August 2002
August 1, 2002 Does Israel Know How to Act in its Own Best Interest?
August 15, 2002 Ruth Matar's Radio Show of August 14, 2002
August 19, 2002 No to the Evil and Suicidal "Gaza First' Plan
August 22, 2002 Is the Sharon Government in Fact Traveling Down the Oslo Path?
August 28, 2002 Is There Any Difference between Israeli and Palestinian Arabs?
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, August 1, 2002
Does Israel Know How to Act in its Own Best Interest?
Ruth Matar Radio Program, July 31, 2002
Arutz Sheva, IsraelNationalNews.com
This topic, and the discussion thereof, is very painful for me--it is like
"washing dirty linen in public". But it needs to be said: the way our
so-called "unity government" is constituted today, with various ministers
and government departments doing their own thing, means that Israel's
message to the world is a confused one, not in Israel's best interest, and
not representing the opinions and feelings of the majority of the Israeli
People.
The landslide victory of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in February 2001 was a
resounding defeat for the Labor Party and its policies, primarily the
disastrous Oslo Accords. Nonetheless, to the disappointment of the majority
of the voters who brought Sharon to power, Sharon felt that it was
politically expedient to form a "government of unity", with the most
powerful positions given to the defeated Labor Party. The real power rests
with the troika of Sharon as Prime Minister and Labor stalwarts, Ben
Eliezer as Defense Minister and Shimon Peres as Foreign Minister.
I'm going to discuss two glaring examples of how Israel has failed to act
in its own interest.
Israel's government speaks with diverse voices. Jockeying for position is
habitual behavior among government officials, and disloyalty to the best
interests of Israel is common practice.
Lack-luster, tongue-tied party hacks are given the most important
ambassadorships, and Israel's policies, even when clearly justified, are
apologized for. (Possibly, this is to make them look good in the world's eyes?)
Suffice to say that the disloyalty of some Israeli officials has been, and
continues to be, very detrimental for Israel.
We are going to discuss two examples:
1.) Foreign Minister Shimon Peres insists that his protégé, Dalia
Itzik, become the Ambassador to England, in complete disregard of the
national interest.
2.) Peres calls the elimination of chief terrorist Salah Shehadeh "a
hundred percent mistake", and voices doubts whether the Prime Minister of
Israel "can be a partner for peace". And this is the very Shimon Peres who
is the architect of Oslo and the father of the Oslo War!
Our guest tonight is Isi Leibler, Senior Vice President of the World Jewish
Congress. Mr. Leibler is a commentator on Israeli affairs; his articles
appear frequently on the op-ed page of the Jerusalem Post.
(You can access the complete interview with Mr. Isi Liebler on
IsraelNationalNews.com archives.)
What is the reaction of the United Nations to Israel attempting to defend
its citizens against terrorism, by eliminating chief terrorist Salah Shehadeh?
Earlier this year when Israeli Defense Force troops entered the
Palestinian-controlled areas during Operation Defensive Shield, UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan publicly berated the Jewish State for having
the audacity to defend itself, saying, "The whole world is demanding that
Israel withdraw…. I don't think the whole world can be wrong." Kofi Annan's
special Middle East envoy Terry Larsen went even further than his boss,
arrogantly asserting, "Israel has lost all moral ground in this conflict".
Within days of the IDF's killing of Shehadeh in Gaza, the diplomats were
hard at work, holding meetings, convening sessions, and drafting documents,
figuring out the best way to condemn Israel. No such enthusiasm has been
shown when Palestinians carry out attacks in the heart of Israel or
massacre innocent men, women and children. In fact, the Security Council
has never discussed Palestinian suicide bombing attacks, despite their high
death toll.
Of course, the states of the European Union all outdid each other in
condemning Israel.
I had expected this reaction from the United Nations and the European
Union, and of course from all the Arab states. However, what disappointed
me greatly was that Israel's one and only friend, the United States, let
itself be pressured into criticizing Israel. White House Press Secretary
Ari Fleischer said as follows: "Israel needs to be mindful of the
consequences of its actions in order to preserve the path to peace in the
Middle East. The President views this as a heavy-handed action that is not
consistent with dedication to peace in the Middle East." When a journalist
challenged Fleischer to differentiate between Israel's bombing of the Gaza
home of Shehadeh and the American bombings in Afghani cities, the press
secretary replied, "It is inaccurate to compare the two. And the crucial
difference here being that in this instance, in Gaza, this was a deliberate
attack against a building in which civilians were known to be located.
