Sunday, June 27, 2004

If not totally justified, at least understood


June 27, 2004

Shalom.
“Stamp Out Islam!” – There, bet that got your attention. If I were to leave it at that, I would more than likely be arrested, indicted, and probably convicted of racism, incitement and other such palatable crimes. But the phrase that begins this commentary is not mine. I’m quoting someone else.
OK, you say to yourselves, he’s only repeating what his next door neighbor screamed, last night, or what one of the kids down the road chants five times daily. Right? Wrong.
I’m not citing either one of them. I’m only quoting a graffiti sign in a rural New Jersey, USA neighborhood. According to a CNN-Associated Press internet report [http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/06/26/beheading.backlash.ap/index.html]: In Lutz, Florida, “Kill the Arabs” was written on the walls of a mosque at the Islamic Community Center, whose windows were smashed. In Union City, New Jersey, liquor and beer bottles were hurled at a mosque. In Ballwin, Missouri a swastika with the word “Die” was painted on the wall of a mosque. Near Houston, Texas, dead fish were dumped at the entrance to a mosque. In Orland Park, near Chicago, community residents opposed a mosque’s building application.
Let’s take a look at some other figures. According to an AFP article, several weeks ago United States F.B.I. director Robert Mueller told a Congressional committee that there have been 532 attacks against Muslims, Sikhs, and Arabs in the US since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Some 200 people have been criminally charged. In the Hutchinson Report dated October, 2001, the author writes, “The see-no-evil approach of many police agencies to hate violence is also glaringly evident in the wildly erratic way that state and federal officials respond to hate violence,” referring to hate crimes against Muslims following the World Trade Center attacks.
The Muslim American Society, in an article called, “Hate Crimes Linger Long After September 11, it is written, “The largest number of complaints came from Maryland, Virginia, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Texas and California; home to some of the largest Muslim communities.
Other articles easily accessible via internet searches quickly reveal deep suspicions about Islam and Arabs throughout the world: Australia, South Korea, and Africa, just to name a few. On Sunday morning a South Korean journalist contacted me, asking permission to film a feature about Hebron’s Jewish community, saying to me, “We too have been hit with terrorism,” relating, of course, to the barbaric beheading of a South Korean citizen by Islamic fanatics only a few days ago.
In other words, there are other places in the world besides Israel where anti-Arab, anti-Islam feelings run high.
What am I getting at?
Over the past few weeks, world media has been flooded with newspaper and internet articles dealing with a photo exhibition, showing in Tel Aviv. In the words of Ha’Aretz newspaper, from June 27, 2004, “During 14 months of service in Hebron, Yehuda Shaul could not bear the moral erosion he saw in himself and his comrades. Now the ultra-Orthodox 21 year-old has organized an exhibit of soldier’s photographs to bring the reality of the territories home.”
The CNN headline cries, “Soldiers’ photo exhibit strikes nerve,” and describes “Captured in the photos is a young Palestinian boy who was blindfolded and handcuffed for eight hours after he was caught throwing stones. Also pictured are Palestinian men left by the side of the road for hours at a time. And displayed on the wall are car keys confiscated from Palestinian drivers caught breaking curfew.”
Prominently mentioned in other articles, are graffiti comments, scrawled on Hebron shops and walls, “Arabs to the gas chambers” and “Arabs are sand niggers.”
Every once in a while a reporter remembers to call us and ask for a reaction.
A point should be made clear. The Hebron community, both the leadership and the residents, neither condone acts that should not be executed, nor words that should not be said or written. However, if examined closely, there is most always a reason behind the actions.
