January 2004
January 1, 2004 Scapegoating the "Settlers"
January 2, 2004 Visiting Pioneering Communities in the Hebron Hills!
January 3, 2004 An Emasculated Giant Called Ariel Sharon
January 7, 2004 Why Palestinian statehood is a mistake by Joseph Farah
January 8, 2004 Announcements
January 13, 2004 A Turkey Hunt
January 13, 2004 Our President Has Agreed to Meet with Women in Green!
January 13, 2004 Limor Livnat, What Happened to You?
January 15, 2004 Is U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer a Yehudon?
January 18, 2004 A Swedish Provocation
January 20, 2004 Join Women in Green for a memorable Tu Bishvat in Gush Katif!
January 21, 2004 The Replay of Oslo
January 25, 2004 The People of The Book Has Spoken
January 26, 2004 Our Meeting With President Katzav
January 26, 2004 Israel's Peculiar Position by Eric Hoffer
January 27, 2004 David Ben Gurion Was Right Then, As He Is Now!
January 28, 2004 United We Stand - Divided We Fall
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January 1, 2004
Scapegoating the "Settlers"
By Shalom Freedman
There were no settlers in Judea and Samaria and Gaza in 1967. There were
none in 1956. Those Jews who lived there in 1947 and 1948, and were
murdered or driven out by the Arabs, were not called "settlers", but rather
Jews of Palestine living in Eretz Yisrael. Yet, even without the settlers, the
Arabs tried to destroy the Jewish presence in the Holy Land, managed to
kill Jews in whatever cruel ways they could. This is also true in the 1920s
and 1930s. It did not take settlers to 'create a quarrel' between the Jews and
their Arab neighbors. And it did not take settlers to induce the Arabs to try
to make all of Israel/Palestine Judenrein.
The settlers are not now, and have never been the real cause of Arab
hostility to Israel, unless, that is, you regard every Jew in the Holy Land as
a settler. In that case, it really is the settlers with whom the Arabs are not
willing to live in peace, at all.
Despite this, the world media, under Arab propaganda instruction, see the
settlers as the main obstacle to peace. And this despite the fact that the
overwhelming majority of them live on land that no Arab lived on. In fact,
many of those very left-wing Jews who also 'blame the settlers' do live on
properties that Arabs once lived on; while the settlers live on state lands,
which were never settled before.
Arab hatred of the settlers comes, I suspect, in part because they
understand that the settlers share a certain value with them. The settlers
value 'the land' and the Arabs value land above all. The settlers are their
rivals in a way that Jews content to dwell in high-rises in the cities are not.
The Arabs hate the settlers, because they consider them their real rivals in
claims of possession of state lands, which no one really owns.
The scapegoating of the settlers is also the means by which the Israeli Left
makes the conflict a 'rational' and 'solvable' one. In order to be balanced, in
order to give justification to their vision of peace, the Israeli Left must find
the Jewish bad-guys. The settlers are given this role. The Israeli Left,
because of this vision of 'balancing it out', has made terrible mistakes of
judgment, which have caused Israel many lives. The Left does not
understand that the heart of the conflict has nothing whatever to do with
the settlers, but has everything to do with the right of Jews to have a state
of their own in the holy land.
The world too, in order to be fair, has to find a Jewish source of evil to
balance against Arab evil, such as Palestinian suicide bombers. The
settlers play that role. The absurdity of comparing people whose major
crime is living in their ancestral homeland with terrorists, who deliberately
kill Jews wherever they can, does not seem to deter Middle East pundits.
They know if the settlers would only go away, real peace would be
established.
The truth is that it is not because there are too many 'settlers', but because
the Jewish people failed to bring another two million people into Judea and
Samaria, we continue to hear demands to make these parts of the ancestral
Jewish homeland free of a Jewish presence. The great shame and error is
not that there are too many settlers, but that there are too few Jews in
those parts of the land of Israel that are closest to us historically and
religiously.
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January 2, 2004
Visiting Pioneering Communities in the Hebron Hills!
by Gemma Blech and Anita Finkelstein
This year the Women For Israel's Tomorrow's Hannukah trip went to a few
of the communities in the South Hebron Hills. Leaving Jerusalem in two
bullet-proof buses, we packed in yet more friends from Efrat and the Gush
Etzion area, and began our trip by visiting with the Community of Telem,
where we made our first brief stop. Here we learned that this previously
secular place had recently been strengthened by a group of families from a
nearby Hebron yeshiva. These new families had brought new hope and
optimism for the future of Telem. Even though most of the children of the
yeshuv were out on a day trip, we left presents and chocolates - almost all
of which had been generously donated by overseas friends of Women In
Green.
From Telem we drove less than a mile to the sister community of Adora.
Here the community was having a much more difficult time. Following an
appalling terror attack, over half of the families moved away and now only
23 families remain - stalwarts and survivors. The WIG group was addressed
by Anat Harari, herself a survivor of the recent terror attack. Arabs,
dressed in Israeli army uniform had broken into Adora and shot people
mercilessly in their beds, in their own homes. As in Telem the majority of
the children were out for the day, but we were able to leave gifts for them
all, with the few who were there. One gift deserves special mention. Two of
our most creative and faithful Women in Green, had made miniature
Shabbat tables to be given to each nursery that we visited. These
beautifully hand-made gifts were very much appreciated.
From Adora we drove on to Neguhot, the main focus of our trip. Neguhot is
a flourishing hill-top community only a few miles from Hebron. But,
because of the iniquitous Wye agreement, their access road to Hebron and
Jerusalem was been placed under Palestinian control. This cut them off
from work and nearby Jewish communities, and they were forced to take
another road via Kiryat Gat, making all journeys well over an hour in each
direction. However, in spite of the problems, their settlement was
flourishing, with new families arriving and new babies being born! We
were shown into a special room and there WIG hosted a great party for the
kids with balloons, face painting, toys and presents and of course
Hannukah chocolates! The children were incredibly appreciative! They are
really very isolated and it was a great treat to have Elazar and Ya'acov with
their music, balloons and their conjuring with fire! The parents were a lot
more anxious than the children, who giggled happily!
Neguhot resident Nechemia, [he and his wife, were survivors of the
aforementioned
terror attack], showed us a detailed map of the situation in the area. He
made it very clear that if this Jewish community were not stationed on the
apparently isolated hilltop, the whole plain below, to the west, would be
exposed to Arab incursions. We could readily see the towers of Ashkelon
to the south and all the way to Hadera in the north. The determination of
these 30+ families to live on this strategic hill, to protect many families who
live in the surrounding areas of our Holy Land, was an inspiration to us all.
In addition, the parents had taken the decision, at the beginning of the
current school year, to send their 1st graders [four 6-year olds] to school in
Otniel, rather than Kiryat Gat. This brave decision ensured that the original
road remained open and the IDF provided an armored escort for all traffic
in both directions. However, the children often suffer interminable delays
and hold-ups, which they face with fortitude.
On leaving Neguhot, we had the same delays that the residents have with
the IDF escort and, rather than waste precious 'trip time' we paid a fleeting
visit to the new tiny neighborhood of Neguhot. Here 4 dedicated families
with young children hold the western perimeter of this community.
Our penultimate stop was the community of Eshtamoa. Space prevents a
detailed history of this crucial hilltop settlement, but even though they
hope to return to their original location, there were all the signs of a well
established community. We were shown all round Eshtamoa, including
some beautifully appointed homes and their synagogue. All of the homes
were trailers [caravans], but the way they had been furnished and
decorated was a tribute to their creativity.
Lastly, we stopped at Carmel, next to Maon. We had completed a circle of
the South Hebron hills. Carmel boasts an amazing medicinal herb factory
[Esveh Kedem]. After many years of research and continuous hard work,
they now have a flourishing factory producing medicinal creams and
treatments. All the herbs are grown and harvested within this community -
using only Jewish labor. They already have a busy international market and
we would strongly urge any who cannot get to Carmel themselves, to go to
their website - http://www.herbsofkedem.net
On a personal note we can both testify to painless knees and silky skins
after using their products. And this result, after only one week! In
addition, we were more than happy to have bought Blue and White - Made
in Israel - and last but not least, supporting the industry of the South
Hebron hills.
