recapture of parts of Shechem, especially
the  areas  near  Kever Yosef, as  a  viable  option,  to
protect  our interests in the city. The Arabs begged  for
another  chance  to  prove  that  they  can  control  the
situation,  and have subsequently placed the  city  under
curfew.

      Back  to  Warren's plea for gestures.  Is this  man
sane? Does he really believe that, following such a  show
of  warfare against Israel, anyone would consider turning
Hebron  over to Arafat?  The thoughts of what might  have
transpired had the `redeployment' in Hebron already  been
concluded, is intolerable.  Had the hills surrounding the
Jewish    Community    been   occupied    by    terrorist
sharpshooters,  the results could very easily  have  been
catastrophic.   I  think  it is clear  to  everyone  that
Hebron is no longer a subject under discussion.

     The Israeli government, sitting in its capacity as a
`security  cabinet'  has placed all  the  blame  for  the
events of the past two days squarely on the shoulders  of
Yassir  Arafat personally and the palestinian  authority.

Thank  G-d, they are starting to see the light,  starting
to  understand  that  the  peace  process  is  a  `piece'
process, starting to understand that we are dealing,  not
with partners, but with the equivalent of wild animals.
It is only a matter of time until the "Oslo Accords" explode,
finally, and conclusively.

      In  the  meantime, in Hebron, we are preparing  for
this week's holiday festivities, celebrating the festival
of  Succot.   On  Sunday and Monday  the  entire  Ma'arat
HaMachpela  will  be  open to Jewish visitors,  including
`Ohel  Yitzhak.'   On Monday afternoon a special  program
will take place in the Ma'ara courtyard, starting at 3:00
PM.   Next  Saturday night, following the  conclusion  of
Simchat Torah, Hebron will host `hakafot shniot' - a huge
dancing  festivity,  at the Avraham  Avinu  neighborhood.
This  event  will  be attended by Jews  from  around  the
country, and will top off the week-long events.

      Just  as  Hebron  will remain under  total  Israeli
control,  so  will  Jerusalem,  all  of  Jerusalem.   The
decision  to leave the Jerusalem tunnel open is the  only
gesture  that  Israel  can  possibly  make,  except  for,
perhaps,  one,  which is, to the best of my recollection,
too vulgar to express in words.

Heshbon Nefesh

 Heshbon Nefesh
                              Erev Yom Kippur 5757
                              September 22, 1996

Heshbon Nefesh, in Hebrew, means, a personal reflection,
an accounting - a kind of `soul-searching.'  In theory, a
person should do a `heshbon nefesh' daily, but more than
ever before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

     A heshbon nefesh, however, is not only a personal
affair.  It must also be a national undertaking.  The
past year has been traumatic - climaxing the ordeals of
the last four years.  The murder of Yitzhak Rabin
depicted perhaps, in the most cruel of ways, the division
between two segments of the country.  True, Yigal Amir
represented only himself - he pulled the trigger, and
that may never be condoned, but he was proven to be sane
in a court of law.  One has to reach deep down inside to
probe, what could possibly bring a sane, intelligent Jew
to perpetrate such an act.  That is a question that our
national conscience must ask, must scrutinize, in order
to see to it that such a deed never again stains Israel.

     Today memorial services are being held around the
country, mourning the dead, killed 23 years ago with the
outbreak of a surprise-attack war by Syria and Egypt on
Yom Kippur.  With the present tension on the northern
border, the analogy is too strong to be ignored.  In one
sense, we were caught with our pants down - but in
reality, the Golda Meir government knew that war was
going to break out hours before the first attack.  They
had enough time to begin mobilizing the troops - they
could also have called for a preemptive strike.  Such
action would have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of
lives.  Yet, they did nothing, and the results were
nearly catastrophic.  Only the ferocity and determination
of our soldiers, including Raphael Eitan and Avigdor
Kahalani in the north, and Arik Sharon in the south,
along with a tremendous dose of G-d given miracle,
prevented, what Moshe Dayan called, the fall of the Third
Temple.  The situation during the first few days of the
war was very very serious.

     Yet, the writing was on the wall - and nobody paid
attention.  Were they all really that blind? I don't know
that anyone has the answer, but my question is, how can
we use the lessons that we learned then, today.  This
morning, on the 7:00 news, there were two stories, one
following the other.  The first spoke of plans by Hamas
and the Islamic Jihad to renew suicide terrorist attacks
within Israel.  According to the report, these groups
have reached a decision to once again wreak havoc inside
Israel, AFTER THE REDEPLOYMENT IN HEBRON.   They are
waiting until after redeployment so as not to jeopardize
Israeli abandonment of the city.  Of course, it goes
without saying, that the terrorist attacks will be much
easier to plan and carry out after Israel abandons 90% of
the city to Arafat.