What's always important is in pursuit of the military objectives, as the
United States does in Afghanistan, to always exercise every restraint to
minimize those losses of life. But in this case, what happened in Gaza was
a knowing attack against a building in which innocents were found."
There is a great deal of hypocrisy in this statement by White House
Secretary Ari Fleischer, in light of the wartime behavior of the United
States itself. Yoram Ettinger, Israel's former liaison to the United States
Congress, pointed out that "in 1989, the US invaded Panama City in order to
extract (the ruling strongman Manuel) Noriega, using jets and helicopters.
Six hundred civilians were killed in that raid, according to American
estimates, and thousands were wounded. Then US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff, whose name was Colin Powell, said at the time that the
appropriate amount of force was used ‘ and we have no need to apologize.'
The Attorney General at the time, Dick Thornburg, said that the US was
operating according to the UN's clause 51 allowing self-defense. In 1993,
in response to the killing and mutilation of fifteen US soldiers, the US
Air Force bombed Somalia, turning an entire area basically into a parking
lot, killing over one thousand citizens. Again the US said that it was
self-defense."
Statements by US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in reply to critics
citing the numbers of civilians killed in the American assault on the
Taliban in Afghanistan: "This is a war that has been forced upon us by
terrorists. We are making great efforts not to hurt civilians, but if
civilians are hurt, the entire responsibility for such is upon the
terrorists who use them as cover," said Rumsfeld.
Is this a double standard, or is this a double standard?
Dear Friends: You can really help Israel if you use your People Power. It
is important that you make President George W. Bush aware of how you feel
with regard to the double standard expressed by White House Secretary Ari
Fleischer.
The fax number of President Bush is 202 456 2461.
His email is (all lower case) president@whitehouse.gov
Also write your senators and representatives to object to this double standard.
Trust me. Thank G-d, the United States is a democracy, and your voices will
be heard.
Top of Page |
End of Page |
What We Say Index Page |
To Home Page
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, August 15, 2002
Is P.M. Sharon Wise to Permit His Foreign Ministry to Promote
Policies the Israeli Electorate Rejected?
Ruth Matar's Radio Show of August 14, 2002
One of the saddest aspects of the Sharon regime is having people going all
the over the world in the name of our Foreign Office such as Deputy Foreign
Minister Michael Melchior and his boss, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shimon
Peres.
Does the Foreign Ministry of Israel, which is currently in the hands of the
Labor Party, represent the views of the People of Israel at the present
time? In no way, form or fashion! After all, the Labor Party suffered an
overwhelming defeat in the February 2001, election when Ariel Sharon was
voted Prime Minister by a landslide.
So how come that Shimon Peres and his sidekick Melchior control such an
important ministry, which is so powerful in influencing the perception of
Israel abroad and generally shaping public opinion with regard to Israel's
policies?
That is why our topic tonight is as follows:
IS PRIME MINISTER SHARON WISE TO PERMIT HIS FOREIGN MINISTRY TO PROMOTE
POLICIES THAT THE ISRAELI ELECTORATE REJECTED IN THE LAST ELECTION?
Unfortunately, Mr. Sharon felt that it was essential to form a unity
government, and that it was necessary for him to share powers with the
defeated Labor Party. In addition, he gave the Labor Party the most
strategic power base, such as Shimon Peres for Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Ben Eliezer for Defense Minister. Many political analysts feel that
Sharon did so to prevent the stalwarts of the Labor Party from going abroad
and criticizing any coalition formed without them.
The very people who brought us the Oslo Accords are now using their
governmental positions to perpetuate these disastrous Accords. We read in
the newspapers about soldiers who have been indicted for selling guns to
the Arabs. However, Shimon Peres, one of the very architects of Oslo, gave
the Arabs guns for free. He still has not been indicted.
Sharon was elected by a great majority of Israelis who felt that he was the
one who could bring security to Israel. Has Ariel Sharon fulfilled his most
important campaign promise to the Israeli People, to provide real security,
if elected? Unfortunately, he has been a dismal failure in this regard. Mr.
