On February 17, King Juan Carlos of Spain met President Obama in Washington. And no one noticed. Here is a brief description of the King from my book, Save Israel:
Another cabal of iniquity is out to get Israel and it is led by the Jesuit-trained King of Spain, Juan Carlos. As we know, Juan Carlos believes he is a descendent of Jesus himself and the title he is proudest of is, Custodian of the Holy Sites Of Jerusalem. He wants the Jews out of town and the Vatican back in.
Juan Carlos believes he is the King of Jerusalem. With a few twists he'll get his throne back. The setup for the endgame began after Israel's disastrous war with Hizbullah in the summer of '06. The leaders of the world met in Rome and appointed a UN army, 80% from Catholic Europe, to separate Israel from Hizbullah. Just before meeting Obama, Juan Carlos dropped in on the UN's newest Security Council member, Lebanon, for dinner and a meeting with the new Spanish commander of the UN separation troops. We weren't there but we'll safely assume the discussion had nothing to do with stopping the upcoming war, and lots to do with turning a blind eye to Hizbullah launching tens of thousands of rockets at Israel.
Lebanon and UNIFIL are facing dangerous Israeli threats and the international community has to stop Israel's threats and to force it to implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, President Michel Suleiman said during a state dinner in honor of visiting Spanish King Juan Carlos.
The president stressed that the transfer of UNIFIL's command to Spain is an important occasion to seek the implementation of UNSCR 1701, reminding of "the historical initiative launched from Madrid in 1991 that aimed to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on U.N. resolutions."
He added that the Arab peace initiative endorsed in Beirut's Arab Summit in 2002 was based on Spain's peace initiative.
"A similar initiative was launched from Barcelona to achieve Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and growth … but the international community has not been able since that date to achieve any progress due to Israel's blatant intransigence, its practices, and its persistence in building settlements," added Suleiman.
"Lebanon appreciates Spain's eagerness to join UNIFIL forces after the July 2006 war."
The president reiterated Lebanon's commitment to UNSCR 1701 and voiced full support for UNIFIL and its new Spanish Commander Maj. Gen. Alberto Asarta Cuevas, saluting the efforts of Spain since the year 1978.
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman called on Spain King Juan Carlos I to enforce the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 as he slammed Israel for hindering any progress on the Mideast peace process. Spain currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union which coincides with the presence of Lebanon, since January 1, as a non-permanent member in the UN Security Council.
Come the 17th and Juan Carlos told Obama that Israel will not be able to survive the next war. Obama celebrated by sending William Burns of the CFR to Damascus to announce the impending new American ambassador to Syria. And no one paid any attention to the coordination of the King's visit and this diplomatic about face.
And while Burns was in Damascus, the "butcher of Iraq" General David Petraeus was in Saudi Arabia meeting the Juan Carlos counterpart, the King and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Abdullah Al Saud. We recall that just six months earlier, Obama met the Custodian/King, and bowed to him while his highness received two messages from Juan Carlos.
This is no coincidence. Obama, Juan Carlos (Vatican), and Saudi Arabia (all Muslims) are working in cahoots.
Saudi Arabia - King Receives U.S. Commander of Central Command
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, received here today General David H. Petraeus, Commander of U.S. Central Command and the accompanying delegation.
The Audience was attended by Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs, and a number of princes.
Saudi Arabia: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Receives Two Messages From Spanish King, President of the Spanish Government
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received today two messages from Spanish King Juan Carlos and President of the Spanish Government Jose Luis Zapatero.
The messages were handed over to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques by the Spanish Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Economy Elena Salgado during an audience held by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques at his palace in Riyadh today.
For Juan Carlos, a deal was cut with the Arabs that he gets his cut of Jerusalem. But he has bigger plans than the Arabs understand. Last November he flew to Malta to open the offices of the Mediterranean Union. Just prior to his American voyage, the MU held a conference entitled, On The Inalienable Rights Of The Palestinians. Israel did not attend because...
‘5+5 Forum’ discusses relaunch of Med Union
CORDOBA - Senior officials from 10 western Mediterranean countries met here Tuesday to discuss the relaunch of the Mediterranean Union, which has been stalled over the recent war in Gaza. The one-day meeting in the southern city of Cordoba brought together foreign ministers or representatives from Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia.
...the five Catholic nations and the five African Arab nations united re-form the early Roman Empire, the same entity that crushed ancient Israel.
While reading this, please listen to me at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V9BLoNMxa8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fzqLUiV6U0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zztl3j_eV68
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
By their fruits ye shall know them
February 19, 2010
by Lori Lowenthal Marcus
Several news stories recently covered what was cast as a diplomatic faux pas by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. The implication was that Ayalon should apologize for not meeting with visiting members of congress for what, it was suggested, was an act of hostility towards their host, J Street, an organization whose pro-Israel bona fides he has questioned.
While traveling in Israel, Congressman William Delahunt (D-Mass.), on behalf of himself and four other congressional members, harshly criticized the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, who declined to meet with them if they were accompanied by the trip organizers. Delahunt was angered by the Israeli official’s apparent suggestion that the delegation “would even consider traveling to the region with groups” that “[Ayalon] inaccurately described as anti-Israel.”
But it appears that the ones who should apologize are those hosts - the pro-Palestinian group J Street and the overtly anti-Israel Churches for Middle East Peace. They need to apologize to the Israeli government, to all Israelis and to the members of their congressional mission. They need to do that for inviting members of the US congress to sit down and chat with an Arab official who only days before publicly praised an Arab Palestinian terrorist for trying to murder an Israeli, and who congratulated the parents of the attempted murderer on their son becoming a martyr.
They should also be embarrassed by their hysterical response - no doubt instigated and manipulated by J Street - to the fact that they “had” to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor instead of Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. The Prime Minister outranks the Foreign Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister outranks the Deputy Foreign Minister. Does it really make sense to complain about meeting with a higher ranking official?
Many people realize that J Street is not, as it claims to be, pro-Israel. But the other group which co-sponsored the trip and with which J Street has a well-established and at times inter-connecting relationship, Churches for Middle East Peace, does not describe itself as pro-Israel -- and with good reason.
Yet CMEP does tout itself, as J Street does also, as “pro-peace.” So guess what CMEP considers evidence of being “pro-peace”? In the 2009 CMEP conference document, all 10 points of their “2009 PRO-PEACE HILL HIGHLIGHTS” have to do with support and aid to the Arab Palestinians. The only mention of a “pro-peace” US government action having to do with Israelis is the “well-coordinated attack” by congressional leaders on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his policies.
Stop the settlements, stop Jews from building in parts of Jerusalem, eliminate all checkpoints, open the borders to Gaza, stop destroying the Gazan tunnels systems, say J Street and CMEP, and then the Israelis and all the Middle East terrorists will skip down the yellow brick road to peace.
But there is still another reason J Street should apologize to Israelis, to true lovers of Israel, and to their guest congressional delegation members. The trip itinerary, apparently arranged by J Street, included a visit on Tueday, February 16, with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
Two days earlier it was revealed that Fayyad visited the parents of Faiz Faraj. Faraj was killed after charging a group of Israelis in Hebron and stabbing one of them.
During his “condolence” visit Fayyad “denounced in extremely harsh terms the actions of the ‘occupation forces,’” which he claimed were part of the “ongoing campaign to suppress the non-violent protests of residents,” according to the official Palestinian newspaper (translation by Palestinian Media Watch).
It is time to recognize that J Street travels in a parallel universe in which they see nothing wrong in having a diplomacy meeting with an Arab official who just described stabbing an Israeli to be an act of non-violence, and to honoring that “non-violent” stabbers’ parents for their wonderful son. In that universe, apparently, it makes sense for J Street to call itself pro-Israel. And in that universe, J Street’s buddy organization which shares the same alternate universe vocabulary - Churches for Middle East Peace - calls itself that with a straight face.
Lori Lowenthal Marcus is the co-founder and president of the Zionist organization Z STREET.
by Lori Lowenthal Marcus
Several news stories recently covered what was cast as a diplomatic faux pas by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. The implication was that Ayalon should apologize for not meeting with visiting members of congress for what, it was suggested, was an act of hostility towards their host, J Street, an organization whose pro-Israel bona fides he has questioned.
While traveling in Israel, Congressman William Delahunt (D-Mass.), on behalf of himself and four other congressional members, harshly criticized the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, who declined to meet with them if they were accompanied by the trip organizers. Delahunt was angered by the Israeli official’s apparent suggestion that the delegation “would even consider traveling to the region with groups” that “[Ayalon] inaccurately described as anti-Israel.”
But it appears that the ones who should apologize are those hosts - the pro-Palestinian group J Street and the overtly anti-Israel Churches for Middle East Peace. They need to apologize to the Israeli government, to all Israelis and to the members of their congressional mission. They need to do that for inviting members of the US congress to sit down and chat with an Arab official who only days before publicly praised an Arab Palestinian terrorist for trying to murder an Israeli, and who congratulated the parents of the attempted murderer on their son becoming a martyr.
They should also be embarrassed by their hysterical response - no doubt instigated and manipulated by J Street - to the fact that they “had” to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor instead of Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. The Prime Minister outranks the Foreign Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister outranks the Deputy Foreign Minister. Does it really make sense to complain about meeting with a higher ranking official?
Many people realize that J Street is not, as it claims to be, pro-Israel. But the other group which co-sponsored the trip and with which J Street has a well-established and at times inter-connecting relationship, Churches for Middle East Peace, does not describe itself as pro-Israel -- and with good reason.