In ending our one day trip, we realized once again that although we had
gone to bolster and strengthen others, we ourselves had received a burst
of adrenalin and encouragement. We came back very uplifted and ready to
go on with the battle for the Land of Israel. In these difficult days, we look
forward with great anticipation, to our next opportunity to visit with such
stalwart pioneers as those who live in these outlying communities which
we were privileged to visit on this occasion in the Hebron Hills.
(Gemma Blech is the official volunteer photographer for Women In Green
and Anita
Finkelstein works very closely with Nadia Matar, one of the co-leaders of
our very active organization.)
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January 3, 2004
AN EMASCULATED GIANT CALLED ARIEL SHARON
Ariel Sharon Then and Now
LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM
Thursday, January 01, 2004
Dear Friends,
I'm writing this article with a heavy heart, to tell you that the Sharon of
today is not the leader we voted for. His actions are virtually those of a
dictator, who has lost all Zionist convictions. Already in November of 2003,
Ariel Sharon made it clear that he, and he alone, will direct diplomatic
negotiations about the "unilateral steps" which he is planning with regard
to dismantling settlements. Now he says in a dictatorial way, "Outposts will
be dismantled, Period! ... The negotiations now and in the future will be
concentrated in the Prime Minister's Office. I will direct the negotiations.
This is the way it needs to be, and this is the way it will be."
Some years back, on February 10, 1995, Ariel Sharon, then a Likud MK and
a former Defence Minister, wrote an Op-Ed article in the Jerusalem Post
entitled: AN EMASCULATED GIANT CALLED ISRAEL. The following are
excerpts from this article:
"Signs of our internal disintegration are increasing. And the Arabs are
aware of them too.
"This week, Nabil Shaath told the London Independent: 'Israel will be
forced to agree to the return of 100,000 of the 1948 refugees to Galilee.'
Asked if the Israelis would really agree to this, Shaath, a Minister in Yasser
Arafat's Government replied: 'It seems to me they will be forced to agree.'
"And Israel? It has no response. It remains mute.
"... The PLO is laughing up its sleeve, and the European foreign ministers
don't give a hoot.
"And Israel, with all the power and justice on its side, looks like an
emasculated giant.
"THERE WAS no surprise in what Nabil Shaath said. For some years now,
similar statements - mainly Egyptian - on how to destroy Israel in stages
have appeared in articles by leading figures in the Arab world, in senior
academic circles, among the intelligentsia. One of the minds active in this
context - indeed, the leader of this unofficial trend - is Osama el-Baz,
President Mubarak's adviser.
"What are these circles thinking, and what are the different stages of their
"program"?
"THE FIRST STAGE: portraying Israel as 'rejecting peace,' while the Arab
world, including the PLO, desires it. This will deepen Israel's isolation and
increase pressure on it. This has already taken place.
"IN THE SECOND STAGE, Israel will be forced to embark upon difficult and
painstaking negotiations in a process which, ultimately, will take it back to
the 1967 lines. As a result, Israel will again be weakened, losing its
defensive capability. That too, is happening.
"THE THIRD STAGE will see the intifada moving from the '1967 model' to
the '1947 model' and focusing mainly on Galilee, where most Israeli Arabs
live. After a long and wearying struggle, Israel will also give up central
Galilee and the northern and southern 'triangles' (from Megiddo, through
Wadi Ara, to Kfar Kassem, an area in which 250,000 Palestinian citizens of
Israel live, most of them supporters of the Islamic Movement.)
"THE FOURTH AND FINAL STAGE: After the retreat to borders
approximating the 1947 Partition Plan, these Arab circles think Israel's
continued existence is strictly a question of time.
"Shaath's declaration fits in well with this plan; it will, indeed, hasten its
implementation.
"Does all this seem like a fantasy? When I spoke and wrote about this
some years ago, it appeared, even to me, to be no more than a nightmarish
vision. But it is all actually happening before our eyes -- chiefly thanks to
the unstinting help of our government."
Now, Ariel Sharon as Prime Minister is head of the current Israeli
government. He, himself, is giving the "unstinting help of the government"
to make his own nightmarish vision come true. In truth, Ariel Sharon, our
erstwhile hero is now himself "an emasculated giant".
Half a year after the February 10 article, on August 11, 1995, Ariel Sharon
wrote an Op-Ed article entitled "THE DANGERS OF COOPERATION" for the
Jewish Press, the Jewish American paper with the largest circulation:
"The government's propaganda machine works full blast to break the spirit
of these people, to isolate and weaken the stirrings of national life still
present in the hearts of so many. The premier and foreign minister incite
against the settlers, accusing them of diverting the IDF and police from the
battle against terrorism, implying that they are a small minority tearing the
nation apart.
"But in fact it is the government which is diverting the IDF, police, and
other security services from seriously dealing with terrorism..."
And on September 29, 1995, Sharon, in an Op-Ed article in the Jerusalem
Post entitled SICK JOY OF RETREAT, wrote as follows:
"Governments come and go, and so do generations. It is our great privilege
to hold these sacred possessions in trust for future generations. We have
no right to transfer them to alien hands.
"For decades now, I have repeatedly declared that Israel is not just an
Israeli project but the responsibility of all the world's Jews. What happens
to Israel will affect the situation, even the destiny, of Jews everywhere. It is
not only their right but their duty to make their voices heard."
And this is what Prime Minister Sharon said only a couple of months ago
about the small community of Netzarim, probably the most exposed
settlement in Israel, but of tremendous strategic importance in preventing
the transfer of weapons between various Arab terrorist groups:
"Netzarim is the same as Negba and Tel Aviv. Evacuating Netzarim will only
encourage terrorism and increase the pressure upon us." (Negba is a
secular Kibbutz in the Negev, the same area where Prime Minister Sharon
has his farm. Negba has approximately the same number of people as
Netzarim.) Nonetheless, the Left continually agitates for the evacuation of
Netzarim.
Again, the "new" Sharon has changes his opinions completely. In a
meeting with his Ministers on December 15, 2003, he asks rhetorically,
"Does anyone believe that also in the future there will be Jews in Netzarim
and Morag?"
What has happened to Ariel Sharon? Did Sharon mean what he said in his
many Op-Ed articles (I have only quoted from a few of them) before he
became Prime Minister? Or did he at the time express such ideas only for
political expediency?
Does Sharon now sing a completely different tune, because holding on to
his new coalition partners, the 15 member anti-religious Shinui party (with
four Ministers and two Deputy Ministers holding important portfolios)
means placating them by getting rid of the very settlements which he
himself helped to establish?
Did Sharon completely change his outlook, because he now believes that
he has more to gain by supporting a different agenda? Is his "warm"
relationship with President George W. Bush more important than his
erstwhile principles, even as far as establishing a Palestinian State on
Jewish Land and evacuating or transferring Jews from their homes?
The nightmarish vision which Sharon talks about in his article "AN
EMASCULATED GIANT CALLED ISRAEL" is now upon us. In this article
Sharon says that the plan to dismantle the State is no secret. And
prophetically, Ariel Sharon said "It will actually happen with the unstinting
help of our Government." Sharon, by agreeing to the "Road Map", which
means the establishment of another Arab State carved out of what was
originally Land Promised to the Jews by the League of Nations and the
Balfour Declaration has fulfilled his own prophecy.
(Britain violated its Mandate of the League of Nations and the Mandate of
its own Balfour declaration by carving out 70% of what was supposed to be
the Jewish Homeland and giving it to Abdullah, one of the Hashemite tribal
rulers, thereby "inventing" Jordan, which was at first called Transjordan.
Note the name Transjordan which means "across the Jordan." Even in their
generosity the British did not give Abdullah the Biblical Judea and
Samaria.)
We hear much about the Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria and the
Gaza Strip, the area liberated from Jordanian occupation in 1967. We hear
much about how destabilizing these Jewish settlements are. How
provocative they are. But the Arabs have built 261 settlements in the so-
called "West Bank", whereas the Jews have only built 144 settlements
since 1967, in their own Biblical Heartland.
Most of the Arabs living within the borders of Israel today have come from
some Arab country in some time in their life. Arafat himself was born in
Egypt. Just since the beginning of the Oslo Accords more than 400,000
Arabs have come from Jordan, Egypt and indirectly from any other Arab
country you can name.