First, concerning alleged wrongdoings by Hebron children. I am frequently asked about graffiti appearing on Hebron shops and walls. Most of the drawings are Jewish stars, and remembrances of Shalhavet and others who have been murdered. So what? If you were a child who lived in a neighborhood where your next door neighbor had been shot, or stabbed, or your best friend’s father or another family member had been killed or wounded in a terrorist attack, what would you do? And how would you react when the terror continued and continued and continued, and the government did literally nothing to stop it. So it was in Hebron, where we were shot at day and night, for two years. Occasionally someone writes expressions that are uncalled for. My friend and colleague, Noam Arnon, was once arrested because he was spray-painting over such graffiti. He was suspected of writing it himself.
On the other hand, we know for a fact that certain provocative graffiti was written by outsiders, native English-speakers, whose goal was not to express their real feelings about Arabs, rather to muddy Hebron’s name. We have gone so far as to bring official complaints to the Israeli police about certain individuals whose identities were known to us. The police, to the best of my knowledge, ignored these complaints. None of the kids in Hebron know what a ‘sand nigger’ is, and I, who grew up in the United States, had never heard the phrase before.
Concerning the charges made by these soldiers against their friends: Such deeds should be considered as almost treasonous. Anyone with knowledge of illegal activities should turn to the proper authorities. To publicly advertise such actions calls the purposes of the photographers into question. Please note that the force behind this exhibit, Yehuda Shaul, says in the Ha’Aretz article, “I was right-wing, even far right…Something inside me started to crack…I discovered [Yeshayahu] Leibowitz and [Aviezer] Ravitzky.”
Leibowitz is considered by many orthodox Jews to be an apostate. Ravitzky is a leader of an Israeli left wing organization.
Concerning the pictures and actions themselves: remember, terrorists look just like everyone else – they have two eyes, two ears, a nose and a mouth. Usually they don’t wear a sign around their necks declaring: I am a terrorist. The soldiers in Hebron, most of who are not yet 21 years old, have a very difficult task: protecting Hebron’s Jews, watching out for their own safety and weeding out terrorists who plan attacks in such places as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
These soldiers also know that some of their comrades are no longer among the living because they were not suspicious enough. They know that 12, 14 and 15 year-old Arabs participate in terror attacks. Only two weeks ago a fourteen year-old was discovered attempting to talk a 12 year old into becoming a suicide bomber. Such a terrible reality sometimes demands drastic measures. And there is a very fine line between permissible drastic measures and unacceptable such actions. I wonder, for instance, what the people in Lutz, Florida, would say about Yehuda Shaul and his friends.
One other point of interest. I have, in my possession, a framed certificate of gratitude from Yehuda Shaul’s company which says, “To Anat Cohen and her family, we thank you for making our stay in Hebron more pleasurable, and we wish continuing living in Hebron, with delight and security.”
I have no doubt that the photo exhibition in Tel Aviv is nothing more that a left-wing ploy, aimed at convincing the general public that Israel has no place in Yesha. The soldiers who put it together don’t care about morals or ethics. If they did, they would not have publicly betrayed their friends in uniform. They are politicizing their army service, in order to further their own political beliefs. There is no excuse for such a betrayal.
Not to be misunderstood. There are acts which are not totally justifiable. However, most of them, under the circumstances, can and should, be understood.
With blessings from Hebron.