Yet CMEP does tout itself, as J Street does also, as “pro-peace.” So guess what CMEP considers evidence of being “pro-peace”? In the 2009 CMEP conference document, all 10 points of their “2009 PRO-PEACE HILL HIGHLIGHTS” have to do with support and aid to the Arab Palestinians. The only mention of a “pro-peace” US government action having to do with Israelis is the “well-coordinated attack” by congressional leaders on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his policies.
Stop the settlements, stop Jews from building in parts of Jerusalem, eliminate all checkpoints, open the borders to Gaza, stop destroying the Gazan tunnels systems, say J Street and CMEP, and then the Israelis and all the Middle East terrorists will skip down the yellow brick road to peace.
But there is still another reason J Street should apologize to Israelis, to true lovers of Israel, and to their guest congressional delegation members. The trip itinerary, apparently arranged by J Street, included a visit on Tueday, February 16, with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
Two days earlier it was revealed that Fayyad visited the parents of Faiz Faraj. Faraj was killed after charging a group of Israelis in Hebron and stabbing one of them.
During his “condolence” visit Fayyad “denounced in extremely harsh terms the actions of the ‘occupation forces,’” which he claimed were part of the “ongoing campaign to suppress the non-violent protests of residents,” according to the official Palestinian newspaper (translation by Palestinian Media Watch).
It is time to recognize that J Street travels in a parallel universe in which they see nothing wrong in having a diplomacy meeting with an Arab official who just described stabbing an Israeli to be an act of non-violence, and to honoring that “non-violent” stabbers’ parents for their wonderful son. In that universe, apparently, it makes sense for J Street to call itself pro-Israel. And in that universe, J Street’s buddy organization which shares the same alternate universe vocabulary - Churches for Middle East Peace - calls itself that with a straight face.
Lori Lowenthal Marcus is the co-founder and president of the Zionist organization Z STREET.
Friday, February 12, 2010
For Bigots, Israel Can Do No Right - Alan Dershowitz
As most objective observers throughout the world marvel at Israel's efficiency and generosity in leading the medical aid efforts in Haiti, some bigots insist on using these efforts as an occasion to continue their attack on the Jewish state. Both the neo-Nazi hard right and the neo-Stalinist hard left cannot help but to demonize Israel, regardless of what Israel does.
Richard Silverstein posted a piece to his blog titled "The Zionization of Disaster Relief." It accuses Israel of "exploiting the suffering of poor, defenseless Haitians on behalf of Israeli Triumphalism." It complains that Israel is rendering medical aid to Haiti only to deflect attention from its crimes against the Palestinians.
The hard left, even in Israel, complains that Israel should not be sending medical assistance to such a faraway place. Instead it should be sending it to nearby Gaza.
Even the New York Times, in an otherwise thoughtful analysis of the controversiality of the aid among some Israelis, failed to note the difference between Israel sending its limited resources to faraway Haiti and to nearby Gaza. Haiti is not at war with Israel. Haiti has not pledged itself to Israel's destruction. Haiti has not fired 8,000 rockets at Israeli civilians. Gaza, on the other hand, has a popularly elected government that has done and continues to do all of the above. Moreover, there is no comparison between the tens of thousands of Haitians who have died from a natural disaster, and the people of Gaza who suffer far less from what is, essentially, a self-inflicted wound.
Nor do the perennial enemies of Israel emphasize the comparison between tiny and resource-poor Israel, on the one hand, and the enormous and resource-rich Arab and Muslim nations, on the other hand. While Israel digs deeply into its treasury and manpower to send medical assistance a quarter of the way around the world, Arab and Muslim nations are generally missing in action when it comes to relief efforts. This is true not only in Haiti, which is a Catholic nation, but it was equally true when tsunamis and other natural disasters have devastated Muslim nations.
For those who argue that Israel is sending this aid to Haiti for its own selfish reasons, there are two answers. First the realpolitik answer: All nations have interests; and all act, at least in part, out of self interest. When the United States government is asked by Americans to justify its multibillion dollar foreign aid grants, it generally responds by arguing that these grants are serving the interests of the United States. When it comes to Israel, however, a double standard is always applied. Israel must act only out of altruistic motives, while all other countries are entitled to leaven altruism with self interest. The second answer is that Israel is doing far more in Haiti than would be required to satisfy its self interests. It is sending more aid per capita than any country in the world. It is doing it with extraordinary efficiency and real impact. Isn't it at least possible that the millennia-long Jewish tradition of tzadakah -- that is, charity based on justice -- is at least part of the explanation for Israel's generosity?
The fact that so many Israelis are advocating medical and other assistance to Gaza certainly supports this latter theory. Has any other country in the history of the world ever provided medical and other assistance to a people with whom it is at war -- to people who continue to support rocket attacks and other forms of terrorism against its own civilians? Again, a double standard. The reality is that Israel will be extremely generous to the people of Gaza if and when they stop supporting attacks on Israeli civilians, stop making martyrs of their suicide murderers, and stop encouraging their children to don suicide vests. Contrast Gaza with the West Bank, which today has an improving economy, better travel conditions and among the best health care available in any Arab or Muslim country in the area. The peace dividend the Palestinian people will reap from making peace with Israel is incalculable.
So continue to criticize Israel when it fails to live up to generally applicable international standards, but praise it when it exceeds those standards in rendering aid that has saved and will continue to save many lives. Israel will continue to send disaster relief regardless of how the world reacts to it because Israelis understand how it feels to be subject to disasters. But fairness requires that Israel not be condemned for its humanitarian efforts, and that its rendering of aid to Haiti not be used as yet another occasion for applying a double standard to its actions.
Richard Silverstein posted a piece to his blog titled "The Zionization of Disaster Relief." It accuses Israel of "exploiting the suffering of poor, defenseless Haitians on behalf of Israeli Triumphalism." It complains that Israel is rendering medical aid to Haiti only to deflect attention from its crimes against the Palestinians.
The hard left, even in Israel, complains that Israel should not be sending medical assistance to such a faraway place. Instead it should be sending it to nearby Gaza.
Even the New York Times, in an otherwise thoughtful analysis of the controversiality of the aid among some Israelis, failed to note the difference between Israel sending its limited resources to faraway Haiti and to nearby Gaza. Haiti is not at war with Israel. Haiti has not pledged itself to Israel's destruction. Haiti has not fired 8,000 rockets at Israeli civilians. Gaza, on the other hand, has a popularly elected government that has done and continues to do all of the above. Moreover, there is no comparison between the tens of thousands of Haitians who have died from a natural disaster, and the people of Gaza who suffer far less from what is, essentially, a self-inflicted wound.
Nor do the perennial enemies of Israel emphasize the comparison between tiny and resource-poor Israel, on the one hand, and the enormous and resource-rich Arab and Muslim nations, on the other hand. While Israel digs deeply into its treasury and manpower to send medical assistance a quarter of the way around the world, Arab and Muslim nations are generally missing in action when it comes to relief efforts. This is true not only in Haiti, which is a Catholic nation, but it was equally true when tsunamis and other natural disasters have devastated Muslim nations.
For those who argue that Israel is sending this aid to Haiti for its own selfish reasons, there are two answers. First the realpolitik answer: All nations have interests; and all act, at least in part, out of self interest. When the United States government is asked by Americans to justify its multibillion dollar foreign aid grants, it generally responds by arguing that these grants are serving the interests of the United States. When it comes to Israel, however, a double standard is always applied. Israel must act only out of altruistic motives, while all other countries are entitled to leaven altruism with self interest. The second answer is that Israel is doing far more in Haiti than would be required to satisfy its self interests. It is sending more aid per capita than any country in the world. It is doing it with extraordinary efficiency and real impact. Isn't it at least possible that the millennia-long Jewish tradition of tzadakah -- that is, charity based on justice -- is at least part of the explanation for Israel's generosity?
The fact that so many Israelis are advocating medical and other assistance to Gaza certainly supports this latter theory. Has any other country in the history of the world ever provided medical and other assistance to a people with whom it is at war -- to people who continue to support rocket attacks and other forms of terrorism against its own civilians? Again, a double standard. The reality is that Israel will be extremely generous to the people of Gaza if and when they stop supporting attacks on Israeli civilians, stop making martyrs of their suicide murderers, and stop encouraging their children to don suicide vests. Contrast Gaza with the West Bank, which today has an improving economy, better travel conditions and among the best health care available in any Arab or Muslim country in the area. The peace dividend the Palestinian people will reap from making peace with Israel is incalculable.
So continue to criticize Israel when it fails to live up to generally applicable international standards, but praise it when it exceeds those standards in rendering aid that has saved and will continue to save many lives. Israel will continue to send disaster relief regardless of how the world reacts to it because Israelis understand how it feels to be subject to disasters. But fairness requires that Israel not be condemned for its humanitarian efforts, and that its rendering of aid to Haiti not be used as yet another occasion for applying a double standard to its actions.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Warning: Imminent Murder on Temple Mount: By Moshe Feiglin
20 Shvat 5770
Feb. 4, '10
Inspector General David Cohen - Israel Police Chief Commissioner
Jerusalem
Re: Warning of Imminent Murder on Temple Mount
A. Background
Exercising its exclusive judgment, the Israel Police under your command prohibits Jews who ascend to the site of their holy Temple from praying there. Every religious looking Jew who ascends the Temple Mount is accompanied by a Moslem wakf attendant and an Israeli policeman, who together, scrutinize his/her lips. A Jew who is suspected of praying is detained or immediately arrested. First and foremost, this anti-Semitic conduct humiliates the Israel Police.