What makes the 261 Arab settlements in the "West Bank" (Judea and
Samaria) legal, and 144 Jewish Settlements illegal and obstacles to peace?
Who felt empowered to nullify G-d's Promise in the Bible to the Jewish
People?
Important Jewish religious leaders, amongst them two former Chief Rabbis
of Israel, have now ruled that according to Jewish Law it is forbidden to
give away Jewish Land. As Sharon said in his article of September 29,
1995: "Governments come and go, and so do generations. It is our great
privilege to hold these sacred possessions in trust for future generations.
WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO TRANSFER THEM TO ALIEN HANDS."
We, the People of Israel, are not obligated to follow the lead of the "new"
Sharon.
We, the Jewish People, who have come home after a 2,000 year exile, pray
that Hashem will show us the way as to how we can prevent this attempt to
stop the Promised Redemption.
What can you do? Forward this article to Prime Minister Sharon at
pm_eng@pmo.gov.il, to remind him that he himself said "Governments
come and go: and so do generations. It is our great privilege to hold these
sacred possessions in trust for future generations. We have no right to
transfer them to alien hands." Ariel Sharon needs this reminder from
people all over the world who want to prevent his dismantling the Jewish
State.
With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth Matar
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January 7, 2004
Why Palestinian statehood is a mistake by Joseph Farah
I now think I understand Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's thinking when
it comes to his
acceptance of the U.S. "roadmap" plan for the creation of a Palestinian
state as early as this year.
For a long time I wondered if there was any coherent thought behind
Israel's capitulation to
Washington and the international community.
I knew there was no moral justification for the creation of a new state of
Palestine - one that has
never existed in the history of the world. I knew it was a bad idea to reward
terrorism - which is
exactly what the creation of the state does. I knew it was wrong to
dismantle Jewish communities
in traditionally Jewish lands. I knew it was a bad deal for Christian Arabs
who happen to live in
the territory. I knew it would result in a new totalitarian, Islamic state. I still
know all this. But
now I think I understand why Sharon is going along with the bad plan.
He's doing it because he believes it is honestly in Israel's best security
interests to do so. While I
appreciate his position, I still think he is wrong. Sharon believes if this
action is not taken, Jews
will some day be outnumbered by Arabs in Israel. He sees the creation of
another Arab state on
lands where Arabs are already in the majority as a defensive measure. By
carving up the West
Bank, dismantling some Jewish communities and moving Jewish
population inside a new green
line, he believes he will be acting in Israel's best, long-term security
interests.
In addition, by establishing a real Arab state where none currently exists,
Sharon will be ensuring
that future terrorism will have a real address - one that can be held
accountable for attacks on
Israel. Here's why he is wrong. Here's what he is missing. Here's what he is
not projecting
because he can't think like his enemy.
The day a new Arab Palestinian state is created, other Arab nations will
begin ejecting their own
Palestinians to live in the new nation. They will come from Syria. They will
come from Lebanon.
They will come from Iran. They will come from Egypt. They will come from
Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia and Jordan.
The Arab nations keep the Palestinians and their descendants in squalor.
They are denied
citizenship rights. They are denied work. They are denied property. They
are denied their human
rights because they are and always will be a political football in the Arab
campaign against Israel.
How many will come? I would expect to see 500,000 at least in the short
term. This will result in
new refugee camps on Israel's border. This will result in more poverty and
dislocation -
conditions that breed terrorism and senseless violence, which is why
Yasser Arafat hasn't minded
destroying his own once-healthy economy.
These refugees will not complain about those who really victimized them -
the Arab leadership.
Their hatred will be directed at the Jews. With no more Israeli military
patrols taking place, as
they do now, the security situation will deteriorate on Israel's fence. The
terrorists will develop
new tactics and buy new weapons - including weapons of mass
destruction.
If Israel dares respond to attacks by crossing the border, it will create new
international pressures
against the Jewish state. This is not a recipe for peace. This is a recipe for
delaying disaster. By
acknowledging the legitimacy of the Palestinian cause, when there is none,
Sharon and Israel will
have given up the moral high ground and invited more demands on Israel
in the future.
(Joseph Farah is a Christian Arab who has a nationally syndicated column
originated in WorldNetDaily,
where he serves as Editor and Chief Executive Officer)
We are sending out this Joseph Farah piece, even though we believe that
Mr. Farah's criticism of Mr.
Sharon is much too mild. Mr. Farah correctly believes that Israel has given
up its 'moral high ground'.
We not only believe that Mr. Sharon is wrong when he supports the Saudi
'Road Map' plan, but disaster,
not peace, will follow its execution.
The problem is one of Sharon's lack of faith in the belief of the L-rd's
Promise to the Ancestors of the
Jewish People. Sharon would transfer Jews from their homes and their
Homeland in Judea, Samaria and
Gaza, without any hope that thereby 'peace' will follow. The 'Road Map' will
not only 'delay disaster', but
is a formula for a continual nightmare for Jews, in their Biblical Homeland.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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January 8, 2004
Announcements
Included are a few important announcements- please pass them on to other
lists, to friends and relatives:
1) Women in Green urge all Israel lovers to join in the massive
demonstration organized by Moetzet Yesha against the plans to uproot
Jews
from Israel and against the creation of a Palestinian state on our land.
This demonstration is maybe the most important demonstration we have
ever
had. We must show Sharon that we will not stand for his defeatist, plans
that are not only diametrically opposed to his own party's platform, but
also completely against the will of the majority of the people who elected
him.
Even if you never attended a demonstration, this one is a MUST! This one
is
for the very survival of Israel as a Jewish state.
WHEN: SUNDAY evening, January 11, 2004 at 7:00pm (and *not* Monday)
The day of the demo has been changed because of the bad weather
forecast.
Where: in Tel Aviv at the Kikar Malchei Israel square (also known as Kikar
Rabin).
For transportation:
Call the organizers at 02-582-2224
2) The "Committee for the Outposts" in Moetzet Yesha is making a master
list of all those people who are willing to be called, if and when, G-d
forbid, Sharon will give the order to uproot Jews from their homes.
Anybody who has a cellular phone that can send and receive written
messages, can register on that master list and will receive an SMS
message
about the details of the actions that will take place to save the outposts
and the yishuvim.
Women in Green call upon all its members to register on that master list.
How do you register?
Type the word YESHA as a written message and send it to number 8080.
If you have any problems, call Moetset Yesha at 02-5810624 for details.
3) Help Adir Zik!
For over 11 years, Adir Zik has been spreading his message of love to Am
Yisrael, Torat Yisrael and Erets Yisrael. Hundreds of thousands of people
listened to his weekly Hebrew Arutz 7 show, called "Zikukim shel Adir" and
got from it strength and information. Adir is never scared to tell the
truth and stands firm and proud against the Israeli Left and media.
Everybody loves Adir Zik and now is the time we can help him:
Five years ago Adir underwent surgery in Israel to remove a growing
cancer.
This time, the cancer came back and Adir Zik needs to undergo an urgent
operation that can only be done in the USA. The Israeli insurance agencies
are not covering the huge costs of the operation and therefore Arutz 7 and
the Chesed organization called "Pa'amonim" is doing all it can to raise the
money to cover the tremendous expenses.
We are all called upon to donate money to help Adir Zik and to enable him
to undergo his crucial operation:
For donations from Israel:
by VISA - call Paamonim at 1-800-35-10-12
or by check:
A) Deposit in Bank HaDoar Account no. 3535656
B) Send your check to POB 1423, Bet El, D.N/ Mizrach Binyamin
DO NOT FORGET TO WRITE ON YOUR CHECKS THAT THEY ARE MEANT
FOR ADIR ZIK
"lirefuat Adir Zik"
For donations from the USA, send your check to:
Paamonim Inc,
1746 44th street,
Brooklyn, NY 11204
Mention that is meant for Adir Zik.
Last but not least, please pray for a complete recovery for "Adir the son
of Bracha".
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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January 13, 2004
A TURKEY HUNT IS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE IN ISRAEL
LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM
Thursday, January 8, 2004
Dear Friends,
It's official! James Addison Baker III is coming to Israel as President Bush's
personal envoy. President Bush announced this on the first day of the New
Year: "He is yet to go to the Middle East, and he's going to let me know
when he thinks the timing is good for that."