Sunday, June 20, 2004

We Will Not Be Sheep Led to Slaughter



Any time the word violence pops up, especially in the context of ‘right wing’ activists, ‘condemnation’ is an automatic byproduct. So it was late last week when Uri Elitzur, editor of the Israeli monthly magazine Nikuda, legitimized limited violence against anyone attempting to expel people from their homes in Yesha.
In an interview printed in Arutz 7’s weekly newspaper, B’Sheva, Elitzur said, “Uprooting a community is illegal and shocking, and therefore it is justified [for a soldier] to refuse orders to do so, and [for a resident to use] violence and any other means by which to defend his home from which he is being expelled for political reasons. I recommend refusing orders, since they are illegal; whoever fulfills these orders will be brought to trial... In my opinion, any use of force, except for live weapons, is legitimate in such a case. After the fact, even someone who injures those who come to expel him - I would accept his behavior with understanding.”
Elitzur is not your run-of-the-mill militant. He was Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff for almost a year and a half, in essence, supporting Netanyahu following his abandonment of Hebron and during the Wye fiasco. He was, at that time, branded ‘traitor’ and other such pleasant invectives.
Following such explosive remarks, it comes as no surprise that the Israeli left demands Elitzur’s arrest, indictment and conviction for ‘inciting violence.’ President Moshe Katzav, a one-time rightist himself, also found it proper to condemn Elitzur’s comments. That too is no great shock. However, that fact that Yesha Council chairman Bentzi Lieberman also jumped on the bandwagon is a bit disconcerting, to say the least. Lieberman rejected appeals to soldiers to refuse obeying orders in the case of community expulsions and reiterated opposition to ‘any form of violence, physical or verbal, against soldiers’ evicting families from their homes.
Many people, in Israel and around the world, mistakenly believe that the Yesha Council ‘represents’ everyone in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. They do not! The Yesha Council is composed of mayors and heads of councils of Yesha communities. These people are elected by their respective constituent communities to provide services rendered by a town council or municipality. Such services include education, sanitation, limited security needs, road safety, and the like. They are not elected to represent political ideologies of their constituents, not individually, and certainly not as a whole. These people are dependent upon governmental funding to keep their communities fiscally alive. They need to cooperate with the offices of the various ministries, such as education, heath, welfare, etc. in order to received monies vital to their community’s wellbeing. Following the dismantling of the ministry of religious affairs, the person responsible for such services is none other than… the Prime Minister himself.
In other words, if these people, as good as they are, as sincere as they are, as idealistic as they are, too vehemently oppose government policies, they are effectively cutting off the branches on which they perch.
So it comes as no surprise that Bentzi Lieberman, mayor of the Shomron Regional Council, opposes ‘any violence’ and repudiates demands for soldiers to refuse to obey orders. Were he to agree to these ideas, even tacitly, he would ‘lose face’ with those ‘important people’ necessary to budget his constituent’s needs and even meet with him and his friends on a fairly regular basis, such as the defense minister and the prime minister himself.
It should also be noted that many of these council heads have long-established personal relationships with Israel’s top brass. For instance, a well-known, influential Yesha leader, known to be very close to Ariel Sharon, invited Sharon’s son Omri to join him this year at his Purim table. How could a top-ranking Yesha leader, who is supposed to be in the forefront of the battle to stop Ariel Sharon’s madness, drink wine and make merry with one of the people thought to be most responsible for Sharon’s betrayal of Eretz Yisrael?
In other words, the Yesha Council does not, under any circumstances, represent Yesha’s citizens. They were not elected to do so, and their statements do not necessarily characterize Yesha community resident’s opinions.
That must be understood.
Getting to the heart of the matter, none of us favor violence. None of us believe in randomly striking anyone, shooting anyone, etc. Such behavior is illegal, immoral and unethical. However, it is just as illegal, immoral and unethical to evict people from their homes and from their land. It is even more illegal, immoral and unethical to not only abandon that land, but to ‘transfer’ it to blood-sworn enemies, who have vowed to continue killing Jews until ‘the occupation is ended.’ ‘Occupation,’ in their lexicon, meaning not only Hebron and Beit El, but also Tel Aviv and Haifa.
It is also illegal, immoral and unethical for an elected leader to totally and unequivocally reverse essential positions which formed the basis of his election. It is also illegal, immoral and unethical for a leader to ignore and overlook a ‘binding referendum,’ which clearly rejected his stated, reversed policy.
However, it is legal, moral and ethical to defend one’s self, one’s family, one’s property, one's land. Anyone arriving to expel men, women and children from their homes must be willing to accept the consequences of their actions. People will not sit quietly by, as sheep being led to slaughter.
According to latest reports, Sharon and his team of gangsters are again bypassing supposedly ‘accepted decisions.’ It is now reported that the attempted forced expulsion from Gush Katif will be concluded by the end of 2004, and not in September, 2005 as first expected. Sharon is getting worried that the right, in conjunction with own Likud party, will find a way to prevent the catastrophe, so he’s planning on finishing it fast, before we can get too organized. Sharon is playing dirty, against the rules, while forcing us to ‘keep our hands clean.’
I repeat (if I don’t, I also will find myself in jail), nobody likes violence. Nobody wants violence. Especially against our own brethren. But it’s time to wake up. The reality is, if Sharon insists on trying to implement his ‘Jewish transfer’ from our homes and land, it’s going to happen. Like it or not. And afterwards, when the Committee of Inquiry sits in judgment, ready to point its finger at the ‘guilty party,’ let it be known now, well in advance, where the responsibility lies - just past the door to that office, in that big chair behind the big desk, directly with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
With blessings from Hebron.

Time to wake up


Time to wake up
June 20, 2004

Any time the word violence pops up, especially in the context of ‘right wing’ activists, ‘condemnation’ is an automatic byproduct. So it was late last week when Uri Elitzur, editor of the Israeli monthly magazine Nikuda, legitimized limited violence against anyone attempting to expel people from their homes in Yesha.

