January, 2004
The seventh year is known to be one
of rest, allowing for study and introspection, looking back at the past,
learning from it, drawing conclusions, while amassing strength and looking to
the future.
So the time has come to look back.
Exactly seven years ago Israel signed and implemented the Hebron accords – ceding
over eighty percent of the city to Arafat and the Palestinian Authority.
December 30, 1996-News from
Hebron: Several members of the Jewish Community of Hebron met with
Prime Minister Netanyahu for over half
an hour early yesterday afternoon. None of the problems raised by the Hebron residents were resolved
at the meeting.
When
asked about the continued renovations in the Kasba behind the Avraham
Avinu neighborhood, the Prime
Minister admitted that he knows the buildings are
to be filled with terrorists. But
he said that the buildings belong to the
Arabs, and "they can populate
them with whoever they want."
When
questioned about the Jewish property to be transferred to Arafat and the
PA, Netanyahu claimed that this is
a "pandora's box" that must not be opened.
When
asked about other security issues, Netanyahu told his visitors to 'trust
him.' Asked about the possibility
of terrorist attacks and car bombs on King
David Street (Shuhada), Netanyahu
gestured that he was aware of the problem,
but did not suggest any solution.
January 14, 1997- From
“Moments of Truth” by David Wilder: Tonight not only is
Hebron on the chopping block. Tonight almost all of the land area of
Judea, Samaria and
Gazza is up for grabs. In
addition to abandoning Hebron, Netanyahu has agreed to part with close to
70% of Yesha by September 1, 1998. Netanyahu is
not only beheading
The Jewish Community of
Hebron. He is castrating the Land of Israel… abandonment of
land in Israel is contrary to our very existence. We came back to
Eretz Yisrael to settle the land, to live on the land - not to divide it and hand
it over to our enemies, to terrorists. The direction of the
present `moment of truth' is clearly negative. But eventually,
this will change and the crossroads we are turning down now will
reach a dead-end, and we won't have any choice but to turn around, come
back, and turn the other way. Whatever the cost,
we must know this, and live accordingly.”
January 17, 1997-News from
Hebron: “At ten minutes after six this morning, the last officer left
the Hebron Military Compound and handed the keys to his Arab counterpart.
Leaving the compound, this act completed abandonment of 80% of Hebron to
Arafat. Arab soldiers were deployed throughout the areas evacuated by the
Israeli army.
Thousands of Arabs, many of whom
spent the night outside the compound, began
chanting, "With blood, with
fire, we will liberate palestine."…The initial stone-throwing attacks by
Arabs in Hebron, and the IDF's unwillingness to arrest the perpetrators is far
from encouraging. The distance between throwing rocks, or throwing hand
grenades, or shooting, is very short…Concession to American pressure will only
lead to more and more capitulation. Concession to terrorism will only lead to
further terror. Arafat has proven his ineffectiveness in preventing terror
attacks.”
January 17, 1997-From ‘Rest
in Peace’ by David Wilder: Last night Prime Minister Netanyahu,
speaking at a press conference, told
viewers that "Israel is not withdrawing from
Hebron, rather is resituating in Hebron."
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.
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.”
So,
you ask, what has changed? The words all sound the same – then and today. Most
of what I wrote then I could rewrite today, just changing the date. Ideas that
I thought to develop concerning Sharon I found already written, about
Netanyahu. It's enough to want to make you cry. Except for one small change:
January 20, 1997 –
Letter-Response to questions: There are presently 54 Jewish families in
Hebron. The population is 540 There are over 200 children and over 200 yeshiva
students. At the moment there are no vacancies - we are beginning to build to
make room for more people.
January 20, 2004 – 7 years
later: There are presently 80 Jewish families in Hebron. The population
is over 800. There are over 300 children and over 300 yeshiva students. At the
moment there are no vacancies – we are building to make room for more people.
In the past seven years people have
been killed in Hebron, soldiers and civilians. Rabbi Shlomo Ra’anan, Shalhevet
Pass, Shlomo Shapiro, Gadi and Dina Levy, to name a few. Others were wounded.
Many many escaped only due to Divine miracle. Hebron suffered two years of
constant shooting attacks, perpetrated from the hills Bibi handed to Yassir on
a silver platter. We were badgered by the Israeli left, by the police, by
foreigner observers and interveners.
Yet, Hebron’s population has risen
from 540 to 800. Then there were fifty four families – today 80 families. Then
200 children, today 300 children. Then 200 yeshiva students, today 300 yeshiva
students. Then, no room for new
families, today no room for new families.
In the past seven years we built
new apartment buildings in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood and next to Beit
Hadassah. A new building is going up in Tel Rumeida. The old ‘Arab market’ is
now filled with young Jewish families. Almost no one has left Hebron in the
past three years. And the waiting list of families wanting to live in Hebron still
exists.
Why? Because the Jewish people
believe in Eretz Yisrael – the Jewish people are not willing to abandon their
homeland, their cities, their roots. Four years ago over 500,000 people visited
Hebron annually. Of course, during the years of the “Olso War” those numbers
dropped. However, in 2003, they rose back to over 300,000. People come from all
over the world, Jews and gentiles alike, to see, to feel, to experience Hebron.
Despite the problems, the dangers, the ‘situation.’ According to the schedule sitting on my desk,
this week alone we have some twenty buses of visitors touring Hebron.
My friends, this is the power of Am
Yisrael – this is the power of Eretz Yisrael.
I will conclude as I did on January
15, 1998, in an article “Next year without Oslo:”
I can only but bless all of us
that in a year from now I'll be able to write about how finally all Israel woke
up, putting an official end to the curse called Oslo. We will then began to live again as proud
Jews in our G-d - given Homeland - holding our heads high, doing what we know
is right - in Hebron, Jerusalem, in all
of Eretz Yisrael. Amen
With blessings from Hebron.
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