Regarding this upcoming visit, a Jerusalem official explained that Israel's
understanding is that James Baker "is supposed to go around the world
and try to convince countries to support the President. To keep a general
maintenance program, to ensure that there are no surprises, that nothing
rocks the boat for the President while he is in an election year."
Good news for Saudi Arabia! Very bad news for Israel!
JAMES BAKER III AND SAUDI ARABIA
Certainly James Baker is not going to rock the boat in Saudi Arabia for
President Bush, while he is in an election year. James Baker is considered
to be a good friend by the Saudis. Since 9/11 Saudi Arabia has had, to put
it delicately, a public relations problem. Saudi Arabia has had to dodge
allegations that it had a hand in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as fifteen of the
nineteen hijackers were Saudi nationals.
The families of the September 11 victims have instituted a trillion-Dollar
class-action law suit against the Saudi government. In the months ahead,
dozens of Saudi citizens (including Khalid bin Mahfouz) and institutions
(including National Commercial Bank) will have to respond to suits in New
York and Washington, D.C. Those suits name hundreds of defendants,
including major Saudi banks, charities, and certain members of the royal
family, alleging liability for the attacks. And guess who is defending the
Saudi government against this law suit? The law firm of former Secretary
of State under President George Herbert Walker Bush, President George W.
Bush's father.
The law firm of former Secretary of State James Baker III, BAKER BOTTS,
has long represented clients with interests in Saudi Arabia. The Baker
Botts law firm was put in an even better position to pull in more work from
Saudi Arabia in the fall of 2001, when President George W. Bush appointed
Baker Botts partner, Robert Jordan, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Baker
Botts made an appearance in D.C. Federal District Court for the Saudi
Minister of Defense and Aviation, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. In a
statement on behalf of Prince Sultan, Baker Botts called the claims that the
prince and other Saudi royal family members assisted in terrorist attacks
"utterly false".
Baker Botts has a powerful permanent presence in Saudi Arabia. It has
nine main offices: Austin, Dallas, Houston, New York, Washington, London,
Moscow, Baku (capital of oil-rich Azerbaijan), and, of course, Riyadh, in oil-
rich Saudi Arabia. Oil is not the only thing these power brokers handle.
The firm boasts of expertise in "corporate crisis" and "white-collar criminal
defense"; it is currently defending the CEO of Rite-Aid, who has been
indicted of conspiracy and fraud. In the past, Baker Botts has also
represented Enron.
Baker Botts is slickest when it comes to oil, but Baker himself has even
wider interests. As senior counsel to the Carlyle Group, the investment
firm long associated with Bush interests, Baker helps to oversee the
operations of the nation's 10th-largest defense contractor, United Defense.
With all these wonderful connections, James Baker will have no problem to
convince Saudi Arabia to support George W. Bush, and not to rock the boat
for the President while he is in an election year!
BAKER AND ISRAEL
Baker is not a friend of Israel, and that is the understatement of the year. In
1990, when he was Secretary of State in George H. W. Bush's cabinet, he
publicly remonstrated with Israel: "When you are serious about peace, call
us," then giving out the White House telephone number. Also as Secretary
of State, he was widely quoted as saying: "f**k the Jews, they don't vote for
us anyway."
Colorful language, but Baker may have said this in a fit of anger at those
"pesky" Jews. But the following story illustrates Baker's STRONG hatred
and disdain for Israel:
Shortly before assuming office as Secretary of State, Baker invited an
interviewer from Time Magazine to accompany him on a turkey hunt. At one
point during the hunt, when he was
discussing Israel and the Arabs, Baker remarked: "The trick is in getting
them where you want them, on your terms. Then you control the situation,
not them. You have the options. Pull the trigger or don't. It doesn't matter
once you've got them where you want them. The important thing is
knowing that it's in your hands, that you can do whatever you determine is
in your interest to do." When the reporter asked Baker if he was referring to
the turkeys, Baker replied, "No, I mean Israel." (Time Magazine, February
13, 1989) [as cited in ZOA press release June 7, 1996].
That is how James Baker III thinks of Israel: as turkeys to be hunted down,
with himself as the hunter. As James Baker said: "The important thing is
knowing that it's in your hands, that you can do whatever you determine is
in your interest to do"
Unfortunately, Israel must assume that Baker, with his long time friendship
with Saudi Arabia, his law firm being one of Saudi Arabia's defense council
in a trillion-dollar law suit against the Saudi royal family, and the
intertwined business interests of Saudi Arabia and as senior council to the
investment firm long associated with Bush interests, James Baker has no
motivation to be evenhanded as far as Israel is concerned.
Isn't there a conflict of interest here?
President Bush and his Arabist State Department, keep insisting that all
Jewish (not Arab) settlement activity in the Hold Land must stop. James
Baker's star pupil, Daniel Kurtzer is presently U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
Daniel Kurtzer was the speech writer of Secretary of State James Baker.
He actually coined the phrase "Land for Peace" to be used in one of
Baker's policy speeches. Even though Kurtzer is supposedly an Orthodox
Jew he does not believe in the Biblical Promises of Hashem with regard to
the Land of Israel. With the same arrogance and disdain for Israel of his
mentor James Baker, he issued a dictate to Israeli courts: "do not to let the
fact that Migron has submitted documents proving that it is a legal
community on Jewish owned Land, prevent its uprooting!" (Kurtzer
frequently issues orders to Israel as if he were the High Commissioner,
rather than the U.S. Ambassador) Why is U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer
focusing on Migron? It seems that he had previously instructed Israel
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz that Migron has to be the first Jewish
"settlement" to be evacuated, so as to make possible a contiguous
Palestinian State.
It is difficult to understand President Bush's insistence on creating a
Palestinian terrorist state in the Holy Land and thereby depriving the
Jewish People of their rightful heritage. But, as it has often been said, in
politics there are no friends, only interests. And unfortunately, the United
States perceives its interests to be to placate Saudi Arabia and the rest of
the Muslim world.
Yes, the situation looks very bad. The Sharon government has been under
increasing pressure to dismantle 100 so-called illegal outposts. The
Arabist U.S. State Department designates an Illegal outpost as any
community the Jews are trying to build in their own Biblical Heartland of
Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has folded
completely under American pressure. Therefore, many Israelis see the
dismantling of "outposts" as the first step in Sharon's plan to unilaterally
withdraw from the West Bank (Judea and Gaza) and the Gaza Strip.
What can we do? Let us not consent to be James Baker's turkeys!
We can be sure that there is much pressure from the Bush administration.
And continual and strong pressure at that! But in the years from Israel's
rebirth in 1948 until 1992, Israeli Prime Ministers often had to defy very
heavy U.S. pressure, for example:
1948/9: U.S. pressure on Ben Gurion with threats of economic sanctions to
refrain from declaration of independence.
1967: The U.S., the U.S.S.R. and the UN pressured Levi Eshkol to refrain
from a pre-emptive strike and from reuniting Jerusalem.
1981: The U.S., U.S.S.R., Europe and the UN threatened Begin with military
and economic sanctions, lest he bomb Iraq's nuclear reactor.
Nonetheless, Previous Prime Ministers were able to successfully withstand
incredibly strong pressure of the U.S. The world and the US are more likely
to respect a "NON-PUNCHING BAG ISRAEL".
A strong democratic undivided Israel, as promised to the Jews, according
to the Judeo-Christian tradition, is not only in Israel's interest but in
America's interest as well.
Dear Friends: Please forward this Letter to all your friends, President
George W. Bush president@whitehouse.gov and Vice President Cheney
vice.president@whitehouse.gov. Your Senators and Congressman can be
reached by calling the Capitol Hill Switchboard (202)456-6212 or (202)224-
3121.
With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth Matar
P.S. For further reading go to
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0350/mondo1.php and
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1043457916323
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January 13, 2004
Our President Has Agreed to Meet with Women in Green!
We are pleased to announce that the President of Israel has agreed to meet
with us on Sunday, January 25, 2004, at 11 AM.
We had advised the President that we had gathered over 350,000
signatures against an Arab Palestinian State within Biblical Israel. We
pointed out that he had granted a meeting to Ami Ayalon, who claimed that
he and an Arab had gathered signatures for the creation of an Arab
Palestinian State in a far lesser amount. Many of those signatures he
gathered were those of Arabs.