Personally, I have the "privilege" of exposure to this Israeli humiliation on my monthly visits to the Temple Mount. I have no illusions that this letter will bring about any change. The Israel Police has long ago forgotten the nation that created it and sent it on its mission.
Nonetheless, I am obliged to inform you of an event that I experienced yesterday on my ascent to the Mount. It signals the fact that murder of Jews on the Temple Mount is simply a matter of time.
Perhaps, after you have stripped the Jews of all their human rights in the place most holy to the Nation of Israel, you will at least function as a professional force (like the UN) and carry out a fraction of your original role. In other words, at the very least, maybe you will protect the right of the Jews - to live.
B. The Event
Yesterday, I stood opposite the site of the Temple with my back to the El Aqsa mosque. A group of Jews was at my side, listening to my explanations on the Temple Mount. As I was speaking, I noticed an Arab woman, covered from head to toe in robes and scarves, walking towards me in a threatening manner. There was no room for mistake, and all the people in the group noticed this woman. Usually, when a person is walking, he will choose a path that will not force him to collide with another person. But this woman confidently strode straight towards me. I was apprehensive that she would quickly take the few additional steps towards me and through her scarves and robes, draw out a knife and stab me.
As you know, Jews are permitted to enter the Temple Mount from the Mugrabim Gate only. Only Jews must undergo an extensive search to ensure that they are not carrying a prayer book or book of Psalms in their belongings, G-d forbid. The Arabs, on the other hand, may enter the Temple Mount from any of its gates without any sort of security check. This being the case, there is no problem for a potential Arab murderer to enter the Mount with his or her weapon.
I was apprehensive, but unwisely relied on the Israeli policeman who was watching our every move and was standing just a few steps away from our group. Everyone else in the group identified the approaching danger. It seemed clear that the policeman, who was ostensibly guarding us, would also identify the danger and would certainly attempt to defend us.
I forgot, though, that in reality, the role of the police on the Temple Mount has been limited to one issue: Ensuring that Jews do not pray there. They are not there to protect Israeli citizens from Arab weapons and murderers. The policeman who accompanies each Jew is concerned only with his lips - making sure that they are not moving in prayer.
As a Jew, I understand that I am the dangerous factor on the Temple Mount and in order not to encounter your wrath, I acted in accordance with your recommendations. In other words, I relied on the policeman.
The Arab woman came right up to me, pushed me and disappeared into the mosque. As opposed to everyone else in our group, the policeman did not notice what had happened.
C. Conclusions
1. Clearly, if the Arab woman pushed me (through her robes and scarves) with her bare hands, she could have done the same with a knife or other weapon.
2. Under the circumstances today on the Temple Mount, the police cannot create a security belt between the Jewish visitors and the Arabs. The police see the wakf as the real sovereign on the Mount and essentially carry out its orders.
3. The self confidence and motivation displayed by the Arab woman testify to the dangerous situation on the Mount. This reality will encourage and imminently bring about attempts to murder Jews.
D. A personal notification
In light of the above, I hereby notify you that I no longer rely on the Israel Police to protect my life on the Temple Mount. I did not mention the name of the particular policeman in this case and I do not intend to provide you with the names of the people in my group because I do not believe that the police can change the situation. At the very most, you will take the easy route, punish the policeman in question and ignore the background that caused his lack of response. As long as you view the Jews as the danger and as long as they are the focal point of the police surveillance on the Temple Mount, any action that you take in this particular case will be strictly superficial.
However, you must know that if an Arab once again approaches me in a suspicious or threatening manner, I will do my utmost to protect my life and I will also recommend to all the Jews ascending the Mount to do the same.
Moshe Feiglin
Karnei Shomron
Feb. 4, '10
Inspector General David Cohen - Israel Police Chief Commissioner
Jerusalem
Re: Warning of Imminent Murder on Temple Mount
A. Background
Exercising its exclusive judgment, the Israel Police under your command prohibits Jews who ascend to the site of their holy Temple from praying there. Every religious looking Jew who ascends the Temple Mount is accompanied by a Moslem wakf attendant and an Israeli policeman, who together, scrutinize his/her lips. A Jew who is suspected of praying is detained or immediately arrested. First and foremost, this anti-Semitic conduct humiliates the Israel Police.
Personally, I have the "privilege" of exposure to this Israeli humiliation on my monthly visits to the Temple Mount. I have no illusions that this letter will bring about any change. The Israel Police has long ago forgotten the nation that created it and sent it on its mission.
Nonetheless, I am obliged to inform you of an event that I experienced yesterday on my ascent to the Mount. It signals the fact that murder of Jews on the Temple Mount is simply a matter of time.
Perhaps, after you have stripped the Jews of all their human rights in the place most holy to the Nation of Israel, you will at least function as a professional force (like the UN) and carry out a fraction of your original role. In other words, at the very least, maybe you will protect the right of the Jews - to live.
B. The Event
Yesterday, I stood opposite the site of the Temple with my back to the El Aqsa mosque. A group of Jews was at my side, listening to my explanations on the Temple Mount. As I was speaking, I noticed an Arab woman, covered from head to toe in robes and scarves, walking towards me in a threatening manner. There was no room for mistake, and all the people in the group noticed this woman. Usually, when a person is walking, he will choose a path that will not force him to collide with another person. But this woman confidently strode straight towards me. I was apprehensive that she would quickly take the few additional steps towards me and through her scarves and robes, draw out a knife and stab me.
As you know, Jews are permitted to enter the Temple Mount from the Mugrabim Gate only. Only Jews must undergo an extensive search to ensure that they are not carrying a prayer book or book of Psalms in their belongings, G-d forbid. The Arabs, on the other hand, may enter the Temple Mount from any of its gates without any sort of security check. This being the case, there is no problem for a potential Arab murderer to enter the Mount with his or her weapon.
I was apprehensive, but unwisely relied on the Israeli policeman who was watching our every move and was standing just a few steps away from our group. Everyone else in the group identified the approaching danger. It seemed clear that the policeman, who was ostensibly guarding us, would also identify the danger and would certainly attempt to defend us.
I forgot, though, that in reality, the role of the police on the Temple Mount has been limited to one issue: Ensuring that Jews do not pray there. They are not there to protect Israeli citizens from Arab weapons and murderers. The policeman who accompanies each Jew is concerned only with his lips - making sure that they are not moving in prayer.
As a Jew, I understand that I am the dangerous factor on the Temple Mount and in order not to encounter your wrath, I acted in accordance with your recommendations. In other words, I relied on the policeman.
The Arab woman came right up to me, pushed me and disappeared into the mosque. As opposed to everyone else in our group, the policeman did not notice what had happened.
C. Conclusions
1. Clearly, if the Arab woman pushed me (through her robes and scarves) with her bare hands, she could have done the same with a knife or other weapon.
2. Under the circumstances today on the Temple Mount, the police cannot create a security belt between the Jewish visitors and the Arabs. The police see the wakf as the real sovereign on the Mount and essentially carry out its orders.
3. The self confidence and motivation displayed by the Arab woman testify to the dangerous situation on the Mount. This reality will encourage and imminently bring about attempts to murder Jews.
D. A personal notification
In light of the above, I hereby notify you that I no longer rely on the Israel Police to protect my life on the Temple Mount. I did not mention the name of the particular policeman in this case and I do not intend to provide you with the names of the people in my group because I do not believe that the police can change the situation. At the very most, you will take the easy route, punish the policeman in question and ignore the background that caused his lack of response. As long as you view the Jews as the danger and as long as they are the focal point of the police surveillance on the Temple Mount, any action that you take in this particular case will be strictly superficial.
However, you must know that if an Arab once again approaches me in a suspicious or threatening manner, I will do my utmost to protect my life and I will also recommend to all the Jews ascending the Mount to do the same.
Moshe Feiglin
Karnei Shomron
Divine Sovereignty or no Sovereignty
The Land of Israel was given to us so that we could establish a 'kingdom of priests and a holy nation' that would crown the Creator over His world. That is the purpose of the Land of Israel, of Jerusalem and of the royal palace, the Temple on the Temple Mount. Those who renounce their connection to the Temple and to the Mount renounce the foundation on which the entire Jewish home is built. Without the Mount, there is no home. Without the Temple Mount, we are losing the Land of Israel. Without the destiny for which the Nation of Israel exists and for which we received the Land, there is no meaning, reason or validity for Jewish sovereignty. And as we see with our very own eyes, the State of Israel continues its free fall.
When we let the Land rest during the seventh, Shmittah year, we remember that this is our Land, but that there are definitely conditions that we must meet. First and foremost, we must remember the true Master of the Land. We have received His authority to plant and to reap. But during the Shmittah year, this authority is revoked. A Jew who continues to work the Chosen Land during the Shmittah year somehow does not accept the Divine sovereignty of the Master of the World.
The Divine Sovereignty principle in space is parallel to the Divine Sovereignty principle in time. Just as we accept G-d's sovereignty over the Land by allowing it to rest during the Shmittah year, so, when we refrain from work on the Holy Shabbat, we declare that we accept Divine Sovereignty over time. It is our acknowledgement that all the work that we do during the other six days of the week is only with G-d's authority.