Sharon is in an impossible situation. He is walking a self-made tightrope
without a net. On one hand, he continually tries to appease the Labor Party
to prevent them from leaving the coalition, even though they use their
positions to further their own agenda. On the other hand, he is constantly
pressured by the United States to show "restraint" in retaliating against
Arab terror attacks. Most importantly, the Israeli People are starting to
feel that the situation has become intolerable under Sharon's unity
government, and that there is no solution in sight.
Here are some shocking figures: During the first seven years after the
signing of the Oslo Accords, that is between September 1993 and September
2000, 303 Israelis were murdered. In the two years since September 2000 to
the present time, 609 Israelis have been murdered. That means that in only
two years the Arabs committed double the amount of murders as they
committed during the first seven years. This tremendous increase of Arab
terrorism in the last two years has had a great impact on Israeli society.
A public opinion poll conducted by the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies
was published a week ago.
Here are some of the findings:
· Israelis were worried to an unprecedented degree, both about their
personal security and about the state of Israel's national security, with
92% of respondents expressing fear that they or a member of their family
would fall victim to a terrorist attack.
· Because of the situation, Israelis showed a shift to less
conciliatory positions on almost all issues. A total of 27% expressed
support for suspending the peace process, even if this leads to war.
· Only 37% support the principle of land for peace.
· 45% believe the Israeli-Arab dispute can and should be resolved
militarily as any other nation would.
· 57% oppose the renewal of talks with PA Chairman Yasser Arafat and
back his expulsion.
· A shocking 46% support the idea of a "transfer" of Palestinians.
In analyzing this public opinion survey, it seems that the voice of the
majority in Israel has precious little influence on the present Israeli
government. Did the majority of Israeli voters make a mistake in thinking
that Ariel Sharon would save them from the nightmare of Oslo? Could the
People of Israel have envisioned that Sharon would turn over the major part
of governmental powers to the very people who they voted against so decisively?
Could the Israeli voters have envisioned that Shimon Peres would have free
rein to roam around the world as Israel's Foreign Minister to malign Israel
and selling his Oslo pipe dream? The Shimon Peres who never once in his
political career has won a popular election?
Could the Israeli voters have envisioned that Ariel Sharon would allow the
Deputy Foreign Minister, Michael Melchior, who is also a frequent flyer, to
go around the world selling the "land for peace" idea? This idea, of
course, is the very cornerstone of the Oslo agreement. It doesn't bother
Melchior one bit that only 37% of the Israeli People believe that this idea
has any merit whatsoever. (By the way, "Rabbi" Melchior, has also never won
an election, but is used by the Labor Party as a religious fig leaf.)
Our guests tonight are Diane Benjamin, who is a resident of Dallas, Texas,
and David Bedein, who is the Bureau Chief of Israel Resource News Agency in
Jerusalem.
These interviews can be accessed at:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/metafiles/asx/wig.asx
To sum up our discussion, I would like to quote Herbert Zweibon, who is
Chairman of Americans For a Safe Israel:
"It is a scandal that the Labor government should participate in the
governing coalition. It is unconscionable that the Foreign Minister of
Israel is Shimon Peres, the architect of Oslo, who even in the Sharon
government has played by no rules but his own whims, routinely ignoring
cabinet decisions. On June 27th, days after President Bush's speech
demanding a post-Arafat Palestinian Authority, Peres declared he was still
prepared to do business with Arafat. There should be a thorough
investigation--the kind Enron and Worldcom will be undergoing--of the
secret (possibly illegal) negotiations and underhanded methods through
which Oslo was rammed through cabinet and Knesset. In short, the Labor
Party, and Peres most especially, should be held accountable for the
carnage that has been inflicted on the people of Israel.
For Sharon, the unity government has become an end in itself. But apart
from the fact that this government has no real unity of purpose, its Labor
ministers "doing their own thing" with impunity, a unity government, at
this time in Israel's history, makes a farce of the all-important principle
of accountability. The message is that a party, through a mixture of folly
and lethal arrogance, can bring the country to the brink of destruction,
the public can repudiate that party decisively at the polls--and nothing
happens. The scoundrels continue to run the country as if nothing untoward
had happened."
We pray that Ariel Sharon will realize his mistake in going against the
will of the Israeli People by forming a so-called unity government with the
very people who have brought the nation of Israel to the brink of
destruction. We pray that the old Ariel Sharon, who we thought to be a real
Lion of Judah, will fulfill the hopes that we had in him when we chose him
as Prime Minister in the February 2001 elections.