Women in Green have traveled the length and breath of the cities in Israel,
from Haifa to Beer Sheva; from Ashdod to Petach Tikva and Netanya; from
Ramla to Tiberias and Kiryat Shmona. Without a shadow of a doubt the
great majority of Jews in Israel are opposed to the creation of another Arab
State within Biblical Israel. They have signed petitions directed to Prime
Minister Sharon to that effect, giving their names and addresses and their
telephone number.
The President of Israel and its Prime Minister should at all times be
responsive to the will of the Jewish People in this Jewish State, particularly
in view of the hostility which the Arabs continuously show towards the
Jewish People in their educational system and in the propaganda of their
media. The will of the Jewish majority is vociferously opposed to forming
such a hostile state within our Biblical borders.
We have faxed Prime Minister Sharon each and every one of these 350,000
signatures, but unfortunately he has never responded. The President has.
We welcome this opportunity to show President Katzav all the signatures
we have gathered.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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January 13, 2004
Limor Livnat, What Happened to You?
by Nadia Matar
Until a few days ago, we were skeptical about the actions of the Manhigut
Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) faction in the Likud and its chances of
exerting influence "from within", but then Education Minister Limor Livnat
came with her frantic attack against "Feiglin," and showed all of us that our
friends in Manhigut Yehudit are succeeding on a large scale. The Minister,
losing her equanimity, actually made these wild statements to the media:
"Extremist elements, such as Feiglin and his followers, who were never a
part of the Likud movement, and who are not from the Likud, are trying to
take over the ruling party, and thereby the government as well."
The Minister's statement is puzzling. The only "crime" of Feiglin and his
followers is that they are taking action to have the Likud actualize the
platform of the Likud, for which it was elected by a large majority. Whoever
reads the Likud platform will find the following quote: (to be found at the
Knesset Internet site
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January 15, 2004
IS U.S. AMBASSADOR DANIEL KURTZER A YEHUDON?
LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Dear Friends,
In last Sunday's Jerusalem Post, there was a BIG headline: "Mintz regrets
'Jewboy' slur". Adi Mintz is the director-general for the Council of Jewish
Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, who called U.S.
Ambassador to Israel, Daniel Kurtzer, a YEHUDON (little Jew-boy).
Because of the uproar from the Israeli Left, Mr. Mintz was forced to send a
letter of apology to Kurtzer, explaining that he regretted calling him a
Yehudon.
In an interview with Channel 1 (Israel Television), Mintz had said that
Kurtzer does not act as a diplomat when it comes to dealing with the
territories. He accused Kurtzer of belonging to Peace Now and for passing
on their detrimental material and reports to the U.S. government. He said
he was also upset that Kurtzer is giving speeches questioning the
legitimacy of the settlements in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
What got Mr. Mintz so upset as to call Daniel Kurtzer a "little Jewboy"?
Kurtzer had said it would be "unacceptable" if Israel's courts rule that the
community of Migron is legal, in effect demanding the transfer of Jews!
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said with regard to this
controversy: "Imagine the outcry if there was an issue before an American
court, and Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. demanded that the U.S.
government take action on the issue, regardless of the court's ruling.
Ambassador Kurtzer's demand that Israel expel and transfer Jewish men,
women, and children from their homes in Migron is blatant interference in
Israel's internal affairs. It also smacks of a troubling double standard--
because he has never called for the expulsion of Palestinian Arabs from
their homes in legally-questionable areas."
Adi Mintz was not the first Israeli leader to call Daniel Kurtzer a "Jewboy".
Two years ago, in January of 2002 Knesset Member Zvi Hendel also called
US Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer a "little Jewboy". He accused Kurtzer of
engaging in "blatant interference" in Israel's internal affairs, when he
criticized the Israeli Government for giving money to settlements rather
than to the disabled.
Knesset Member Hendel, at the time, was referring to a speech Kurtzer
gave in which he questioned the JEWISH ETHICS of investing in Judea and
Samaria instead of giving money to the disabled.
Against Jewish Ethics? How can Kurtzer, a supposedly religious Jew,
make such a remark?
If this indeed is the Promised Land, how can Judea, Samaria and Gaza,
which is part and parcel of what the L-rd promised to the Jewish People,
NOT be settled by Jews? And how can a Jewish State NOT lend its support
to the growth and development of any part of the Holy Land? (Knesset
Member Michael Kleiner pointed out that when Dan Kurtzer was U.S.
Ambassador to Egypt, he never once advised Mubarak that he should use
the money which he received from the United States for Egypt's poor,
rather than for purchasing weapons against Israel.)
The ZOA notes numerous previous instances in which Ambassador Kurtzer
interfered in Israel's internal affairs:
* In August 2001, Kurtzer publicly criticized Israel for striking at Abu Ali
Mustafa, head of the terrorist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP), which has murdered 14 U.S. citizens and numerous Israelis. The
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations issued a
statement on August 28, 2001, saying it was "surprised and dismayed" that
Kurtzer "felt compelled to raise the issue with Prime Minister Sharon
[while] we did not hear of any similar actions when American citizens were
the victims of terror attacks over the past few months."
* Kurtzer demanded that Israel stop spending government funds on
Jewish communities in Judea-Samaria and Gaza, and "take care of the
disabled and or economic development" instead. (Washington Times, Jan.
9, 2002)
* The Israeli (Labor) government's former Ambassador to Washington,
Itamar Rabinovich, has described a "stormy dispute" between Kurtzer and
the head of Israel's negotiating team, in which "Kurtzer thought that Israel
was not going far enough with the Palestinians. There were sharp
exchanges between them [and Kurtzer] rebuked" the Israeli negotiators.
(Ha'Aretz, April 6, 2001)
* Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir has said: "Kurtzer frequently
pressured Israel to make one-sided concessions to the Arabs; he
constantly blamed Israel for the absence of Mideast peace, and paid little or
no attention to the fact that the Palestinians were carrying out terrorist
attacks and openly calling for the destruction of Israel."
* Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has said more than once
that with Jews like Kurtzer, it is impossible to build a healthy relationship
between Israel and the United States." (Ha'Aretz, April 6, 2001)
* Morris Amitay, former executive director of AIPAC, has said: "Kurtzer
has a track record of pushing for Palestinian rights. He will use his
Jewishness as a protective cover for his anti-Israel views." (Jewish
Telegraphic Agency, March 29, 2001)
* The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot (August 9, 1991) reported: "Possibly
more than any other U.S. State Department official, Kurtzer has been
instrumental in promoting the goals of the Palestinians and in raising their
afflictions to the center of the U.S. policymakers' agenda. Kurtzer's poor
relations with Jerusalem's political bureaus reached a new climax" in 1990,
when he authored a speech by James Baker strongly criticizing Israel,
which was delivered at an AIPAC conference, "causing a commotion
among the conference participants... A Jewish community leader told
Kurtzer (shortly afterwards], 'Your children will bear the consequences of
the Israeli policy you are encouraging."'
There is no doubt that Daniel Kurtzer's employer, the U.S. State
Department, is virulently anti-Jewish and anti-Israel.
During the time of the Holocaust, the State Department deliberately
suppressed information they had received about the extermination of
European Jewry. Thus, they were responsible for not preventing the
murder of millions of Jews, when they had the power to do so.
The State Department even tried to prevent the rebirth of Israel by
attempting to cast a negative vote in the United Nations. President Harry
Truman discovered this perfidy minutes before the vote, and instructed his
Ambassador to the United Nations to vote in favor of the State of Israel.
It is also no doubt that those, who like Daniel Kurtzer are successful in
attaining high positions within the State Department hierarchy, are those
who toe the line of Foggy Bottom's virulent anti-Israeli positions. The most
effective way for the State Department to harm Israel, of course, is to find a
Jew who is able and willing to do the dirty jobs required. Then the State
Department can truthfully say: "But our Ambassador to Israel is himself of
the Jewish persuasion and this is his position!" And Daniel Kurtzer is
definitely their star performer.
I wonder just when James Baker, the U.S. Secretary of State, recruited
Daniel Kurtzer to be his speech writer?