*
This week we met with a large group of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Beitar Ilit. Rabbi Yitzchak Brand honored us by opening the evening and amazed the audience with the following fact:
The cursed Oslo Accords - the agreement by which the Land of Israel was handed over to foreigners and on which all the plans to abandon the Land are based - were signed on the White House lawn by Israeli prime minister Yitzchak Rabin, the head of the Organization to Liberate the Land of Israel from the Jews (PLO) Arafat, may his name be blotted out, and US president Bill Clinton. The date: September 13, 1993 - 27 Elul 5753.
It was just a few days before Rosh Hashanah, the new Jewish year 5754, which was also a Shmittah year. On the very day that Israel's Chief Rabbinate - it's rabbinical leadership - signed a contract to sell the Land to a non-Jew, absolving us from fulfilling the mitzvah of Shmittah, Israel's political leadership signed a contract selling the Land of Israel to foreigners, in an attempt to absolve us from fulfilling our destiny in the Land of Israel.
If we don't accept Divine Sovereignty over the Land of Israel, we certainly cannot expect to enjoy Jewish sovereignty, either.
Shabbat Shalom,
Moshe Feiglin
Feiglin Supports "Israeli Expat Voter" Bill
February 11, 2010...
“It’s a proposal that will strengthen the right and neutralize Israel’s enemies,” says Moshe Feiglin, leader of the Manhigut Yehudit faction of the ruling Likud party in commenting on a proposed bill that would allow Israeli citizens living out of the country to vote in Israel’s national elections.
Feiglin suggests this is a good first step with the eventual aim of allowing all Jews, anywhere, to participate in Israel’s democracy. “The majority of Israelis are loyal to their identity and to the Land of Israel,” Feiglin declares, “and naturally lean toward the nationalist cause. Therefore, granting voting rights to hundreds of thousands of Israeli expatriates can neutralize the power of the Arab Knesset block and those who seek to reduce the Jewish character of the state.”
Most western countries allow their citizens living abroad the opportunity to vote in national elections either by mail or at the local embassy or consulate.
“It’s a proposal that will strengthen the right and neutralize Israel’s enemies,” says Moshe Feiglin, leader of the Manhigut Yehudit faction of the ruling Likud party in commenting on a proposed bill that would allow Israeli citizens living out of the country to vote in Israel’s national elections.
Feiglin suggests this is a good first step with the eventual aim of allowing all Jews, anywhere, to participate in Israel’s democracy. “The majority of Israelis are loyal to their identity and to the Land of Israel,” Feiglin declares, “and naturally lean toward the nationalist cause. Therefore, granting voting rights to hundreds of thousands of Israeli expatriates can neutralize the power of the Arab Knesset block and those who seek to reduce the Jewish character of the state.”
Most western countries allow their citizens living abroad the opportunity to vote in national elections either by mail or at the local embassy or consulate.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
A Dialogue on the Logic of Tomorrow’s Miracles* Paul Eidelberg
Today I am going to construct a dialogue between Pat and Josh, the presentation of which may be awkward but nonetheless informative.
Pat begins by saying, “I can’t understand you Israeli Jews! Impending doom hangs over you and you do nothing, despite a still formidable military establishment.”
“What would you have us do”? Josh responds: “bomb Iran, expel the Arabs from Judea, Samaria, and Gaza and tell the rest of the world to go to hell?”
“Why not?” says Pat” “I’d rather go out with a bang than a whimper. Instead, you engage in a demeaning charade with a villain like Abbas. You pretend he’s serious about peace, that he’s compelled to make bellicose statements for domestic Arab consumption. That’s escapism.”
“Of course you’re right Josh. Abbas is a bloody liar, and only idiots take him seriously.”
“Well Josh, you seem have an awful lot of such idiots in Israel. A psychologist would say Jews suffer from a self-victimization syndrome. Jews seem to feel morally superior by being victims rather than victors. I remember Golda Meir saying: "When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons." To me this is sickness unto death.
“True, but as you know Pat, Golda was a secular humanist, equivalent to Christianity without the Christian god. Nietzsche said this humanism is based on a slave mentality, the mentality of those who derive their moral superiority from meekness and passivity. But this mentality is not at all Jewish, even though it infects many Jews.”
Yes Josh, but many religious Jews seem to be suffering from the same malaise. Look, it was no secret before Ahmadinejad that Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapons program with the obvious intention of annihilating you. So what does your government do but attack Hamas, Iran’s client in Gaza, and doesn’t finish the job. So you get Goldstoned. Meanwhile, many of your academics behave as if they came from Sweden. As for your rabbis, they’re more concerned about Jewish conversion than about Jewish survival.” Sorry Josh, I’m just a Christian Zionist.
“You’re right Pat about the politicians and intellectuals, but I don’t think you understand serious religious Jews—although many of them are not really serious. Let me explain with the help of our first chief rabbi, the philosopher Avraham Kook. Although he abhorred war, he recognized that wars have positive as well as negative consequences. The Napoleonic wars following the French Revolution hastened the growth of nationalism, which not only liberated Europe from the thralldom of politicized Christianity, but also made Jewish nationalism or Zionism acceptable. And remember, World War I produced the Balfour Declaration as well as the end of Turkish control of Palestine.
Wait a second, Josh, “Are you going to say the Holocaust of World War II produced the State of Israel?”
“Not quite, dear Pat, but it’s one horrible chapter in the story of Israel. The abysmal ignorance of Barack Obama aside, no one aware of Biblical prophecy and Jewish history casually links, with no further ado, the murder of six million Jews and the re-establishment of the State of Israel, the in-gathering of the Jews, which has produced a renascence of Torah studies pointing to a restoration of Hebraic civilization. Nevertheless, Rabbi Kook said in all humility that “the death of the righteous granted the Jewish people new life” by virtue of Israel’s rebirth. And remember, ‘When we have shuffled off this mortal coil’ is not the last word for religious Jews.”
“Dear Josh, is this why you appear stoical in the face of impending war in this era of nuclear as well as biological and chemical weapons?
“Stoicism is not the right word,” Pat. Since we Jews believe that God is the master of history and therefore of war, we believe that all history is a process whose ultimate end will be the perfection of the Jewish People. And contrary to your righteous fears, dear Pat, there is reason to believe that the weapons of mass destruction available to our enemies may actually hasten Israel’s and mankind’s spiritual redemption!”
“Josh, you can’t be serious! Please explain yourself.”
“Look Pat, I’m merely speculating on the basis of Jewish history and even on recent events. Consider the plagues of the Exodus. These plagues occurred in a country most advanced in science and technology. The plagues violated the laws nature, but the Pharaoh and his wise men, up to a point, thought they could control nature. Now, contrary to modern science, Torah Jews reject the idea that nature is autonomous. We hold that God is the master of nature. Hence nature, like history, must somehow serve the ultimate redemption of the Jewish People.
“But Josh, what has all this to do with the war of annihilation now threatening Israel?”
“That’s exactly the point, dear Pat! You see, the miracles that occurred during the Exodus were reported throughout much of the world. These miracles revealed that God is the God of nature. By the way, the numerical value or Gematria of the term nature is 86—same as the numerical value of Elokim, one of the names of God. But please don’t press me on this, Pat. I mention this only to suggest that Biblical Hebrew is a designed language—the only designed language—and God is not a man that does not keep his promise.”
“Anyway, according to the Talmud, dear Pat, the miracles that will take place at Israel’s final redemption will exceed those that occurred during the Exodus. I just wonder what kind of miracles would be appropriate for our time? Perhaps the miracles will demonstrate—as they did in Egypt, that nature, contrary to contemporary science, is not governed by unalterable laws, but by Almighty God?”
“Have you any idea Josh how these miracles will be manifested?”
“Well Pat, recall the Scud missile attack on Israel during the first Persian Gulf War. Only one person was killed by the 39 missiles that struck Israel. Even non-religious generals who studied the great destruction wrought by those missiles concluded that the death of only one person had to be the result of many miracles.”
“But Josh, surely these so-called miracles pale in significance to those associated with the Exodus.”
“Perhaps you’re right, Pat, but whereas few people witnessed those Scud-related miracles, Israel is now threatened by nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons of mass destruction. Notice these weapons correspond to three distinct sciences of nature. Suppose such weapons were launched against Israel. What miracles would we need to save us? I spoke of three: (1) about nature, (2) about the pagan belief Egypt could control nature, and (3) about Israel’s miraculous Exodus. Now ponder the impact on mankind if nuclear missiles aimed at Israel killed not a single a Jew but annihilated Israel’s enemies, as occurred in the parting of the Red Sea.”
“Wait a second Josh. You can speculate all you want, but shouldn’t you offer some tangible evidence to indicate at least the possibility of your Alice-in-Wonderland scenario?”
“Perhaps you’re right Pat, but no one at the time of the Exodus could have foreseen its miracles, and probably no one would have believed in their possibility. That’s why miracles are miracles.”
“Okay Josh, but give me a clue as to what may happen miraculously in the present juncture of human affairs.”
“My dear Pat, I’m not a prophet, but I’ll say this. Whatever Israel does for its salvation involves the cooperation of God. On the other hand, to say man was created in the image of God means we are partners with God. Remember, the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea required Moses to extend his hand over the Sea.
“Now, as you know, Pat, Israel today is far advanced in nanotechnology—surpassing even the United States. You know that the Allies in World War II could not have been victorious were in not for science, in which Jews excelled. I’m thinking not only of Einstein. Jews were preeminent in the Manhattan Project, for example, Robert Oppenheimer, Otto Frisch, Felix Block, Max Borne, and by the way, the great Enrico Fermi was married to a Jewess.”
