G-d’s mysterious ways

G-d's mysterious ways

Ever since yesterday's announcement concerning the 'new' bond between Hamas and Fatah, Israeli analysts having been breaking their backs attempting to explain the 'new' situation Israel finds itself in. Bibi is having conniption fits. Bibi to Abu-Mazen: Choose peace with Israel, or Hamas. So read the headlines. FM Lieberman isn't far behind: Hamas will conquer Judea and Samaria. Others, on left side of the political spectrum continue lambasting Netanyahu's policies.

Personally, I believe the agreement is a reason to break out the wine, set up a band, and celebrate. Why? Despite what would seem to be an almost constant disagreement with Shimon Peres, this time he has hit the nail on the head. Latest headlines quote him: "The agreement will prevent creation of a palestinian state."

Yeah!!! Right on!!!

Bibi has good reason to be upset. His Bar Ilan 2 speech, to be recited before a full house of Senators and Congressmen in Washington in a few weeks was just about finished. Concession after concession, abandonment of more land to our enemies, relinquishment of additional security precautions, a 'palestinian state' in temporary borders, perhaps even with a taste of Jerusalem for desert. It was all set. And now – what bombshell can he initiate? Not a one. At least, certainly not in the direction he planned.

First of all, it is mandatory to comprehend the starting point. The conflict between Hamas and Fatah has and did not have anything to do with ideology. Both agree that the state of Israel is an insufferable thorn in the collective throats of the Arabs that must be plucked out of existence at the first opportunity. Abu Mazen certainly hasn't changed his life's philosophy, which he expressed while planning the 1974 Ma'alot massacre and funding the 1972 Olympic terror killings in Germany.  His present peace doctrine can be best summed up with the names Dalal Mughrabi and Wafa Idris, terrorists who killed Israelis and have been recently honored by the PA.

The major conflicts between Abu Mazen and his friends in Gaza were twofold: Ego – who would rule; and semantics – what is permissible to say? Abu Mazen was willing to play the game initiated by his predecessor Yassir, who was taught the rights and wrongs of diplomacy by Ezer Weitzman and our illustrious president, Peres. Hamas preferred to continue shooting rockets at Israel, making no bones about its intentions to delete Israel from the map.

However, their ties are much stronger and deeper than their disagreements. After all, they do have a common goal. A palestinian state in Gaza, Judea and Samaria is only a stepping stone to their main aim of destroying Israel.

What brings them back together? We can look for and perhaps find multiple reasons. But the TRUE inspiration has nothing to do with what they want. Rather, it is, as happens time and time again during the almost 4,000 year old history of our people, Divine intervention, G-d's way of saving us from ourselves.

Bibi already announced his acceptance of a palestinian state. But what can he do now? Every rocket now shot into Israel, at Sderot, Ashkelon or Tel Aviv has not one signature on it, rather two: Ismail Haniyeh and Abu Mazen. Gilad Shalit is now a captive of Hamas-Fatah. Every attempted terror attack initiated from Gaza is rubber-stamped: Fatah-Hamas.

The threat of Hamastan expanding into Judea and Samaria has increased a hundred-fold. The possibility of missile attacks from Yosh into Tel Aviv or Petach Tikvah is no longer an 'extremist's imagination,' as is the risk of attempts to shoot down planes flying into and out of Ben Gurion airport.  These scenarios are being played out at this very moment on the plates of Israeli intelligence analysts, who have been participating in this banquet at least from the signing of the 1994 Oslo accords. Even Shimon, the chief architect of this cataclysm realizes that the end of his imagined paradise is quickly coming to an end.  

Just as G-d hardened Pharaoh's heart, so too, today, He is throwing dust into the eyes of our enemies, blinding them, dulling their senses, and leading them down a dead-end road, leading, not to Israel's destruction, rather to their own obliteration.

This does not mean, under any circumstances, that we will have an easy time of it. Far from it. Dead end roads aren't necessarily short, and they can be quite bumpy. But the chances of another Arab state on our eastern border, created with Israel's blessings, have hit the lowest level they've been at in years. It won't be easy, but we will prevent creation of a palestinian state.

G-d is watching over us. G-d is protecting us, even from ourselves. Thank G-d!