Did Baker realize that he and Kurtzer were soul mates when he heard that
Kurtzer, as Dean at Yeshiva University in New York, demonstratively walks
out during a presentation by Menachem Begin?
Baker could not have found a speech writer more attuned to his own
prejudices? In fact, it was Daniel Kurtzer who coined the slogan "Land for
Peace" to ingratiate himself with his boss.
Two important Israeli leaders, Zvi Hendel in January of 2002, and Adi Mintz
in January of 2004 had the courage to call Mr. Kurtzer a "little Jewboy".
Both were forced by tremendous pressure of the Israeli Left, to apologize.
Were Zvi Hendel and Adi Mintz justified in calling Daniel Kurtzer a
Yehudon, even though they were subsequently forced to apologize? What
exactly does it mean when one calls somebody a "little Jewboy"? It
depends entirely on who does the name calling.
To me, as a Jew, this expression means that the person in question is a
JEWISH Uncle Tom, a person who tries to ingratiate himself with the
majority culture by being disloyal to his own co-religionists. Of course, the
Left said that Hendel's remark was "disgraceful and anti-Semitic". Not at
all! Coming from another Jew it is more like: Why aren't YOU proud of
being a Jew? You little Jewboy, what are you running away from?
However, when a non-Jew uses the same expression, it is an entirely
different matter. One can assume a fair amount of anti-Semitism behind
such a remark, a feeling that: "You're trying hard to be one of us, but to us
you will always be a 'little Jewboy.'"
Therefore, when Secretary of State James Baker spoke in private with a
confidant about his speech writer Dan Kurtzer and two other Jewish
employees of his, as "his little Jewboys", one can assume that this was not
meant as a term of affection, especially since this remark came from the
very person who expressed his desire to "f*ck the Jews".
Zvi Hendel and Adi Mintz had to apologize for calling Kurtzer a "little
Jewboy". Former Secretary of State, James Addison Baker III, has never
bothered to apologize for calling Kurtzer a "little Jewboy".
The fact that James Baker was never requested to apologize for his
derisive remarks, proves that there is a double standard. What's sauce for
the goose is clearly not sauce for the gander!
Sadly, the U.S. State Department can offend Israeli sensibilities through the
activities of its Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, who blatantly interferes with
Israel's internal affairs, whereas Israeli leaders feel compelled to apologize
for telling the simple truth.
With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth Matar
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January 18, 2004
A SWEDISH PROVOCATION!
Tzvi Mazel is our Ambassador to Sweden. He was invited to an art
exhibition along with other diplomats which he was told would in no way
be adverse to Israel. That proved to be untrue.
When he and his wife arrived at the exhibition, they learned to their dismay
that they were not given the correct information. One of the artists,
ironically a Jew who formerly lived in Israel, but who had abandoned his
country and was now living in Sweden, had built an exhibition called "Snow
white", glorifying and justifying Arab suicide bombings in Israel. This
particular man who is an identified extreme, anti-zionistic leftist, spends a
good deal of his time writing vitriolic articles against Israel and falsely
portraying its treatment of the Arabs.
His "artwork" at the exhibition was a pool of blood on which floats a
sympathetic picture of female Arab suicide bomber involved in the Haifa
"Maxim" Restaurant terrorist attack.. This work was placed prominently at
the exhibition with spotlights and all. Twenty-one Israelis were killed on the
occasion of the "Maxim" suicide bombing, but the artist did not depict the
plight of their families. Instead he glorified the killer and justified her
murderous act.
Ambassador Mazel was justly furious and reacted to this deception. He
tore out the electrical wires of the "artwork", and in the process some of
the spotlights were upset.
Women in Green commend him for his appropriate reaction. Too often, our
foreign emissaries abroad do not react in this manner, and as a result the
Arab lies and deceptions continue and are widely practiced with all the
humiliations associated with their actions.
There are over 400,000 Muslims residing in Sweden today. They work with
the leftists in and out of government to malign Israel.
This exhibition in Sweden, in which Israel's Ambassador Mazel
participated, is just another distortion of what is being presented to the
public abroad by such groups. Ambassador Mazel's reaction to the anti-
Israeli provocation was forceful and necessary. There is no need for
apologies under the circumstances. At the contrary, He saved Israel's
honor and we all thank him for reacting like a proud Jew. Write to
Ambassador Zvi Mazel at israel.embassy@swipnet.se or
stockholm@israel.org
Below is the address of the Museum hosting "Snow White". Tell them what
you think about their Swedish provocation!
info@makingdifferences.com
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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January 20, 2004
Join Women in Green for a memorable Tu Bishvat in Gush Katif!
Women in Green are joining the special events organized by the
Gush Katif residents in honor of Tu Bishvat.
When:
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 8th, 2004
Program:
8:45 am- departure from Jerusalem - Inbal hotel (formerly Laromme)
11:00 am- tree planting in Netzarim
12:30 pm- guided tour of Kfar Darom
2:30 pm- ceremony in support of Gush Katif followed by an agricultural
fair in which we will
be able to sample and/or buy all of the wonderful products made
in Gush Katif
6:30 pm- approximate return to Jerusalem
Do not miss this glorious opportunity to show support to our brothers and
sisters in Gush Katif. Let us show our gratitude for their heroic stand and
defense of the entire country.
As usual we will come to strengthen and we will be strengthened.
REGISTER TODAY - NIS 30. - Seats on the bullet proof bus are limited
Email:michael@womeningreen.org or call the office: 02-624-9887
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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January 21, 2004
THE REPLAY OF OSLO
(This time with the help of U.S. Ambassador Kurtzer)
The headline in the Jerusalem Post, January 20, 2004, read as follows: "Sharon
upset at Qurei-Peres meeting." Along with Qurei was Saeb Erekat, PA Minister
of Negotiations. With Peres were Uri Savir and Avi Gil, who had participated
in the original Oslo negotiations.
Sharon should not only have been upset. He should have forcefully rejected the
attempted replay of the failed Oslo process. Once again, Norway's Terje Roed
Larsen, now holding a powerful UN position, is involved by hosting the Peres-
Qurei meeting at the Norwegian Embassy.
The Israeli electorate resoundingly rejected the Labor Party, the Oslo Process
and its perpetrators in the last Israeli election. It is ludicrous that Peres,
who is not a member of the current government, should try to be involved in the
determination of Israel's foreign policy.
Despite the horrible consequences to the Jewish People, we are once again being
led down the same path of Oslo by the same individuals who visited this
catastrophe upon us. If Sharon was truly acting in behalf of the Jewish
People, he would not allow the Oslo Process to be reinstituted.
The article also pointed out that Sharon complained of another meeting, this
one between PA Minister of Negotiations Saeb Erekat, Yossi Beilin and Labor MK
Haim Ramon. This meeting was hosted by U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer at his
home in Herzliyah.
The incredible interference in the determination of vital Israeli foreign
policy is shockingly clear. To invite to his own home Labor and radical Left-
oriented individuals, together with PA leaders, crosses all red lines of proper
diplomatic behavior, Kurtzer has repeatedly interfered in Israeli internal
affairs in the past and his recall should have been demanded by the Sharon
government long ago.
Israel should demand from the United States that it recall Ambassador Daniel
Kurtzer forthwith.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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January 25, 2004
The People of The Book Has Spoken
Today, Sunday, January 25, 2004 at 12 noon, a historic occasion will occur
at President Katzav's residence in Jerusalem. At that time and place there
will be handed over to the President a symbolic sample of the 350,000
signatures from the Jewish People of Israel against the creation of another
Arab State. Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green) gathered
these signatures in cities throughout Israel.
Women in Green have traveled the length and breadth of this country, and
set up tables in each community for such signatures. Each petition has 11
signatures, with the name, address, and phone number. The authenticity of
these signatures can thus be easily verified.
The Jewish People enthusiastically rushed to sign this Petition, which was
directed to Prime Minister Sharon. They thus expressed their view on this
vital question of whether another Arab State should be created within
Biblical Israel. This is their democratic right and responsibility.
Each petition was faxed to Prime Minister Sharon, but this overwhelming
response was totally ignored by the Prime Minister.