“Hold on, Josh. With due respect to the scientists you have in Israel today, they don’t compare to the giants of yesterday.”
“They don’t have to, dear Pat! All they need do is create the technology required to reverse the paths of missiles aimed at Israel and return them to their point of origin; and if you consider the rapidity with which Israel is developing nanotechnology, who knows? In Israel, only those who believe in miracles are realists. Miracles, dear Pat, may be approaching, and will rightly be seen as such by mankind. Of course, I am only speculating, constructing a scenario conceptually consistent with the miracles of the Exodus, or with what has been said of them by the Sages. Stay tuned.
*Edited transcript of the Eidelberg Report, Israel National Radio, February 8, 2010.
Pat begins by saying, “I can’t understand you Israeli Jews! Impending doom hangs over you and you do nothing, despite a still formidable military establishment.”
“What would you have us do”? Josh responds: “bomb Iran, expel the Arabs from Judea, Samaria, and Gaza and tell the rest of the world to go to hell?”
“Why not?” says Pat” “I’d rather go out with a bang than a whimper. Instead, you engage in a demeaning charade with a villain like Abbas. You pretend he’s serious about peace, that he’s compelled to make bellicose statements for domestic Arab consumption. That’s escapism.”
“Of course you’re right Josh. Abbas is a bloody liar, and only idiots take him seriously.”
“Well Josh, you seem have an awful lot of such idiots in Israel. A psychologist would say Jews suffer from a self-victimization syndrome. Jews seem to feel morally superior by being victims rather than victors. I remember Golda Meir saying: "When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons." To me this is sickness unto death.
“True, but as you know Pat, Golda was a secular humanist, equivalent to Christianity without the Christian god. Nietzsche said this humanism is based on a slave mentality, the mentality of those who derive their moral superiority from meekness and passivity. But this mentality is not at all Jewish, even though it infects many Jews.”
Yes Josh, but many religious Jews seem to be suffering from the same malaise. Look, it was no secret before Ahmadinejad that Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapons program with the obvious intention of annihilating you. So what does your government do but attack Hamas, Iran’s client in Gaza, and doesn’t finish the job. So you get Goldstoned. Meanwhile, many of your academics behave as if they came from Sweden. As for your rabbis, they’re more concerned about Jewish conversion than about Jewish survival.” Sorry Josh, I’m just a Christian Zionist.
“You’re right Pat about the politicians and intellectuals, but I don’t think you understand serious religious Jews—although many of them are not really serious. Let me explain with the help of our first chief rabbi, the philosopher Avraham Kook. Although he abhorred war, he recognized that wars have positive as well as negative consequences. The Napoleonic wars following the French Revolution hastened the growth of nationalism, which not only liberated Europe from the thralldom of politicized Christianity, but also made Jewish nationalism or Zionism acceptable. And remember, World War I produced the Balfour Declaration as well as the end of Turkish control of Palestine.
Wait a second, Josh, “Are you going to say the Holocaust of World War II produced the State of Israel?”
“Not quite, dear Pat, but it’s one horrible chapter in the story of Israel. The abysmal ignorance of Barack Obama aside, no one aware of Biblical prophecy and Jewish history casually links, with no further ado, the murder of six million Jews and the re-establishment of the State of Israel, the in-gathering of the Jews, which has produced a renascence of Torah studies pointing to a restoration of Hebraic civilization. Nevertheless, Rabbi Kook said in all humility that “the death of the righteous granted the Jewish people new life” by virtue of Israel’s rebirth. And remember, ‘When we have shuffled off this mortal coil’ is not the last word for religious Jews.”
“Dear Josh, is this why you appear stoical in the face of impending war in this era of nuclear as well as biological and chemical weapons?
“Stoicism is not the right word,” Pat. Since we Jews believe that God is the master of history and therefore of war, we believe that all history is a process whose ultimate end will be the perfection of the Jewish People. And contrary to your righteous fears, dear Pat, there is reason to believe that the weapons of mass destruction available to our enemies may actually hasten Israel’s and mankind’s spiritual redemption!”
“Josh, you can’t be serious! Please explain yourself.”
“Look Pat, I’m merely speculating on the basis of Jewish history and even on recent events. Consider the plagues of the Exodus. These plagues occurred in a country most advanced in science and technology. The plagues violated the laws nature, but the Pharaoh and his wise men, up to a point, thought they could control nature. Now, contrary to modern science, Torah Jews reject the idea that nature is autonomous. We hold that God is the master of nature. Hence nature, like history, must somehow serve the ultimate redemption of the Jewish People.
“But Josh, what has all this to do with the war of annihilation now threatening Israel?”
“That’s exactly the point, dear Pat! You see, the miracles that occurred during the Exodus were reported throughout much of the world. These miracles revealed that God is the God of nature. By the way, the numerical value or Gematria of the term nature is 86—same as the numerical value of Elokim, one of the names of God. But please don’t press me on this, Pat. I mention this only to suggest that Biblical Hebrew is a designed language—the only designed language—and God is not a man that does not keep his promise.”
“Anyway, according to the Talmud, dear Pat, the miracles that will take place at Israel’s final redemption will exceed those that occurred during the Exodus. I just wonder what kind of miracles would be appropriate for our time? Perhaps the miracles will demonstrate—as they did in Egypt, that nature, contrary to contemporary science, is not governed by unalterable laws, but by Almighty God?”
“Have you any idea Josh how these miracles will be manifested?”
“Well Pat, recall the Scud missile attack on Israel during the first Persian Gulf War. Only one person was killed by the 39 missiles that struck Israel. Even non-religious generals who studied the great destruction wrought by those missiles concluded that the death of only one person had to be the result of many miracles.”
“But Josh, surely these so-called miracles pale in significance to those associated with the Exodus.”
“Perhaps you’re right, Pat, but whereas few people witnessed those Scud-related miracles, Israel is now threatened by nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons of mass destruction. Notice these weapons correspond to three distinct sciences of nature. Suppose such weapons were launched against Israel. What miracles would we need to save us? I spoke of three: (1) about nature, (2) about the pagan belief Egypt could control nature, and (3) about Israel’s miraculous Exodus. Now ponder the impact on mankind if nuclear missiles aimed at Israel killed not a single a Jew but annihilated Israel’s enemies, as occurred in the parting of the Red Sea.”
“Wait a second Josh. You can speculate all you want, but shouldn’t you offer some tangible evidence to indicate at least the possibility of your Alice-in-Wonderland scenario?”
“Perhaps you’re right Pat, but no one at the time of the Exodus could have foreseen its miracles, and probably no one would have believed in their possibility. That’s why miracles are miracles.”
“Okay Josh, but give me a clue as to what may happen miraculously in the present juncture of human affairs.”
“My dear Pat, I’m not a prophet, but I’ll say this. Whatever Israel does for its salvation involves the cooperation of God. On the other hand, to say man was created in the image of God means we are partners with God. Remember, the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea required Moses to extend his hand over the Sea.
“Now, as you know, Pat, Israel today is far advanced in nanotechnology—surpassing even the United States. You know that the Allies in World War II could not have been victorious were in not for science, in which Jews excelled. I’m thinking not only of Einstein. Jews were preeminent in the Manhattan Project, for example, Robert Oppenheimer, Otto Frisch, Felix Block, Max Borne, and by the way, the great Enrico Fermi was married to a Jewess.”
“Hold on, Josh. With due respect to the scientists you have in Israel today, they don’t compare to the giants of yesterday.”
“They don’t have to, dear Pat! All they need do is create the technology required to reverse the paths of missiles aimed at Israel and return them to their point of origin; and if you consider the rapidity with which Israel is developing nanotechnology, who knows? In Israel, only those who believe in miracles are realists. Miracles, dear Pat, may be approaching, and will rightly be seen as such by mankind. Of course, I am only speculating, constructing a scenario conceptually consistent with the miracles of the Exodus, or with what has been said of them by the Sages. Stay tuned.
*Edited transcript of the Eidelberg Report, Israel National Radio, February 8, 2010.
J Street Expands....
07/02/2010On Thursday night, J Street said nearly 2,000 people turned out in more than 20 cities for simultaneous events to kick off J Street Local, the vehicle for members to carry out educational and advocacy work in their communities.
“We made a pledge in October that we would be silent no more when it comes to Israel,” said J Street’s executive director Jeremy Ben-Ami, in a speech that was broadcast to the other events.
In nearly two years, J Street has amassed 140,000 online supporters and hopes to spur them to action, following the recent merge with Brit Tzedek V’Shalom. “Tonight we are opening a new chapter in the struggle for tzedek and shalom, justice and peace in the world,” Ben-Ami said.
He said J Street and J Street Local seek to inject new voices into foreign policy discussion, express support for Israel in accordance with Jewish values and promote a more open debate about Israel in the American Jewish community. In particular, J Street seeks to “expand what it means to be pro-Israel.”( J Post)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Bibi's Slippery Slope: By Moshe Feiglin
18 Shvat 5770
Feb. 2, '10
In its Friday edition, the Makor Rishon newspaper cited senior American sources reporting that Netanyahu has already surrendered almost everything; the Golan, almost all of Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, even some areas inside Israel's 1967 border. In exchange, the State of Israel will be allowed to keep a few settlement blocs. And what has Netanyahu achieved for Israel in exchange for this far-reaching agreement in principle? Nothing. Certainly not peace and not even international recognition that Israel is a Jewish state.