Top of Page |
End of Page |
What We Say Index Page |
To Home Page
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, August 19, 2002
Urgent call to action-
NO to the Evil and Suicidal "GAZA FIRST" Plan !!!
Lately the Israeli media has been quoting commentators who said that Iraq
is Israel's biggest threat and enemy.
I would like to contest that.
It is not Iraq nor Iran nor the PA that constitute a grave threat to
Israel, but it is rather the Israeli Left acting from within and outside of
the Israeli government.
At a time when the IDF finally is acting in Judea and Samaria within the
cities occupied by the Palestinian Authority- and our Arab enemy finally
shows signs of weakness and fatigue,
to the point where we could easily- within a few weeks- completely destroy
their terrorist infrastructure- Defense Minister Ben Eliezer and Oslo
criminal FM Shimon Peres once again run to the enemy's rescue and come up
with a new devilish plan to save the terrorist Palestinian Authority: "The
Gaza and Bethlehem First Plan".
According to this plan the IDF will withdraw from around Gaza and from
Bethlehem; leaving the murderous PA in charge of "security"!!
No- this is not a joke. The joke is on us!
One of the new PA "stars" is the mass murderer Muhammad Dahlan- we were all
shocked to see how high ranking Israelis met with him; we all remember that
he is responsible for the massacre of many Jews.
This devilish "Gaza First" plan is simply a new version of the disastrous
Oslo agreements; agreements that have cost the lives of hundreds of Jews
and tens of thousands of wounded.
This plan will give a free hand to the PA and all other terror
organizations to rehabilitate themselves and thus will enable them to plan
new and more sophisticated terror attacks against Israel.
As usual, we are not surprised that the Israeli Left has initiated such a
plan. The Oslo criminals who have given guns to the Arab enemy - knowing
that those guns would be used against Jews- are certainly capable of more
criminal plans that will cost the lives of
many more Jews.
But our shock, surprise, disappointment, and anger is aimed towards PM
Ariel Sharon who is allowing -once again- the Israeli Left in his
government to execute plans that are against the interest of the Jewish People.
As a first step in our action against those new Oslo agreements- It is of
utmost importance that we bombard PM Ariel Sharon and all ministers and
MK's with thousands of faxes expressing our opposition to this "Gaza First
Plan".
For those who wish to send e-mails:
Go to www.gov.il and/or www.knesset.gov.il and you will get all e-mail
contacts you wish.
But calling and sending faxes is certainly better.
Remember, every fax counts. Raise your voice and say NO to this new suicide
plan.
The only plan that a Jewish government should materialize is called:
"Erets Yisrael Le'Am Yisrael"
(The Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel).
In addition- now , more than ever we should also continue with our demand:
"Indict the Oslo criminals" (Poshei Oslo Ledin!")
As you know, stickers with both those slogans have been printed
by us. Order them by contacting our Women in Green office.
Top of Page |
End of Page |
What We Say Index Page |
To Home Page
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, August 22, 2002
Is the Sharon Government in Fact Traveling Down the Oslo Path?
First, a short follow-up on Ruth Matar's Women in Green Hour last week, which
evoked great interest on your part.
Here is some additional information: The "Jerusalem Post" (Aug. 20, 2002) had
an item on page 3, that "Melchior, Sr. and Pundak, Sr., recently received attention
when they joined forces to raise money for Palestinians." I checked with
David Bedein at Israel Resource News Agency and he gave me the following
information:
The organization that Melchior, Sr. and Pundak, Sr. are raising funds for
is called "Tayoush"--this is the Arabic word for cooperation. They raise
money for people to distribute food and anti-Israel leaflets to the Arabs
and to organize demonstrations against Israel.
Now for tonight's topic:
IS THE SHARON GOVERNMENT IN FACT TRAVELING DOWN THE OSLO PATH?
It is hard to believe that after all that Israel has been through:
* All the drive-by shootings on our roads;
* All the car bombs;
* All the sniper shootings targeting our children and teenagers;
* All the breaking into our homes to slaughter whole families;
* All the suicide bombings in cafes, buses, wedding halls, outdoor markets
and educational institutions;
All those murders of our civilian population makes it difficult to believe
that Israel's government is responding by giving its enemies another
chance! Defense Minister Ben Eliezer and Oslo Architect, Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres, have once again run to the enemies rescue and come up with a
new devilish plan to save the terrorist Palestinian Authority, the
"Gaza-Bethlehem First" plan.