President Katzav, however, has agreed to receive these petitions. At our
meeting, there will also be handed over to him letters from the National
Unity Coalition For Israel and the American Committee for the Preservation
of the Land and People of Israel. The National Unity Coalition For Israel
consists of over 200 organizations of Jews and Christians in the United
States who are pro-Israel. One of these organizations, Women For Israel's
Tomorrow, (Women in Green) with its American Chapters, is a proud
member.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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January 26, 2004
Our Meeting With President Katzav
Women In Green have been aware for some time that the overwhelming
majority of the Jewish People, after living with continual Arab terror for
three long years, are against the creation of another Arab State within
Biblical Israel. The problem was how to get the general public to become
aware that these are the facts. Certainly, you can not get this information
from the general media. It goes out of its way to give the impression that
the majority of people go along with Prime Minister Sharon in his advocacy
of another Arab State in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. This in spite of the fact
that the Arabs in a truly racist and anti-democratic fashion support that the
Jews be uprooted from their homes. Traditionally and historically, Judea,
Samaria and Gaza and the Jewish communities located therein, have
always been part and parcel of the Jewish Homeland. Sadly, it is this area
that is to make up a major part of the new Arab state that is to be created.
Accordingly, the 350,000 signatures that Women In Green have gathered by
visiting the cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beer Sheva, Kiryat Gat, Haifa, Tel
Aviv, Jerusalem, Herzliyah, Netanyah Petach Tikva, Kiryat Ono, Tiberias,
Safed , Kiryat Shmonah and many, many others is truly representative of
how the Jews in Israel feel about the creation of another Arab State
alongside of Israel. That is why we welcomed the opportunity to visit with
President Katzav to convey to him these facts. Prime Minister Sharon has
deliberately and totally ignored the wishes of his people in that regard. He
has been faxed each and every page of the Petition, directed to him by
350,000 citizens of Israel. They have implored him not to support the
establishment of another Arab state in their midst. Sharon has furthermore
disregarded the Likud Party Platform on the basis of which he was elected.
That Platform specifically rejects the creation of an Arab Palestinian state
within Biblical Israel.
Our Jewish People have witnessed Arab terror at close hand and properly
concluded that the majority of the Arabs wish to destroy the Jewish State
of Israel. To establish another Arab state alongside of Israel is not only a
reward for Arab terror, but it will encourage and promote such Arab terror
in the future. In the schooling of their children and in their propaganda the
Arabs refuse to recognize the Jewish State of Israel, nor are they willing to
live in peace with it. It is thus reasonable for our Jewish citizens to
conclude that the Arabs will not change their stance in the foreseeable
future.
At the time our delegation from our organization, of men and women, met
with President Katzav, we conveyed to him the following:
1. We presented him with a sample of over 100,000 of the over 350,000
signatures we had previously obtained. The President's office had called
us not to bring the entire amount of signatures, but merely a sample of
them. The President's office suggested we bring 5 such boxes, but we
actually brought them 7, because we wanted there be over 100,000 such
signatures. We pointed out to President Katzav that these signatures
reveal the true feeling of the Jewish People in Israel, with regard to the
creation of another Arab State in their homeland. This attitude of our
Jewish people is not properly reported in the media. Many people are
unaware that they are part of a great majority who feel that way. When
Prime Mister Sharon advocates the creation of such an Arab state, he is
acting in a dictatorial fashion. The Will of the People is opposed to what he
intends to do. By the way, the electorate had chosen Prime Minister
Sharon in the last election, on the basis of his Party's Platform. This
platform specifically states that it is opposed to the creation of another
Arab State in our midst.
2. Recent polls in America, clearly indicate that approximately 70% of
Americans are opposed to the creation of another Arab State within Biblical
Israel. This reflects the sentiment of millions of Americans who do not
support President Bush's present "Road Map" Proposal. During our
meeting a letter written by the Presidents of American Committee for the
Preservation of the Land and People of Israel and National Unity Coalition,
representing over 200 groups of Christians and Jews who are opposed to
the creation of such an Arab State within Biblical Israel, was presented to
President Katzav. A Full Page Ad to that effect appeared in the Jerusalem
Post's local and international edition as well as the French edition of that
paper, on the Friday, January 23, 2004, preceding our meeting with
President Katzav.
3. At this meeting we presented to President Katzav a Historical and
Archeological Map of Judea and Samaria showing the Jewish Biblical roots
to their homeland. This map was meticulously made up by two of our
devoted members, who spent hundreds of hours of research verifying the
facts stated therein.
4. Our spokesperson Nadia Matar urged the President to do all in his
power to obtain the release of our Prisoners of War Ron Arad, Zecharia
Baumel, Yehuda Katz, Zvi Feldman, Guy Hever, and Jonathan Pollard.
The President responded to this latter plea of Nadia's by saying that just
today he had mentioned the release of these prisoners while he was paying
a shiva call to a family of a soldier in the north, killed by the Hizbullah.
However, he indicated that the media does not always relay such
statements he makes in that regard. As to Jonathan Pollard, the President
stated that both the left and the right were unanimously united in their
efforts to bring Jonathan home.
Referring to the massive number of signatures we had obtained against the
formation of an Arab state, President Katzav was of the opinion that Prime
Minister Sharon would bring the question of such importance to the People
for its decision. He thought the procedure for this would be a Referendum,
submitted to the People of Israel for its decision.
Nadia and several of our women responded that no one has the right to
give any part of the Land of Israel to a foreign entity. Ben Gurion as early
as 1937 recognized this fact at a World Zionist Conference, and it has been
often repeated since then. Esther Beit Halachmi, one of our women,
expressed this view to the President, in an eloquent manner. The banners
that were posted on the boxes we presented to the President carried the
message that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People of Israel
eternally.
President Katzav urged our organization to remain steadfast in our national
beliefs, and praised our organization for its courage and convictions. As a
result we, in Women In Green, were strengthened by the words and
encouragement that the President gave to our delegation.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
You could also read a report of this meeting, by Greer Fay Cashman, in
today's on-line edition of The Jerusalem Post:
http://www.jpost.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=JPost/JPArticl
e/ShowFull&cid=1075097282327
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January 26, 2004
Dear Friends, I am away this week, so I am not able to write my weekly
Letter from Jerusalem. Instead, I would like to share with you an excellent
article by Eric Hoffer.
Ruth Matar
**************************
CAN YOU BELIEVE.....
This article was written 35 years ago.
Some truths never change. Eric Hoffer was a Non-Jewish American social
philosopher. He was born in 1902 and died in 1983, after writing nine
books and winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His first book, The
True Believer, published in 1951, was widely recognized as a classic.
ISRAEL'S PECULIAR POSITION By Eric Hoffer (LA Times 5/26/68)
The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are
forbidden to the Jews. Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of
people and there is no refugee problem. Russia did it, Poland and
Czechoslovakia did it, Turkey threw out a million Greeks, and Algeria a
million Frenchman. Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese - and
no one says a word about refugees.
But in the case of Israel the displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees.
Everyone insists that Israel must take back every single Arab.
Arnold Toynbee calls the displacement of the Arabs an atrocity greater than
any committed by the Nazis. Other nations when victorious on the
battlefield dictate peace terms. But when Israel is victorious it must sue
for peace. Everyone expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in
this world.
Other nations when they are defeated survive and recover but should Israel
be defeated it would be destroyed. Had Nasser triumphed last June he would
have wiped Israel off the map, and no one would have lifted a finger to
save the Jews. No commitment to the Jews by any government, including our
own, is worth the paper it is written on.
There is a cry of outrage all over the world when people die in Vietnam or
when two Negroes are executed in Rhodesia. But when Hitler slaughtered Jews
no one remonstrated with him. The Swedes, who are ready to break off
diplomatic relations with America because of what we do in Vietnam, did not
let out a peep when Hitler was slaughtering Jews. They sent Hitler choice
iron ore, and ball bearings, and serviced his troop trains to Norway.
The Jews are alone in the world. If Israel survives, it will be solely
because of Jewish efforts. And Jewish resources. Yet at this moment
Israel is our only reliable and unconditional ally. We can rely more on
Israel than Israel can rely on us. And one has only to imagine what would
have happened last summer had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the
war to realize how vital the survival of Israel is to America and the West
in general.
I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so will
it go with all of us. Should Israel perish the holocaust will be upon us.
Eric Hoffer, 1968 June.