This is not really earth-shattering news. For years, we have been warning that Netanyahu is liable to drag us down a slippery slope. In the end, Netanyahu will not get the settlement blocs. But he will have succeeded in violating the integrity of Israel's 1967 borders.
The simple and sad truth is that the only thing preventing this collapse is Arab intransigence. The Arabs, it turns out, really do not want a state. None other than British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, not exactly known for his affection for Jews, stated to the British Parliament in 1947: "To the Jews, the essential point of principle is the creation of a sovereign Jewish State. To the Arabs, the essential point of principle is to resist to the last the establishment of Jewish sovereignty in any part of Palestine."
Nothing has changed in the 63 years that have passed since then. The main goal of the Arabs who live in the Land of Israel is to prevent us, the Jews, from having a Jewish state. They do not want their own state. If they really did want one, they could have had it many times over. They have consistently sabotaged every golden opportunity for a state offered them by Israel, with the support of the entire world.
What then, is wrong with Netanyahu's strategy? Maybe he is right when he agrees to surrender everything, leaving the Arabs to once again refuse and appear intransigent?
That may be fine in an anonymous battle of wits. But when the prime minister of Israel agrees to surrender Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel and Jerusalem, it has far reaching and serious implications. No other leader in the world would dare commit such an act. On the practical plane as well, Netanyahu is playing with fire. When Arafat, alone in exile in Tunis, felt he had no choice, he "accepted" the idea of "peace" - at least for the cameras. He got what he wanted and then, of course, surprised the world with his continued campaign of murderous violence. Likewise, Abu Mazen does not want a state, but if the Americans force it down his throat, he just may take it.
If that happens, G-d forbid, it would mean that the only territory in the world that does not have an official sovereign today - Judea and Samaria - will be internationally recognized as non-Jewish territory. The Nation of Israel will have officially surrendered the inheritance that it received from the Creator and that was recognized as such by the nations of the world.
Nationalist Attorney Elyakim Haetzni writes as follows:
"'Fate' or Divine Providence has left the Chosen Land open for the Chosen People, as there is no state in the world that has 'right of return' to Yesha according to international law. The Jordanians invaded and in 1988 they surrendered their claim; the British Mandate that preceded them no longer exists; the Turkish, in the Treaty of Lausanne, surrendered their rights and the Marmelukes are in the museum. All that is still valid, so long as there is no other sovereign, is the mandate that recognized the historical rights of the Jewish nation to re-establish its national home in the Land of Israel and instructed the British to 'encourage dense settlement on the ground, including state lands.' Thus, we are still the rightful owner, and only the rightful owner can surrender his rights.
If, however, a Palestinian state is established with Israel's consent, our land will be considered 'Palestinian'. Later, when the Palestinians breach the agreement and the IDF will once again conquer Shechem, we will always be forced to retreat, because it will be 'Palestinian land.' Nazi Germany was destroyed, but it was exchanged for 'a different Germany,' because it was still 'German Land.'
Woe to the Jewish leader whose name will go down in history as the person responsible for turning Israel's land into Palestinian land. There are Jews who would prefer to die rather than be responsible for such a historical catastrophe, equal to all the physical dangers facing us put together."
In the meantime, "fate" or Divine Providence has saved the Promised Land for the Jews. But in Gush Katif we learned that Divine Providence also expects us to take practical action. We are not on the high, Biblical level of "G-d will fight for you, and you remain silent." And as we know from our Sages, we must not rely on miracles.
Sadly, Netanyahu is not among those Jews who would "prefer to die rather than be responsible for such a historical catastrophe." If given the opportunity, he will certainly send this particular historical catastrophe our way. Clearly, he must be replaced - and the sooner the better.
And now for the good news. The past months have seen a tremendous surge in registration for the Likud. Soon, Israel's political system will emerge from its winter hibernation and that is traditionally the time for political crises - both inside and outside the Likud. We do not know exactly when the Likud members will once again be casting their votes for the new leader of their party. We do know, however, that this scenario will take place and it is very possible that it will happen sooner than we think.
Feb. 2, '10
In its Friday edition, the Makor Rishon newspaper cited senior American sources reporting that Netanyahu has already surrendered almost everything; the Golan, almost all of Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, even some areas inside Israel's 1967 border. In exchange, the State of Israel will be allowed to keep a few settlement blocs. And what has Netanyahu achieved for Israel in exchange for this far-reaching agreement in principle? Nothing. Certainly not peace and not even international recognition that Israel is a Jewish state.
This is not really earth-shattering news. For years, we have been warning that Netanyahu is liable to drag us down a slippery slope. In the end, Netanyahu will not get the settlement blocs. But he will have succeeded in violating the integrity of Israel's 1967 borders.
The simple and sad truth is that the only thing preventing this collapse is Arab intransigence. The Arabs, it turns out, really do not want a state. None other than British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, not exactly known for his affection for Jews, stated to the British Parliament in 1947: "To the Jews, the essential point of principle is the creation of a sovereign Jewish State. To the Arabs, the essential point of principle is to resist to the last the establishment of Jewish sovereignty in any part of Palestine."
Nothing has changed in the 63 years that have passed since then. The main goal of the Arabs who live in the Land of Israel is to prevent us, the Jews, from having a Jewish state. They do not want their own state. If they really did want one, they could have had it many times over. They have consistently sabotaged every golden opportunity for a state offered them by Israel, with the support of the entire world.
What then, is wrong with Netanyahu's strategy? Maybe he is right when he agrees to surrender everything, leaving the Arabs to once again refuse and appear intransigent?
That may be fine in an anonymous battle of wits. But when the prime minister of Israel agrees to surrender Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel and Jerusalem, it has far reaching and serious implications. No other leader in the world would dare commit such an act. On the practical plane as well, Netanyahu is playing with fire. When Arafat, alone in exile in Tunis, felt he had no choice, he "accepted" the idea of "peace" - at least for the cameras. He got what he wanted and then, of course, surprised the world with his continued campaign of murderous violence. Likewise, Abu Mazen does not want a state, but if the Americans force it down his throat, he just may take it.
If that happens, G-d forbid, it would mean that the only territory in the world that does not have an official sovereign today - Judea and Samaria - will be internationally recognized as non-Jewish territory. The Nation of Israel will have officially surrendered the inheritance that it received from the Creator and that was recognized as such by the nations of the world.
Nationalist Attorney Elyakim Haetzni writes as follows:
"'Fate' or Divine Providence has left the Chosen Land open for the Chosen People, as there is no state in the world that has 'right of return' to Yesha according to international law. The Jordanians invaded and in 1988 they surrendered their claim; the British Mandate that preceded them no longer exists; the Turkish, in the Treaty of Lausanne, surrendered their rights and the Marmelukes are in the museum. All that is still valid, so long as there is no other sovereign, is the mandate that recognized the historical rights of the Jewish nation to re-establish its national home in the Land of Israel and instructed the British to 'encourage dense settlement on the ground, including state lands.' Thus, we are still the rightful owner, and only the rightful owner can surrender his rights.
If, however, a Palestinian state is established with Israel's consent, our land will be considered 'Palestinian'. Later, when the Palestinians breach the agreement and the IDF will once again conquer Shechem, we will always be forced to retreat, because it will be 'Palestinian land.' Nazi Germany was destroyed, but it was exchanged for 'a different Germany,' because it was still 'German Land.'
Woe to the Jewish leader whose name will go down in history as the person responsible for turning Israel's land into Palestinian land. There are Jews who would prefer to die rather than be responsible for such a historical catastrophe, equal to all the physical dangers facing us put together."
In the meantime, "fate" or Divine Providence has saved the Promised Land for the Jews. But in Gush Katif we learned that Divine Providence also expects us to take practical action. We are not on the high, Biblical level of "G-d will fight for you, and you remain silent." And as we know from our Sages, we must not rely on miracles.
Sadly, Netanyahu is not among those Jews who would "prefer to die rather than be responsible for such a historical catastrophe." If given the opportunity, he will certainly send this particular historical catastrophe our way. Clearly, he must be replaced - and the sooner the better.
And now for the good news. The past months have seen a tremendous surge in registration for the Likud. Soon, Israel's political system will emerge from its winter hibernation and that is traditionally the time for political crises - both inside and outside the Likud. We do not know exactly when the Likud members will once again be casting their votes for the new leader of their party. We do know, however, that this scenario will take place and it is very possible that it will happen sooner than we think.
Creating a Modern Jewish Society
(From this week's Torah portion Yitro, Exodus 18:15-18)
The verses above may be a record of the birth of the first bureaucracy in the Jewish nation. But they are much more than that. They record the fist ginger steps of a nation as it realizes that it is no longer just a group of individuals, but a multi-faceted society bursting with potential that needs to find the way to run a country. How will the individual with questions get answers from Moses when there are tens of thousands of others with questions, as well? How will the court system work? How will this large group of people create a Jewish economy? How will the individual feel direct responsibility toward society in a modern state with government-run mechanisms?
The Nation of Israel has returned to its Holy Land. The greatest innovation of Zionism is its demand to take responsibility, its understanding that the redemption of Israel will take place through human beings who will set very human processes in motion. Sadly, this understanding has not yet fully permeated all levels of religious Zionism. The Religious Zionists have dedicated their souls to the Zionist enterprise. But they have failed to lead it to the spiritual renaissance that is essential to the re-establishment of a Jewish State.