According to this plan, the Israeli Defense Forces will withdraw around
Gaza and Bethlehem, leaving the Arab murderers in charge of "security",
although Hamas, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Islamic
Jihad, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Fatah's al
Aksa Martyrs Brigade have all vowed to continue attacks. By the
way, Fatah's al Aksa Martyrs Brigade is Arafat's own personal group.
The devilish "Gaza-Bethlehem First" plan is simply a new version of the
disastrous Oslo agreements; agreements that have cost the lives of hundreds
of Jews and tens of thousands of wounded--leaving numerous orphans, widows
and widowers. This action of the Israeli government is far more than
irresponsible. It is criminal!
In the words of yesterday's Jerusalem Post editorial:
"The idea of trading an IDF pullback for Palestinian promises to fight
terrorism is not new. In fact, the past two years are riddled with the
refuse of ceasefires that were not worth the paper they were printed on.
We cannot have it both ways. Either the IDF's presence in the territories
has a security impact or it does not. If it does, it is not possible to
claim that pulling back is risk free. Indeed, in the past, terrorists'
attacks have followed pullbacks with great specificity--the moment the
Israel Defense Force eased its presence around the city, attacks would
emanate from that city.
When this happened, Israel would sanctimoniously say, in effect, 'We
trusted the Palestinians and look what happened.' But being right is not
enough--the victims of those attacks are still dead."
Yesterday, Sgt. Kevin Cohen, 19 years old, was killed at his IDF post in
the Gaza Strip. Col. Pinhas, the Commander of the troops in the southern
Gaza Strip said that there had been no change in the heavy exchanges of
gunfire aimed at the soldiers by the Palestinians since the "Gaza-Bethlehem
First" understanding was reached on Sunday.
Sgt. Kevin Cohen is survived by his parents and three siblings. His family
immigrated from Iran fifteen years ago to escape from a Jew-hating regime.
His family probably thought that they were escaping to their homeland,
where their safety would be assured.
Little did they dream that their son would be a victim of yet another
irresponsible one-sided withdrawal from Jewish land illegally occupied by
the Arab enemy, thereby risking the lives of our children.
I dare Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Defense Minister Binyamin Eliezer, and
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to pay a condolence call to the family of
Sgt. Kevin Cohen. I dare them to say to this family: "We trusted the
Palestinians, once again, and look what happened."
After Sgt. Kevin Cohen's death, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said
he immediately warned the Palestinian Authority that, "If it does not act
to halt the violence, Israel will." Haven't we heard the same rhetoric
since the original "Gaza-Jericho First" agreement over and over again?
It makes one feel like screaming at the troika of Sharon and Ben-Eliezer
and Peres: "Been there, done that! The blood of Sgt. Kevin Cohen, and all
the victims to come are on your hands."
Just before our program started, it was reported on the news that a
terrorist cell was apprehended last Saturday, consisting of four Israeli
Arabs with blue identity cards, and their leader, a Palestinian Arab from
Ramallah. These terrorists were responsible for the Moment Café suicide
bombing in Jerusalem, the Sheffield Club suicide bombing in Rishon L'tzion,
the attempted mega attack on the Pi Glilot oil refinery in the Sharon
region, and the Hebrew University bombing on Mount Scopus. It was also
discovered that they were in the process of planning a future mega attack.
The whole cell has not been apprehended as yet.
Even though Ben Eliezer and Peres knew about this terrorist activity
emanating from Arafat in Ramallah on Saturday, they forged ahead with their
"Gaza-Bethlehem First" plan the day after, on Sunday, all this with Prime
Minister Sharon's agreement. The Israeli public was not informed about this
terrorist activity emanating from Ramallah until today. This is not the
first time that they have concealed facts from the public which might
interfere with their agenda.
As usual, we are not surprised that the Israeli left has initiated such a
plan. The Oslo criminals, who gave guns to the Arab enemy, are certainly
capable of further plans that will endanger the lives of many more Jews.
But our shock, surprise, disappointment, and anger is aimed towards Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon, who is allowing--once again--the Israeli left in his
government, to execute plans that are against the interest of the Jewish
People.
To discuss this very important subject, we have three important guests: Dr.