     The second report dealt with Egyptian president
Husni Mubarach's declaration that "if Israel insists on
continuing a policy of resettlement in Judea and Samaria,
the intifada will be renewed.  And this time, IT WILL NOT
BE LIMITED TO THROWING STONES."

     One of the most traveled routes in Hebron over the
past few weeks is that to Abu-Snenah.  Abu-Snenah is the
name of a hill overlooking downtown Hebron.  From this
hilltop the entrance to Ma'arat is clearly visible, as is
the Avraham Avinu neighborhood and the road linking
Kiryat Arba to Hebron.   From the hills opposite Abu-
Snenah, called in Arabic Harat el-Sheich, or in Hebrew,
Givat Mamre , Beit Hadassah, Beit Shneerson, Beit Hason
and Beit Kastel are within touching distance.   These two
hills, along with  a main road running above the Jewish
cemetery, only meters from Tel Rumedia, are due to be
abandoned to Arafat in the near future, if the present
government should implement the Peres-Arafat Accords.
This land will be off-limits to the Israel Defense
Forces.  In addition, all civilian authority, including
building permits, property transfer licenses, water
supply and electricity  WITHIN THE JEWISH NEIGHBORHOODS,
will be in the hands of Hebron's Arab mayor Mustepha
Natche and the Hebron municipality.

     IN OTHER WORDS, PLAIN AND SIMPLY, THE JEWISH
COMMUNITY OF HEBRON WILL BE A CAPTIVE IN THE HANDS OF
ARAFAT.  SURROUNDED ON ALL SIDES BY HOSTILE ARABS,
RESTRICTED FROM WITHIN BY ENEMIES, THE JEWS OF HEBRON
WILL BE DEPENDENT ON ARAFAT'S `GOOD WILL' FOR SURVIVAL.
AND THAT WITHOUT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE OVERWHELMING
HAMAS MAJORITY IN HEBRON, WHICH DOES NOT TAKE ORDERS FROM
ARAFAT.

     A few weeks ago I published a short account of a
conversation that I had with Abed, an Arab in Hebron.  On
Friday the following account was printed in the Israeli
press:

*** HEBRON CLAN OPPOSES IDF REDEPLOYMENT - Palestinian
intellectuals in Hebron joined in signing a declaration
organized by one of the large clans in Hebron which was
presented to the Israeli Military Government, opposing
the  withdrawal of IDF forces from their neighborhood as
part of the redeployment in Hebron. ("Yediot Ahronot" 20
September, 1996- reprinted from IMRA).

MR. PRIME MINISTER - BENYAMIN NETANYAHU, NEED MORE BE
SAID?  CAN'T YOU READ THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL?  WHAT
MORE WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT "OSLO" IS A
CURSE - A SUICIDE-PACT, TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY ONLY ONE
SIDE?

MR. PRIME MINISTER, ON THIS DAY OF AWE, ON THIS DAY OF
ATONEMENT, PLEASE, WHEN YOU REFLECT, WHEN YOU DO YOUR OWN
HESHBON NEFESH, REMEMBER THAT THE STATE OF ISRAEL, THE
PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, THE LAND OF ISRAEL ARE WEIGHTED ON YOUR
SHOULDERS.  YOUR DECISIONS WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE
EVENTS OF 23 YEARS AGO WILL RETURN ON THEMSELVES OR NOT.

MR PRIME MINISTER, WE KNOW THAT YOU BELIEVE IN THE RIGHTS
OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE TO LIVE ANYWHERE IN ERETZ YISRAEL.
YOU UNDERSTAND THE HERITAGE OF HEBRON, THE ROOTS OF THE
JEWISH PEOPLE.  DO NOT ABANDON US, THE JEWS OF HEBRON!
DO NOT ABANDON ERETZ YISRAEL! THERE IS NO SIGNED DOCUMENT
IN THE WORLD WHICH CAN  ABROGATE JEWISH-ISRAELI RIGHTS TO
THE CITY OF THE PATRIARCHS, TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL.  DO
NOT LET US, THE ISRAELI PEOPLE, WHO ELECTED YOU, DO NOT
LET US DOWN.

WITH G-D'S HELP, YOU WILL SUCCEED.  GMAR HATIMA TOVA.

Hebron Tomorrow: After the Flood

Hebron Tomorrow: After the Flood
          
Erev Rosh HaShana 5757
September 8, 1996

Mission  Impossible made possible -   against  all  odds,
reason and seeming logic - the impossible became reality.
The  "Mahapach" - the toppling of a government  espousing
abandonment, seeking a "piece plan," the Mahapach  became
reality  with  the  rise of  Benyamin  Netanyahu  to  the
office  of Prime Minister and the Israeli `nationalistic'
parties as a majority in the Knesset.