Many people and organizations are busy bringing Jewish individuals closer to their heritage. That is excellent. But Manhigut Yehudit is the only organized movement that strives to bring the Nation of Israel, our society, back to our Jewish heritage as a modern state. Our court system must be restructured to reflect our Jewish values. Our economy needs to be updated and modified to reflect Jewish ethics. We must begin to implement the laws of interest, shmittah and Jubilee on the backdrop of a vibrant, modern economy. How do we, as a society, deal with poverty? These new facets of our culture will surely open vast new horizons in the way that we relate to the Torah, how the Torah relates to our society and how we relate to G-d.
There is nothing about the smooth running of our society that does not need to be re-examined through the prism of Jewish values and heritage. As the State of Israel and its values slowly fade away, this is our urgent challenge.
Shabbat Shalom
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Show Must Go On
The law granting amnesty to anti-Expulsion protesters passed the Knesset this week with a large majority. 51 in favor and just 9 opposed. Barring the Arab parties, almost all the other MKs supported the law. And that means that something must be wrong.
The amnesty law is bad. What it actually says is that the show is over, and it is time for everyone to go home.
Those people who fought the battle for Gush Katif with the intention of winning are not included in the amnesty. The law does not include people who blocked roads or refused to obey army orders.
This does not mean that all the thousands of people who, with great self-sacrifice, spent days and nights at demonstrations, marches, Kfar Maimon and tent cities in Gush Katif do not deserve praise. They certainly do. But the bottom line is that there was never a real struggle for Gush Katif. There was never a real struggle because the settlers' rabbinical and political leadership prevented it and publicly deplored road-blocking, refusal of orders and any other potentially effective actions to save Gush Katif.
All that transpired in Gush Katif was one big show in which each side played its part and then left the stage. The goal of the army was to destroy. And the goal of the Orange Camp was to win points in public opinion. At the end of the show, Gush Katif was destroyed and the public was extremely sympathetic. Everybody got what they wanted and the curtain closed.
Now, the Knesset has legislated amnesty for the Orange actors in the show. Not for the people who really battled the Expulsion - just for those who kept to the script. That is why the Left is also in favor of this law. It assures us all that next time, everybody will continue to recite their lines.
For them, that is excellent, because the show must go on.
The amnesty law is bad. What it actually says is that the show is over, and it is time for everyone to go home.
Those people who fought the battle for Gush Katif with the intention of winning are not included in the amnesty. The law does not include people who blocked roads or refused to obey army orders.
This does not mean that all the thousands of people who, with great self-sacrifice, spent days and nights at demonstrations, marches, Kfar Maimon and tent cities in Gush Katif do not deserve praise. They certainly do. But the bottom line is that there was never a real struggle for Gush Katif. There was never a real struggle because the settlers' rabbinical and political leadership prevented it and publicly deplored road-blocking, refusal of orders and any other potentially effective actions to save Gush Katif.
All that transpired in Gush Katif was one big show in which each side played its part and then left the stage. The goal of the army was to destroy. And the goal of the Orange Camp was to win points in public opinion. At the end of the show, Gush Katif was destroyed and the public was extremely sympathetic. Everybody got what they wanted and the curtain closed.
Now, the Knesset has legislated amnesty for the Orange actors in the show. Not for the people who really battled the Expulsion - just for those who kept to the script. That is why the Left is also in favor of this law. It assures us all that next time, everybody will continue to recite their lines.
For them, that is excellent, because the show must go on.
How to Save the Settlements from Abandonment: By Moshe Feiglin
More and more, it looks like we are headed for an Abandonment Plan.
In an article titled "Without Evacuation and Without Compensation," (Ha'aretz, Jan. 1 '10) Dr. Alexander Jacobson proposes setting a date upon which Israel will retreat from Judea and Samaria, abandoning the Jewish residents of those areas to the mercies of the new sovereign. Jacobson correctly understands that the expulsion of approximately ten thousand residents of Gush Katif will not work for the hundreds of thousands of Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. Even if all the state's mechanisms would fully cooperate with the criminal idea of expulsion, Israel simply does not have the money to implement it. So with a mischievous wink of the eye, the friendly doctor falls back on the murderousness of our neighbors. "They will make the Jews' lives there impossible," Jacobson explains in laundered terminology, "but for that, the Law of Return exists."
It is reasonable to assume that we will see the old Yesha Council leadership - Wallerstein and Zambish - rise up again, over the heads of all the na?ve people who were called upon to be a part of the "new leadership"; in other words, to cover up the fiascos of the past and to pave the way for their return to positions of power. This leadership will then proceed to fight the previous battle or more specifically, the grandmother of the previous battle.
Yesha Council leaders like Zambish and Wallerstein cannot comprehend that the Zionist "mutant gene" of Peres, Alon and Galili, that allowed for the establishment of Elon Moreh, Beit El and Ofra has since been deleted from the establishment's genetic code. The open door of the Revisionist movement, through which the settlements of the early days of the Likud government were built, has also been shut tight. They continue to fight - not for settlement - but for public opinion, as if the Zionist spirit from which Gush Emunim drew its legitimacy still exists.
And so, with declarations of love, cherry tomatoes, door-to-door visits and heartrending cries in the face of the IDF robots, Gush Katif was destroyed. Now, as the Abandonment Plan takes form, the Yesha Council will pay millions to public relations experts and with the comfortable logic of the olden days of Gush Emunim they will explain how Yesha is crucial for security, how nice the settlers are and how uncivil it is to abandon them. They will project an image of the settlers as beggars - objects of pity and scorn. They will reinforce the demonization campaign that is already being waged against them, cement their second-class citizen status and ensure that nobody will give them a shekel in compensation.
There is only one thing that nobody from the Yesha Council will say. The truth.
The main obligation - and according to some, the only obligation - of a state toward its citizen is to provide them with security. If the State of Israel is incapable of upholding its basic contract with its citizens in Judea and Samaria, that is fine. But just as when a couple decides to divorce, their decision comes with a price tag, so too, when a state chooses to opt out of its basic contract with its citizens, there is a price tag attached. The state cannot leave with all of their shared assets. The settlers, who lawfully built their homes and paid with their taxes and lives so that they could get security from their state, deserve to get their investment back.
You want to leave? No problem. Just return everything that you have taken from us to help you provide us with your basic commitment. Give the settlers the weapons that were bought with their tax money so that they will be able to defend themselves.
This type of demand by the settler leadership will reveal the real motivation behind the Abandonment Plan; to use terrorists to force the Jews to flee. This demand will ensure that the public debate that will ensue when the plan is announced will focus on rights and not on pleas for mercy.
I have no illusions that somebody will really give the settlers who choose to remain in their homes their share of Israel's arsenal. It is reasonable to assume that ultimately, this type of debate will not help either and that if this evil plan reaches a practical stage, it will be implemented. The Yesha and Hesder yeshiva leadership will then get what they wanted: the government will have left the IDF out of the political debate and will not have pitted them against the citizens. Not one soldier will refuse orders and not one soldier will wave a sign. Everything will be simply wonderful.
Now that we know what to expect from the current government and what to expect from the Yesha leadership, we have only one small question: What can we do to prevent this madness? The simple answer is that anybody who thought that we can prevent Israeli retreats with convincing and love - or with demonstrations and a determined struggle, has to understand that those methods will not work. There is one way to prevent retreat and to change direction and that is - to rule. It is time to understand that he who rules makes the rules.
The faith-based public now has a golden opportunity to lead the country. Binyamin Netanyahu has initiated a new membership drive for the Likud. His goal is to strengthen his position against the ideological members of the Likud. He could not care less about the small, rightist parties. Netanyahu understands that at the end of the day, the only obstacle to his Abandonment Plan is inside the ruling party - the Likud.
"You have no idea how much influence you have," explained Chairman of the Knesset Committee, MK Yariv Levin in his speech at last week's Manhigut Yehudit dinner. "I do not want to think about to what lows we would descend without your large ideological faction inside the ruling party."
Everybody who holds the State and the settlement enterprise dear must register for the Likud now. Mass registration of the loyal public will ensure that the Likud will oppose the Abandonment Plan. But the registration will also accomplish something much more important. Netanyahu's chair is shaking. His wife's embroilment in scandal is just the tip of the iceberg. Registration now for the Likud will ensure that Bibi's successor will not continue with his evil plan.
In an article titled "Without Evacuation and Without Compensation," (Ha'aretz, Jan. 1 '10) Dr. Alexander Jacobson proposes setting a date upon which Israel will retreat from Judea and Samaria, abandoning the Jewish residents of those areas to the mercies of the new sovereign. Jacobson correctly understands that the expulsion of approximately ten thousand residents of Gush Katif will not work for the hundreds of thousands of Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. Even if all the state's mechanisms would fully cooperate with the criminal idea of expulsion, Israel simply does not have the money to implement it. So with a mischievous wink of the eye, the friendly doctor falls back on the murderousness of our neighbors. "They will make the Jews' lives there impossible," Jacobson explains in laundered terminology, "but for that, the Law of Return exists."
It is reasonable to assume that we will see the old Yesha Council leadership - Wallerstein and Zambish - rise up again, over the heads of all the na?ve people who were called upon to be a part of the "new leadership"; in other words, to cover up the fiascos of the past and to pave the way for their return to positions of power. This leadership will then proceed to fight the previous battle or more specifically, the grandmother of the previous battle.