Yuval Steinitz, Member of Knesset, Likud; Dr. Yuri Shtern, Member of
Knesset, Israel Beiteinu; and Dr. Ron Breiman, Chairman of Professors for a
Strong Israel.
These interviews can be accessed at:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/metafiles/asx/wig.asx
It is interesting to note that Mohammed Dahlan, Arafat's Palestinian
Security Chief who negotiated the "Gaza-Bethlehem First" plan with Ben
Eliezer four days ago, was Arafat's Security Chief in 1998 as well. In an
interview in Gaza, reported on the front page of the Jerusalem Post of
Sunday, November 22, 1998, Dahlan said as follows: "Why did we ask to
release the political prisoners? ...because it was us--myself, Mr. Arafat
and Abu Mazen--who sent them out on their operations in the first place."
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon recognized from the very outset of Oslo that
the word, or even specific writings of commitment from such a peace partner
as Arafat and/ or the Palestine Liberation Organization, is of no value
whatsoever, and cannot be relied on--neither now nor in the future. On
September 3rd, 1993, Sharon wrote an op-ed article in the Jerusalem Post,
entitled, "You Can't Dance with a Murderer". Sharon, there prophetically
stated: "...By recognizing this murderer's organization, the PLO, the
Israeli government has committed an act of madness. By reviving Israel's
greatest enemy on the eve of its disintegration and turning it into
Israel's shield against Hamas, the government has added crime to folly...
There can be no reconciliation, historic or otherwise, with the man who
ordered the murders of school children in Avivim, Ma'alot and Antwerp, of
eleven Jewish athletes in Munich..."
What say you now, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, after more than 600 people
have been killed and tens of thousands wounded by the murderer Arafat and
his henchmen during your watch? So, why are you dancing with this murderer?
Top of Page |
End of Page |
What We Say Index Page |
To Home Page
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, August 28,2002
Is There any Difference between Israeli and Palestinian Arabs?
Our Israeli government makes me think of the saying, "None are as blind as
those who refuse to see!"
Last week we discussed the "Gaza-Bethlehem First" plan as being simply a
new version of the disastrous Oslo Agreements, agreements which have cost
the lives of hundreds of Jews and have resulted in tens of thousands of
wounded and maimed. It is shocking to learn that when Defense Secretary
Ben Eliezer and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres announced their
Gaza-Bethlehem First plan on August 18, they knew (but didn't share this
knowledge with the Israeli public) that the day before, the Israeli
Security Services had apprehended a terrorist cell of Israeli Arabs working
together with Arabs from Ramallah. The members of this terrorist cell
admitted to complicity in executing eight separate devastating attacks in
the last three months, in which thirty-five Israelis died and dozens were
gravely wounded in different parts of the country.
|In addition, before making this agreement with the Palestinian Authority, did Ben
Eliezer, Peres and Sharon take into account the terrorist attack at the
Merom Junction where nine were killed and 48 wounded? Seven members of the
same Israeli Arab family were cooperating with the Palestinian terrorists,
according to today's Jerusalem Post in the article entitled, "Israeli Arab
Terrorism on the Rise".
In both these terror attacks, Israeli Arabs were collaborating with Arabs
from areas controlled by Arafat's Palestinian Authority.
In this regard, let us review statements of Sharon's spokesperson, Ra'anan Gissin, Shimon
Peres and Ben Eliezer.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesperson, Ra'anan Gissin, said that
Palestinian terrorist groups "are trying to recruit Israeli Arabs to
participate actively in terrorist activity", but that the vast majority of
Arab citizens are not engaged in terrorism. So how come the last two major
terror attacks were a cooperative venture between terrorists from
Arafat-controlled territory and Israeli Arabs?
Mr. Peres, in an interview in Norway, as usual justifying his "New Middle
East" pipe dream, states that he still feels that Arafat is entitled to the
Nobel Prize, since he was the first Arab to renounce violence!
In the face of increasing terror attacks, our Minister of Defense Ben
Eliezer says: "I have complete faith that the Palestinians are sincerely
intent on achieving peace. It is clear to me that the Palestinian
leadership has done some serious soul searching."
He not only avoids speaking of victory, but repeatedly asserts that there
is no military solution to the current conflict. His refusal to see
reality, or maybe it is wishful thinking, is evident in his statement that
Israel must take advantage of the "new wind that is blowing among
Palestinians" by withdrawing systematically from Gaza, Hebron, and Judea
and Samaria.