In an interview printed in Arutz 7’s weekly newspaper, B’Sheva, Elitzur said, “Uprooting a community is illegal and shocking, and therefore it is justified [for a soldier] to refuse orders to do so, and [for a resident to use] violence and any other means by which to defend his home from which he is being expelled for political reasons. I recommend refusing orders, since they are illegal; whoever fulfills these orders will be brought to trial... In my opinion, any use of force, except for live weapons, is legitimate in such a case. After the fact, even someone who injures those who come to expel him - I would accept his behavior with understanding.”

Elitzur is not your run-of-the-mill militant. He was Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff for almost a year and a half, in essence, supporting Netanyahu following his abandonment of Hebron and during the Wye fiasco. He was, at that time, branded ‘traitor’ and other such pleasant invectives.

Following such explosive remarks, it comes as no surprise that the Israeli left demands Elitzur’s arrest, indictment and conviction for ‘inciting violence.’ President Moshe Katzav, a one-time rightist himself, also found it proper to condemn Elitzur’s  comments. That too is no great shock. However, that fact that Yesha Council chairman Bentzi Lieberman also jumped on the bandwagon is a bit disconcerting, to say the least. Lieberman rejected appeals to soldiers to refuse obeying orders in the case of community expulsions and reiterated opposition to ‘any form of violence, physical or verbal, against soldiers’ evicting families from their homes.

Many people, in Israel and around the world, mistakenly believe that the Yesha Council ‘represents’ everyone in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. They do not! The Yesha Council is composed of mayors and heads of councils of Yesha communities. These people are elected by their respective constituent communities to provide services rendered by a town council or municipality. Such services include education, sanitation, limited security needs, road safety, and the like. They are not elected to represent political ideologies of their constituents, not individually, and certainly not as a whole. These people are dependent upon governmental funding to keep their communities fiscally alive. They need to cooperate with the offices of the various ministries, such as education, heath, welfare, etc. in order to received monies vital to their community’s wellbeing. Following the dismantling of the ministry of religious affairs, the person responsible for such services is none other than… the Prime Minister himself.

In other words, if these people, as good as they are, as sincere as they are, as idealistic as they are, too vehemently oppose government policies, they are effectively cutting off the branches on which they perch.

So it comes as no surprise that Bentzi Lieberman, mayor of the Shomron Regional Council, opposes ‘any violence’ and repudiates demands for soldiers to refuse to obey orders. Were he to agree to these ideas, even tacitly, he would ‘lose face’ with those ‘important people’ necessary to budget his constituent’s needs and even meet with him and his friends on a fairly regular basis, such as the defense minister and the prime minister himself.

It should also be noted that many of these council heads have long-established personal relationships with Israel’s top brass. For instance, an extremely well-known and influential Yesha leader, known to be very close to Ariel Sharon, invited Sharon’s son Omri to join him this year at his Purim table. How could a top-ranking Yesha leader, who is supposed to be in the forefront of the battle to stop Ariel Sharon’s madness, drink wine and make merry with one of the people thought to be most responsible for Sharon’s betrayal of Eretz Yisrael?

In other words, the Yesha Council does not, under any circumstances, represent Yesha’s citizens. They were not elected to do so, and their statements do not necessarily characterize Yesha community resident’s opinions.

That must be understood.

Getting to the heart of the matter, none of us favor violence. None of us believe in randomly striking anyone, shooting anyone, etc. Such behavior is illegal, immoral and unethical. However, it is just as illegal, immoral and unethical to evict people from their homes and from their land. It is even more illegal, immoral and unethical to not only abandon that land, but to ‘transfer’ it to blood-sworn enemies, who have vowed to continue killing Jews until ‘the occupation is ended.’ ‘Occupation,’ in their lexicon, meaning not only Hebron and Beit El, but also Tel Aviv and Haifa.

It is also illegal, immoral and unethical for an elected leader to totally and unequivocally reverse essential positions which formed the basis of his election. It is also illegal, immoral and unethical for a leader to ignore and overlook a ‘binding referendum,’ which clearly rejected his stated, reversed policy.