Yesha Council leaders like Zambish and Wallerstein cannot comprehend that the Zionist "mutant gene" of Peres, Alon and Galili, that allowed for the establishment of Elon Moreh, Beit El and Ofra has since been deleted from the establishment's genetic code. The open door of the Revisionist movement, through which the settlements of the early days of the Likud government were built, has also been shut tight. They continue to fight - not for settlement - but for public opinion, as if the Zionist spirit from which Gush Emunim drew its legitimacy still exists.
And so, with declarations of love, cherry tomatoes, door-to-door visits and heartrending cries in the face of the IDF robots, Gush Katif was destroyed. Now, as the Abandonment Plan takes form, the Yesha Council will pay millions to public relations experts and with the comfortable logic of the olden days of Gush Emunim they will explain how Yesha is crucial for security, how nice the settlers are and how uncivil it is to abandon them. They will project an image of the settlers as beggars - objects of pity and scorn. They will reinforce the demonization campaign that is already being waged against them, cement their second-class citizen status and ensure that nobody will give them a shekel in compensation.
There is only one thing that nobody from the Yesha Council will say. The truth.
The main obligation - and according to some, the only obligation - of a state toward its citizen is to provide them with security. If the State of Israel is incapable of upholding its basic contract with its citizens in Judea and Samaria, that is fine. But just as when a couple decides to divorce, their decision comes with a price tag, so too, when a state chooses to opt out of its basic contract with its citizens, there is a price tag attached. The state cannot leave with all of their shared assets. The settlers, who lawfully built their homes and paid with their taxes and lives so that they could get security from their state, deserve to get their investment back.
You want to leave? No problem. Just return everything that you have taken from us to help you provide us with your basic commitment. Give the settlers the weapons that were bought with their tax money so that they will be able to defend themselves.
This type of demand by the settler leadership will reveal the real motivation behind the Abandonment Plan; to use terrorists to force the Jews to flee. This demand will ensure that the public debate that will ensue when the plan is announced will focus on rights and not on pleas for mercy.
I have no illusions that somebody will really give the settlers who choose to remain in their homes their share of Israel's arsenal. It is reasonable to assume that ultimately, this type of debate will not help either and that if this evil plan reaches a practical stage, it will be implemented. The Yesha and Hesder yeshiva leadership will then get what they wanted: the government will have left the IDF out of the political debate and will not have pitted them against the citizens. Not one soldier will refuse orders and not one soldier will wave a sign. Everything will be simply wonderful.
Now that we know what to expect from the current government and what to expect from the Yesha leadership, we have only one small question: What can we do to prevent this madness? The simple answer is that anybody who thought that we can prevent Israeli retreats with convincing and love - or with demonstrations and a determined struggle, has to understand that those methods will not work. There is one way to prevent retreat and to change direction and that is - to rule. It is time to understand that he who rules makes the rules.
The faith-based public now has a golden opportunity to lead the country. Binyamin Netanyahu has initiated a new membership drive for the Likud. His goal is to strengthen his position against the ideological members of the Likud. He could not care less about the small, rightist parties. Netanyahu understands that at the end of the day, the only obstacle to his Abandonment Plan is inside the ruling party - the Likud.
"You have no idea how much influence you have," explained Chairman of the Knesset Committee, MK Yariv Levin in his speech at last week's Manhigut Yehudit dinner. "I do not want to think about to what lows we would descend without your large ideological faction inside the ruling party."
Everybody who holds the State and the settlement enterprise dear must register for the Likud now. Mass registration of the loyal public will ensure that the Likud will oppose the Abandonment Plan. But the registration will also accomplish something much more important. Netanyahu's chair is shaking. His wife's embroilment in scandal is just the tip of the iceberg. Registration now for the Likud will ensure that Bibi's successor will not continue with his evil plan.
All In Our Heads
It is all in our heads. Deep down, in our perception of ourselves. A person who thinks of himself as successful is also perceived that way by those who surround him. A person who considers himself a failure projects that image to his surroundings, even if he may look outwardly successful.
Now for a bit of mathematics. When the Jews made their break from Egypt, they numbered at least 3 million - and that is a modest estimate based on the fact that there were 600,000 males accounted for between the ages of 20 and 60. How many Egyptians chased them? At the very most - 1800. (Based on the 600 chariots that were reasonably carrying no more than 3 Egyptians per chariot). In other words, there were approximately 1600 Jews against every Egyptian. So what was the problem? Why did the Jews at the edge of the Red Sea wail? Why didn't they fight?
Stories from the Holocaust reveal the same phenomenon. How could small numbers of Nazi soldiers force tens of thousands of Jews to their deaths with total compliance?
It is all in our heads. On the day that the faith-based public will understand and integrate its real power, it will lead Israel. We at Manhigut Yehudit can explain, we can create the necessary political tools and we can work on public awareness. But the real reason that we have not yet merited a faith-based leader has nothing to do with technicalities or politics. We are big enough, we are talented enough and we are strong enough to lead the nation - if we really want to.
That is where the trouble lies. We don't really want to lead yet. The faith-based public still does not believe in itself.
During the previous primaries, the struggle between Netanyahu and me was justifiably perceived as the struggle of the faith-based public to enter the leadership arena. When I was elected to a realistic slot on the Likud Knesset roster, it seemed that the dam on the faith-based public's self-image had been burst wide open. A surge of enthusiasm engulfed the entire sector. Many were psychologically prepared to leave their sectorial way of thinking, to register for the Likud and to prepare the ground for leadership.
If that scenario would have played itself out, most of the Likud MKs today would have been ideological people. The Likud would have won 40 mandates, most of them MKs loyal to the Land and People of Israel. Even those less-than-loyal Likud MKs would have understood which way the wind was blowing inside their party. Strapped with a party with tens of thousands of faith-based members, Netanyahu would not have been able to make the political moves that he is making today. Even more important - in the next primaries a faith-based candidate would have been elected.
Sadly, though, the change in perception that we experienced was short-lived and immature. When I was demoted to the 36th place on the Likud roster, the faith-based public's comfortable, servile self-perception prevailed - and the rest is history.
Nevertheless, it is all in our heads. The wonderful dream that was shattered in the previous primaries could have held up just as well even if I were not in the Knesset. On the contrary - it is specifically when I am not in the Knesset that it is even more important to register, to increase our numbers in the Likud and to empower us for the next round!
When Netanyahu pushed me down to an unrealistic slot, the faith-based voter once again perceived himself as a second class citizen - a sector that does not deserve to be on the leadership arena. The faith-based votes returned to the comfortable but irrelevant sectorial parties.
Thank G-d, current events have opened the eyes of many faith-based people and registration for the Likud through Manhigut Yehudit is rapidly increasing. We will continue to develop our public's leadership consciousness as we prepare for the next round of voting.
Shabbat Shalom
Now for a bit of mathematics. When the Jews made their break from Egypt, they numbered at least 3 million - and that is a modest estimate based on the fact that there were 600,000 males accounted for between the ages of 20 and 60. How many Egyptians chased them? At the very most - 1800. (Based on the 600 chariots that were reasonably carrying no more than 3 Egyptians per chariot). In other words, there were approximately 1600 Jews against every Egyptian. So what was the problem? Why did the Jews at the edge of the Red Sea wail? Why didn't they fight?
Stories from the Holocaust reveal the same phenomenon. How could small numbers of Nazi soldiers force tens of thousands of Jews to their deaths with total compliance?
It is all in our heads. On the day that the faith-based public will understand and integrate its real power, it will lead Israel. We at Manhigut Yehudit can explain, we can create the necessary political tools and we can work on public awareness. But the real reason that we have not yet merited a faith-based leader has nothing to do with technicalities or politics. We are big enough, we are talented enough and we are strong enough to lead the nation - if we really want to.
That is where the trouble lies. We don't really want to lead yet. The faith-based public still does not believe in itself.
During the previous primaries, the struggle between Netanyahu and me was justifiably perceived as the struggle of the faith-based public to enter the leadership arena. When I was elected to a realistic slot on the Likud Knesset roster, it seemed that the dam on the faith-based public's self-image had been burst wide open. A surge of enthusiasm engulfed the entire sector. Many were psychologically prepared to leave their sectorial way of thinking, to register for the Likud and to prepare the ground for leadership.
If that scenario would have played itself out, most of the Likud MKs today would have been ideological people. The Likud would have won 40 mandates, most of them MKs loyal to the Land and People of Israel. Even those less-than-loyal Likud MKs would have understood which way the wind was blowing inside their party. Strapped with a party with tens of thousands of faith-based members, Netanyahu would not have been able to make the political moves that he is making today. Even more important - in the next primaries a faith-based candidate would have been elected.
Sadly, though, the change in perception that we experienced was short-lived and immature. When I was demoted to the 36th place on the Likud roster, the faith-based public's comfortable, servile self-perception prevailed - and the rest is history.
Nevertheless, it is all in our heads. The wonderful dream that was shattered in the previous primaries could have held up just as well even if I were not in the Knesset. On the contrary - it is specifically when I am not in the Knesset that it is even more important to register, to increase our numbers in the Likud and to empower us for the next round!
When Netanyahu pushed me down to an unrealistic slot, the faith-based voter once again perceived himself as a second class citizen - a sector that does not deserve to be on the leadership arena. The faith-based votes returned to the comfortable but irrelevant sectorial parties.
Thank G-d, current events have opened the eyes of many faith-based people and registration for the Likud through Manhigut Yehudit is rapidly increasing. We will continue to develop our public's leadership consciousness as we prepare for the next round of voting.
Shabbat Shalom
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