There is indeed a new wind blowing. It is the ill wind of sedition and
terrorism among Israel's Arab citizens. Sharon, Peres and Ben Eliezer
refuse to acknowledge these dangerous developments. In truth: "None are as
blind as those who refuse to see!"
There is one man who is not afraid to tell the truth, Chief of General
Staff, Lt. General Moshe Ayalon. Last Sunday, August 25, he spoke to the
Annual Convention of Rabbis in Jerusalem. He asked the reporters to leave
the room before speaking, but a recording was secretly made by someone in
the audience. Chief of Staff Moshe Ayalon, the head of the Israeli Defense
Forces, pointed out the following at this meeting:
The PLO has never sought anything besides Israel's destruction, and is
still trying to implement its "plan of stages" to annihilate Israel.
The goal of the current Palestinian leadership is not a "two-state
solution", but a Palestinian State as a stepping-stone toward the
elimination of Israel as a Jewish State.
The capitulation by Ehud Barak to Syria and Lebanon was a fiasco that led
to escalated violence and terror by the Palestinians; that the capitulation
in Lebanon signaled to the Arabs that Israel is destructible.
Syrian leader Bashir Assad was encouraged by Hizbullah's success and the
Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, but Assad recognizes Israel's clear
superiority, which is why he is reluctant to put his army to the test.
Iran, after the Khomeini revolution of 1979, is a state which openly
advocates the destruction of Israel. The Iranians are also acting to
support Palestinian terrorist organizations wherever they are--Hamas,
Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front, and even the Palestinian Authority
itself. The episode of the Karine A weapons smuggling ship reflected
Iran's policy of supporting anybody that could speed Israel's demise.
Israel is much better prepared to meet any Iraqi threat today than during
the Gulf War, both in terms of striking at Iraq and in dealing with any
missile threat. Iraq does not pose an existential threat to the State of
Israel. "In the long term, the threat posed by Iraq or Hizbullah doesn't
make me lose sleep. What does cost me sleep are two things: first, the
prospect of a hostile country attaining nuclear capability and altering the
strategic balance; and, second the Palestinian issue."
There is no way of coming to an understanding with the present Palestinian
leadership; to show any weakness in this regard would put Israel into a
tailspin.
The outbreak of PLO atrocities is a direct result of Israel demonstrating
weakness and defeatism. As a military man, I tell you this is a conflict
Israel must win so the Palestinians will understand they cannot gain
through terror.
Palestinian violence threatens to contaminate and infect Israeli Arabs, and
the failure to suppress Palestinian terror is leading to the radicalization
of Israeli Arabs, and they're enlisting in terrorism.
This is exactly what our topic tonight is about:
Is There any Difference between Israeli and Palestinian Arabs?
Our guests tonight are Member of the Israeli Knesset Michael Kleiner and
Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director of IMRA, (Independent Media Review and Analysis).
These interviews can be accessed at:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/metafiles/asx/wig.asx
It is refreshing and encouraging to finally hear one of our leaders tell us
the truth.
Prime Minister Sharon: Don't close your eyes to the fact that Israeli
terrorism is on the rise. Don't close your eyes to the fact that PLO
atrocities are a direct result of Israel continually demonstrating weakness
and defeatism.
Shimon Peres: Stop living in your "New Middle East" fantasyland. Stop
pretending that Yasser Arafat has renounced violence and is a valid peace
partner for Israel.
Mr. Ben Eliezer: There is no way of coming to an understanding with the present
Palestinian leadership. Mr. Ben Eliezer, there is a military solution if
Israel wants to survive. If you don't think there is a military solution,
why are you remaining Israel's Defense Minister?
The fact that our leaders pretend to be blind and refuse to see reality can
have disastrous consequences for Israel.
In the words of Chief of Staff Moshe Ayalon: "There is no way of coming to
an understanding with the present Palestinian leadership. As a military
man, I tell you this is a conflict we must win so the Palestinians will
understand they cannot gain through terror."
Chief of Staff Moshe Ayalon's remarks may hopefully cure Mr. Sharon, Mr.
Peres and Mr. Ben Eliezer of their ostrich-like behavior, which is to put
your head in the sand and pretend there is no problem, and then the problem will
go away.
Top of Page
|
What We Say Index
Page
|
To Home Page