However, it is legal, moral and ethical to defend one’s self, one’s family, and one’s property. Anyone arriving to expel men, women and children from their homes must be willing to accept the consequences of their actions.

According to latest reports, Sharon and his team of gangsters are again bypassing supposedly ‘accepted decisions.’ It is now reported that the attempted forced expulsion from Gush Katif will be concluded by the end of 2004, and not in September, 2005 as first expected. Sharon is getting worried that the right, in conjunction with own Likud party, will find a way to prevent the catastrophe, so he’s planning on finishing it fast, before we can get organized. Sharon is playing dirty, against the rules, while forcing us to ‘keep our hands clean.’

I repeat (if I don’t, I too will find myself in jail), nobody likes violence. Nobody wants violence. Especially against our own brethren. But it’s time to wake up. The reality is, if Sharon insists on trying to implement his ‘Jewish transfer’ from our homes and land, it’s going to happen. Like it or not. And afterwards, when the Committee of Inquiry sits in judgment, ready to point its finger at the ‘guilty party,’ let it be known now, well in advance, where the responsibility lies -  just past the door to that office, in that big chair behind the big desk, directly with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.



Thursday, June 10, 2004

The Saddamization of Israel



Well, Noam’s back home. Finally, at last, after almost nine months of lockup, originally in the same wing with Shech Obaid and Mustepha Dirani. After a prolonged hunger strike that has left him underweight. After legal battles which climaxed when the State dropped all charges against him in the “Bat Ayin” case. Noam was suspected and indicted for masterminding a “Jewish terrorist gang,” accusations backed up by zilch evidence, as proven by the fact that the indictment was voided.
Municipal court judge David Heshin had little choice but to release Federman following a Supreme Court ruling paving the way for Noam’s release. Yet the Shabak – the “Jewish section” of the Israeli intelligence organization, is still not convinced. Judge Heshin annulled the 2nd six month administrative detention order which was to have kept Noam in prison until, at least Rosh HaShana – over three months from now. However, as Noam walked out the Ashkelon penitentiary early this morning, he was handed another administrative order, this too signed by Central Command General Moshe Kaplinsky, with the blessings of Defense Minister Shaul Mufaz. This time Noam won’t have to serve his time behind bars – at least he’s home. But free he’s not. He must now comply with the rules and regulations of his freshly bestowed administrative house arrest orders. He is restricted to the four walls of his apartment, in the Avraham Avinu Neighborhood in Hebron. He may leave to pray, once a day, every morning, at Ma’arat HaMachpela, with a police escort. He is also being allowed a one-week vacation in northern Israel, with daily visits to the nearest police station in the area.
Not good. One administrative order replacing another. But, at least he’s home, with his wife, family and friends. The simcha – the joy at his homecoming earlier today in Hebron, was tangible. Everyone joined in welcoming Noam back home, including singing, dancing, and, or course, media interviews. The reporters were ready and waiting, with microphones bared like swords, or perhaps better described as fish hooks, waiting to see what they might catch.
Nine months of incarceration have not dulled Noam Federman’s tongue or senses. In a radio interview he granted last night, he said, “prison hasn’t broken me. Not a day passed by when I stopped smiling.” This morning Federman expressed himself clearly. “My release isn’t the end of our struggle. There are others still in jail who we want to see back home, here in Hebron.” He was referring to Itzik Pass, father of slain infant Shalhevet, and his brother-in-law Matti Shvu, who were convicted of illegally acquiring and possessing explosives – 8 ‘explosive bricks,’ discovered in their car. They are presently serving a two year jail sentence in the Ramla prison.