     The  Mahapach of 1996 was a true G-d-given  miracle.
And  a  major element of this miracle was, and still  is,
Hebron.   According to Oslo B - the Peres-Arafat Accords,
90% of Hebron was to be abandoned to Arafat and the Hamas
terrorists  on March 29.  All the other major  cities  in
Yesha  - Shechem, Tulkarem, Jenin, Ramallah, and finally,
Beit  Lechem, were evacuated `on time' - Israel left  and
Arafat  reigned, just as signed.  The only city left  was
Hebron,  and the clock was running down.  But, wonder  of
wonders, miracle of miracles, it stopped.  The price paid
was unbelievably high - bloodshed in Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv,
and Ashkelon - but Peres had no choice but to face up  to
the  inevitable - Hebron cannot be abandoned.  And so  it
was.   Election Day - May 29th - the 11th of  Iyar,  will
remain  an  indelible mark in our memories  -  a  holiday
forever.

      Where  do  we  stand today?  It is clear  that  the
honeymoon  is over and the time has come to get  down  to
the  nitty-gritty.  For a couple of months Netanyahu  was
able  to  buy time easily.  He said much and did  little.
But   that  time  has  passed.   International  pressure,
spearheaded by the United States, and supplemented by the
Israeli left led to the deplorable meeting with terrorist
Arafat.  Egypt and Syria threatening from one side,  with
Clinton  on the other side.  And all eyes are on  Hebron.
What should Bibi do?

      There  have  been many different philosophies  -  a
variety  of game plans.  Bibi himself, speaking before  a
joint session of Congress declared that the principal  of
reciprocity  is  nothing less than sacrosanct.  In  other
words,  he  said, if Arafat wants something from  us,  he
must  also  supply  the goods.  If he  isn't  capable  of
keeping his side of the agreement, why should we continue
to keep our side of the agreement?

      Politically,  this  seems to  be  a  safe  position
because it is doubtful whether Arafat desires to,  or  is
capable  of  fulfilling his obligations.   However,  this
cannot   be  guaranteed.   As  untenable  as  it   sounds
politically,  Bibi  must continue  to  espouse  the  same
themes  repeated so frequently, while he  was  opposition
leader:  Hebron, the first capital of Israel  during  the
early  reign  of  King David, is an eternal   element  of
Israel.

"We   dwell  in Hebron not out of benevolence  but  as  a
right. Hebron  belongs to the Jewish people eternally  as
a  result  of  our right and as a result of our strength,
our  strength of faith, our strength to stand up for what
is  legitimately ours...We  must  protect the  foundation
of  Eternal  Israel. Hebron is ours, Jerusalem  is  ours,
the entire Eretz Yisrael is ours."  Benyamin Netanyahu  -
Jerusalem, December 7, 1994.

      This  is  a  language universally  understood,  and
inevitably,  universally accepted.  When  you  speak  the
truth,   not  only your truth, but a Divine  truth,  your
message is eventually acknowledged.  Our lives in  Hebron
are focused around the most elementary truth in existence
-  our right to live in our eternal homeland.

       Netanyahu  must  drop  Hebron  from  the   present
negotiating agenda.  Just as Jerusalem is `not for sale,'
so  is  should be with Hebron. The City of the Patriarchs
is  no  less  important than Jerusalem.  Both  are  `off-
limits.'  The `final status' of both must be assured.

      Prime  Minister Benyamin Netanyahu  must  begin  to
replace   words   with  actions.   In   Megilat   Esther,
Mordechai sends a message to Esther after having  learned
of  the decree calling for the annihilation of all  Jews.
He  tells  her,  "IF  YOU REMAIN  SILENT  AT  THIS  TIME,
SALVATION  WILL  BE GRANTED TO THE JEWS FROM  SOME  OTHER
SOURCE  ,  YOU AND YOUR FATHER'S HOUSE  WILL BE DOOMED  -
WHO KNOWS IF THIS WAS NOT THE REASON YOU WERE CROWNED?!

      Prime  Minister Netanyahu - this IS  why  you  were
crowned - this is why we elected you to the Premiership -
now  is  the  time  TO  DO - as you have  previously,  so
eloquently,  enunciated. The Jewish Community  of  Hebron
plans on doubling its present fifty two families over the
next  twelve  months.  Construction  at  Yeshivat  Shavei
Hebron continues.  When completed, there will be room for
500  yeshiva students.  Presently there are two  hundred.
And  this  is  only  the beginning.  Jewish  Hebron  will
undoubtedly flourish.  Tourists continue to pour into the
city,  visiting  the holy sites and Jewish neighborhoods,
and  praying at Ma'arat HaMachpela.  Requests to live  in
Hebron  arrive by mail and telephone.  In spite  of  what
others might intend, the future of Hebron, Jewish Hebron,
the City of the Patriarchs, is assured.

     Mr. Netanyahu, we are waiting for your long-promised
assistance.  But you should know, that with or without it
-  we  are in a new era, after the flood. And as we  were
promised,  there will never again be another flood.  With
or without you,  Hebron will remain Jewish forever.
Happy New Year.