Hebron - R.I.P.?

Hebron-Past, Present and Forever by David Wilder Hebron - R.I.P.? January 17, 1997

    Last  night Prime Minister Netanyahu, speaking  at  a
press  conference,  told  viewers  that  "Israel  is  not
withdrawing   from  Hebron,  rather  is  resituating   in
Hebron."  Bibi has a way with words.
      For  that matter, so does MK Michael Eitan, a long-
time Hebron supporter.  Explaining his acceptance of  the
accords, he compares the abandonment to a doctor, who has
no  choice but to amputate the patient's leg in order  to
save  his  life.   This  sounds vaguely  similar  to  the
`sacrifices  for peace' we were so used to  hearing  from
the previous administration.
      A  little  over a year ago I tried  to  express  my
emotions  when Beit Lechem was abandoned to  Arafat.   At
that  time  I  wrote that Rachel cried.  This  week,  for
almost  two days it didn't stopped raining, for the first
time this winter. Now when Hebron, city of the Patriarchs
and Matriarchs is being abandoned,   G-d is crying.
       Many  reporters  have  asked  me  if  the  present
agreement is better than the original Peres-Arafat Hebron
Accords.  The answer is very simple.  The two versions of
the  Plan  to Abandon Hebron are similar to two  doctors.
The  first doctor approaches the family of a sick patient
and  informs them: "I'm sorry, but the patient is  dead."
The other doctor approaches the family with a post-mortem
report,  saying, "These are the reasons why  the  patient
died.'   However  you look at it, with  the  details,  or
without the details, the patient is dead.
      How  is  Hebron  going  to deal  with  the  present
situation?   Many  people have asked  me  why  we  didn't
conduct a major demonstration today, or do something else
to convey our feelings. For well over a year we worked to
prevent  the abandonment of Hebron.  The fact that  today
80%  of  Hebron  was evacuated is not  an  indication  of
failure.   We  did  just about everything  we  could  and
managed to postpone the final, awful moment for almost  a
year.  Seven ministers opposed Netanyahu's plan.  We lost
because  the  other two ministers who should  have  voted
against the accords chickened out.  The vote was 11 to 7.
It may very well come to pass that all those who voted to
implement  the accords will be remembered in  history  as
are the 10 spies who, when reporting back to Moses in the
desert, rejected the possibility of conquering and living
in  Eretz  Yisrael. Those who voted against the agreement
will  be  recalled as are Yehoshua and Kalev,  especially
former minister Benny Begin, who resigned as a result  of
the   government's  decision.  Unfortunately  our   Prime
Minister does not have the same courage as does Begin.
      One thing should be clear: Over the past four years
the  Jewish  Community  of Hebron  had  to  prevail  over
tremendous difficulties.  With G-d's help, we  were  able
to  overcome almost all the problems we faced during  the
reign of Rabin-Peres.  Just as we overcame four years  of
oppression, so will we overcome the present predicament.
      There are those who have written Hebron off -  they
expect  Hebron's  Jewish community to  leave.  They  have
declared:  Hebron - Rest In Peace.  For some reason  they
really  believe  that  we are in the  midst  of  a  peace
process.   They  also believe that a Jewish  presence  in
Hebron  is  provocative and unnecessary.  But,  they  are
wrong.  Only true peace brings true rest. Hebron will not
rest,  surely not as part of this false peace.   The  lie
called  Oslo will not allow us peace and quiet.  Much  to
the  contrary. The more we concede, the more  trouble  we
will  have. Hebron has been transformed into a `piece'  -
the  exact opposite of its true essence, which  is  total
unity.
      What will happen to Hebron? One day, perhaps in the
near future, or even in the distant future, all of Hebron
will  return  to  Jewish  hands, as  will  Shechem,  Beit
Lechem, and all of Judea, Samaria and Gazza.  How  can  I
be so sure?  It took from 1929 to 1967 for Jews to return
to  Hebron.   It  took  2,000 years to  return  to  Eretz
Yisrael, following the destruction of the Second  Temple.
How,  after  so many years, were we able to return?   The
answer  is  because  the land of Israel  is  an  integral
component  of  the Jewish People and for 2,000  years  we
never forgot that.  From 1929 to 1967 we never forgot our
attachment to the city of the Patriarchs.  We yearned, we
prayed,  we proclaimed `next year in Jerusalem,' even  at
the  cost  of death, we sat on the ground one  day  every
year,  in commemoration of the burning of the Temple  and
the  exile  of  Jews  from Israel.  We  knew  that  Eretz
Yisrael belongs to Am Yisrael.
      The  immediate future will be very difficult  -  of
that I have no doubts or illusions. If  the Jewish People
were  able  to  overcome the results of a Holocaust  that
left  one  third of our people murdered, and in spite  of
that were able  to create a viable state only three years
after  the  furnaces were extinguished, we  can  overcome
anything.   It  will not be easy, but we will  persevere.
Only  when there is a true and lasting peace, not a peace
of  capitulation will we be able to add, after  the  word
Hebron - Rest in Peace.