Federman verbally attacked Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, calling him a dictator and comparing him to Saddam Hussein, saying that Sharon’s place, like Saddam’s is behind bars. He vowed to continue fighting the planned expulsion of Jews from Gaza. When asked whether he didn’t fear being returned to his now-empty jail cell, Federman laughed, saying, “jail doesn’t scare me – you see me here today, after being in jail, if they put me back then again, they will have to release me. I will not stop the struggle to keep Eretz Yisrael in our hands.”
Noam Federman is described by almost all media outlets as a ‘leader of the extreme Jewish right.’ In the past he was a compatriot of murdered Rabbi Meir Kahane, and spokesman of the now-outlawed Kach movement. Many times his views and expressions are minimized, as his, and his alone. I can agree with the first half of that statement, but not the second. Because today, Noam’s views are not his alone. The foundation of his opinion rests upon the pillars of Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael – the people, land and Torah of Israel. There may be disagreements concerning the “how,” how to accomplish our mission and reach our goal. But today, there are tens and hundreds of thousands of Israelis who too, must be maligned as belonging to the ‘extreme right,” because we are all worried about the same thing – and we really do have what to be worried about.
Let’s play true and false:
The Israeli cabinet didn’t really decide to uproot communities and expel their residents.
The expulsion will not begin until a second vote is taken, in another nine months.
What do you say? If you answer true, you’re mistaken, on both counts. This morning our beloved media reported, (truthfully it seems), that negotiators have already begun speaking with Gush Katif residents, promising them substantial compensation if they leave their homes of their own free will. According to reports prepared by the Israeli version of the National Security Council, the first exorcizing will commence, not next March, rather in two months, in August. At that time families will be able to ‘voluntarily’ leave Gush Katif, with promises of a big bank account, at some time in the future.
According Arutz 7, the 2nd stage of expulsion will continue from November 2004 thru July 2005. All the suckers convinced to abandon their houses and land ‘of their own free will’ will get paid on the spot. That’s what’s called instant gratification.
The final stage, when Jews are to be literally dragged from their homes, is due to start in September, 2005. Already by the middle of August all Gush Katif will be declared off-limits to anyone and everyone not living there. By the end of September Gush Katif is scheduled to be Judenrein. G-d forbid.
To reiterate, because I’ve said it before, and so have many others, wiser than me, we must realize, this is only the beginning. Many other communities throughout Judea and Samaria are on the chopping block. Gush Katif is only the appetizer. Earlier this week it was revealed that former Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert, once THE champion of a united Jerusalem (now Sharon’s trumpet), announced intentions to transfer a number of ‘Arab cities’ in east Jerusalem to the PA. It’s really so simple: you begin with Kfar Darom and finish with Jerusalem. It’s a straightforward equation.
Ariel Sharon and his gang have plans, that if implemented, will result in a cataclysm impossible to conjure up, even in our wildest nightmares. Others, like Noam Federman, fearless, facing up to truth and acting accordingly, are needed, to try and stop this madness. I think that all the latter know the rules, are aware of the ‘red lines.’ The problem is that the former know no ‘red lines’ – everything is permissible. This week the Israeli press gave notification that snipers, with ‘live ammunition’ were stationed at the expulsion and destruction of Mitzpe Yitzhar. Their targets were not Arabs. Such snipers, we are promised, will continue to be activated at future evictions. Add that on to administrative detention, and other Sharon-planned goodies, and we really do begin to look like a watered-down version of Saddam’s kingdom.
With blessings from Hebron.

Wednesday, June 2, 2004

Duping Forbidden Here


June 2, 2004


Shalom.
Today there are two issues filling our agenda.
First of all, an update dealing with the only Jewish administrative detainee in Israel, Noam Federman. As you may recall, a few weeks ago the Israeli prosecutor’s office dropped all charges against Noam, dealing with the so-called “Bat Ayin terrorist gang.” It was almost two years ago that Noam was arrested, placed under house arrest, and later under administrative detention, suspected of masterminding a “massive terrorist plot” against the Arabs. Three men were convicted. Many others, arrested, were released without charges being filed. Yet others were tried and acquitted. Now, less than a month ago, the prosecution announced that they had no evidence incriminating Noam and that the indictment against him was dropped. However, in answer to the judge’s inquiry, “Now he can go home?” the prosecutor exclaimed, “Of course not, he’s an administrative detainee.”

Several days later the case again reached the Israeli Supreme Court. Justice Ayala Prokatchia, not known to be a “full-blooded extremist settler,” or even a close friend of theirs, asked the State why Noam Federman was still incarcerated, following the “Bat Ayin” acquittal. The State’s reply, based upon ‘secret intelligence information’ was not enough. The judge ordered the case back to the Jerusalem Municipal Court, demanding that the State show cause why Federman hasn’t yet been released.
That court hearing has been continuing now for several days, partly behind closed doors. Municipal court judge Heshin has already hinted that the State has no case, and following on Justice Prokatchia’s ruling, should be released. Noam Federman has, himself, testified for hours, explaining why he should be freed. Again, the “Jewish unit” of the Shabak, the Israeli intelligence organization, testified behind closed doors, presenting hush-hush data, supposedly incriminating Noam. Of course, these facts are so secret that not even Noam nor his attorney can be in attendance while they are presented to the judge. They are also not substantial enough to be the basis of a new indictment. But, so what – why should that make any difference?
However, according to Noam’s wife Elisheva, there is, for the first time in over eight months, a reason for subdued optimism. Noam might just be coming home in the near future. The extended hearing, which has now stretched over three days, is expected to conclude today, following Noam’s final testimony. The judge has announced that a decision will be rendered on Friday afternoon at three o’clock. Just in time for Noam Federman to spend his first Shabbat at home in Hebron, with his family and friends, for the first time in eight months. Let’s hope and pray.
Earlier today Ariel Sharon testified at the Knesset Committee for Foreign Affairs and Security. He pulled a few new rabbits out of his bottomless hat. First, he promised that his revised ‘disengagement plan’ would receive a cabinet majority at the next government meeting on Sunday. He dismissed any compromise, which would include annihilation of ‘only a few communities’ in Gaza. Rather, he proclaimed that ‘no more settlers will live in Gaza by the end of 2005.’ Ditto four communities in the northern Shomron. However, if that’s not enough, Sharon is planning to allow Egyptian security forces to assist Muhammad Dahlan’s attempts to prevent further terror in Gaza AND, (now get this), he’s involving JORDANIAN security forces, as some kind of a security force in the Shomron.
The Jordanians? Where did they come from? Who asked for them? Totally absurd.
Following Sharon’s appearance, MK Shaul Yahalom (NRP) declared, “Sharon’s mad, he feel on his head.” But much more importantly, MK Yechiel Hazan of the Likud responded by saying that if Sharon continues this way, he will no longer be Prime Minister by the end of 2005. “He will have to disengage himself from his chair.” Someone else was quoted as saying, “Sharon’s grandchildren will live in Netzarim.” Knesset speaker Rubi Rivlin said, “When I heard Sharon my heart skipped a beat.”
There are all sorts of rumors predicting Sharon’s next moves. Some say he’ll fire some of his ministers in order to ensure a majority. Others explain that he won’t fire anyone, rather he’ll just add two more ministers to the government, a process some of you might recall as ‘court-packing,’ but in this case, ‘cabinet-packing.’ The latest gem is a plan to pass a new law dissolving the Knesset and bringing about new elections.
The latter because: should Sharon resign, any other Likud Knesset member with 61 Knesset supporters would become Prime Minister. Netanyahu has the 61 votes. And even if Sharon were to create a cabinet victory, it is almost certain that the program would not receive the necessary majority in the Knesset. That, because well over half of the Likud’s 40 MKs reject Sharon’s plans to eradicate the Jewish communities in Gaza and in the northern Shomron. All of them, together with the religious parties, the NRP and that National Union, ensure Sharon’s failure.
We are facing an all-out war: Sharon, and ironically enough, the Israeli left, against Eretz Yisrael. They will stop at nothing – I repeat – N O T H I N G – to achieve success. Just a few days ago a group of reserve soldiers released a letter opposing continued Jewish presence in Netzarim in Gaza. They smeared the righteous, courageous people living there, attempting to prove why they must be evicted from their homes. The letter received major media coverage. Only later was it discovered that the letter was instigated by an aid to former MK Avrum Burg, one of the initiators of the Geneva Accords. It was then reported that the letter caused a major squabble within that particular IDF unit, being that many of its members vehemently disagree with their comrades, who were, it seems, very much a minority.
I have no doubt that Sharon has some more tricks up his sleeve. But there are some things that cannot be fantasized and there are those who cannot be duped. The great fairy tale that Eretz Yisrael must be chopped up and divided amongst our enemies is just that, a fairy tale, having nothing to do with reality. And Am Yisrael, as we saw a few short weeks ago, when 200,000 people rejected Sharon’s ‘disengagement’ from Gaza, will no longer be hoodwinked. Oslo was enough. The lesson has been learned. All of us, in Hebron, Kfar Darom, Shilo and Beit El, Homesh and Kedumim, we are here to stay. And don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
With blessings from Hebron.