*******************************************************
January 27, 2004
David Ben Gurion Was Right Then,
As He Is Now!
'No Jew has the right to yield the rights of the Jewish People in Israel. No
Jew has the authority to do so. No Jewish body has the authority to do
so. Not even the entire Jewish People alive today has the right to yield any
part of Israel.
It is the right of the Jewish People over the generations, a right that under
no conditions can be cancelled. Even if Jews during a specific period
proclaim they are relinquishing this right, they have neither the power nor
the authority to deny it to future generations. No concession of this type is
binding or obligates the Jewish People.
Our right to the country - the entire country - exists as an eternal right, and
we shall not yield this historic right until its full and complete redemption
is realized. '
This quotation of David Ben Gurion made at the Zionist Congress in
Basel, Switzerland in 1937, more than 65 years ago, was cited by the
Women In Green in their meeting with President Katzav at his residence on
Sunday,
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January 28, 2004
UNITED WE STAND - DIVIDED WE FALL
LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Dear Friends,
For many months the Women in Green traveled the length and breadth of
Israel in our "Truth Mobile" to collect signatures for a Petition addressed to
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, protesting his plan to create a Palestinian
state in the Biblical Heartland of Israel. Wherever we found the busiest
place in any given town, we set up our tables loaded with Petitions, and
used loudspeakers to ask people to sign. Since Jews from all over the
world are now coming home, we might have printed the Petitions in many
more languages. We limited ourselves to Hebrew, English and Russian.
(Yes, we do have a fair amount of Russian members - one of them the
famous refusnik Ida Nudel)
The text of our Petition to Prime Minister Sharon is as follows:
We, the undersigned raise our collective voices in protest against your
recent statement (and the subsequent remark of U.S. President Bush)
about creating still another Palestinian State within the heartland of the
historic Land of Israel.
The events of the past year have clearly indicated that establishing such a
State would jeopardize the continued existence of Israel. The widespread
Arab terror, and Arafat's refusal to arrest those responsible, confirms the
high degree of collusion among the organizations responsible for such
terror. The uncompromising nature of the Muslim Religion and Arab enmity
are a reality. Arab incitement to terror and hatred of Israel and Jews,
constitute a continuous threat to the safety of everyone. The Palestinian
Authority, like its predecessor the PLO, will always seek Israel's
destruction. It will enlist foreign troops to be stationed within its borders,
and amass sophisticated weaponry, no matter what the restrictions of any
signed written Agreement. As Israel's elected leader you cannot put your
citizens to such risk and danger. We demand that you never agree to the
creation of an additional Arab Enemy State.
* * *
The response was amazing. People literally stood in line to sign the
Petition. They brought their friends; they brought their family; they
brought their neighbors; they even brought passersby to show them this
new phenomenon: the Women in Green daring to stand up against the
much touted "consensus". The Israeli media is unfortunately dominated,
or, in fact, almost completely controlled by the left, which has been
insisting that the People of Israel are anxious to give up their Land for
"Peace". And here, people like them, mothers, grandmothers and young
girls, have come to tell them: "Take a good look! The emperor is naked!
That consensus is one Big Lie!"
And now that we had collected more than 350,000 signatures on our
Petition in a fairly short time, we thought that the media in Israel and the
rest of the world would finally be interested in us. The same way that
they are so interested in former Shabak chief Ami Ayalon's giveaway
scheme, planned together with his Arab partner, Sari Nusseibeh. Their
scheme for a peaceful solution between Jews and Arabs was that the
Jews give away large parts of their Promised Land, and that the Arabs
graciously accept the gift. According to their own website, as of yesterday,
they had the signatures of 156,000 Israelis and 100,000 Palestinian
Arabs. Ami Ayalon was invited by the President of Israel, Moshe Katzav,
to discuss his "peace" initiative.
Were the media interested in our 350,000 plus signatures? These
signatures, with the exception of some 200 Israeli Arabs, were all of Jews.
That's a lot of signatures collected in a relatively short time, in a small
country like Israel with only 6.6 million citizens, by small groups of very
committed people. No, the media was not at all interested! In fact, there
was a deafening silence!
Our problem thus became how to get the general public to become aware
that the majority of Jews in Israel are against the creation of an Arab State
within Biblical Israel. The media certainly was not interested in helping
us, and Prime Mister Sharon deliberately ignored our Petition drive, even
though we faxed him every signature. Of course, he also ignores the Likud
party platform on the basis of which he was elected, which specifically
rejects the creation of an Arab state in the Holy Land.
Fortunately, the President of Israel, Moshe Katzav, invited us to meet with
him at his residence in Jerusalem to discuss our Petition drive, and a
delegation of Women in Green met with him on Sunday, January 25, 2004.
Ma'ariv, the second largest newspaper in Israel, in their January 22
edition, was amazed at this invitation, and expressed the opinion that the
fact that President Katzav even invited the Women in Green, showed that
he was completely above politics.
Our meeting with President Katzav was inspiring. He is a charming, soft-
spoken man, who truly tries to be a man of the People, and to represent
the consensus of the population. He never misses making condolence
visits to the families of terror victims, something that many of our
politicians fail to do.
We brought the President a Historical and Archeological Map of Judea and
Samaria, illustrating the number of places holy to the Jews that date back
to Biblical times. Most importantly, we brought him a sample of the
350,000 signatures, 100,000 of them, in boxes labeled "The Land of Israel
for the People of Israel", because we feel that President Katzav must
represent the consensus of the population, and the 350,000 signatures on
our Petition represent the will of the People.
We also brought him letters from two important United States
organizations: AMERICAN COMMITTEE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE
LAND AND PEOPLE OF ISRAEL and NATIONAL UNITY COALITION FOR
ISRAEL. The text of their letter appeared in a full page advertisement in
the Jerusalem Post of January 23, and is reproduced in full herewith:
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT KATZAV
PRIME MINISTER SHARON AND MEMBERS OF THE KNESSET
January 23, 2004
Dear President Katzav, Prime Minister Sharon and Members of the
Knesset,
We, the AMERICAN COMMITTEE for the PRESERVATION of the LAND and
PEOPLE of ISRAEL, together with the NATIONAL UNITY COALITION FOR
ISRAEL, are sending you this open letter.
We have learned that President Katzav is meeting with WOMEN FOR
ISRAEL'S TOMORROW [WOMEN IN GREEN] in the very near future,
concerning petitions they have gathered containing over 350,000
signatures opposing the creation of a 23rd Arab state within the Biblical
Land of Israel. We understand that these signatures were collected in a
short period of time from all over Israel. This is evidence that an
overwhelming number of Jews in Israel oppose the creation of an Arab
state within the Holy Land.
We are sure you know that G-d promised the Land of Israel to the Jewish
people and there are absolutely millions of Americans who believe what
the Bible says in that regard. The U.S. Congress, as the representative
legislative body upon which Israel relies for its generous support, reflects
the strong ties of the American people to the Nation of Israel.
We are positive that the current level of terrorism (Islamic Jihad) would not
subside, but simply get worse with the establishment of a Palestinian
state. That Palestinian state would not only threaten the existence of the
Middle East's one democracy, but would threaten all of Western
civilization, as well as facilitate the globalization of radical Islam.
Our civilization has been founded on Judeo-Christian moral and ethical
values, which stand in stark contrast to the values of radical Islam.
Another Arab Islamic state established as a reward for Arab terror will
foster further terror - not only within Israel, but especially towards the
United State, and ultimately promote a complete globalization of the
Islamic Jihad.
We respectfully ask that you consider all the implications for world Jewry
and Christianity when determining the possibility of statehood for those
who have repeatedly sworn to eliminate the Jewish Homeland of Israel.
Please do not forget that whatever Israel does has always affected the
world, since Israel was created by G-d to be a "Light unto the Nations."
Sincerely,
AMERICAN COMMITTEE for the PRESERVATION of the LAND
and PEOPLE of ISRAEL
ACPLPI is a non-profit organization under the laws of the State of New
York
3 West 16th Street, Suite 305
New York, NY 10011
ACPLPI@yahoo.com
NATIONAL UNITY COALITION FOR ISRAEL
The Largest Coalition of Pro-Israel Jewish & Christian Organizations in the
USA
200 Organizations Representing 40 Million Americans
Phone: 913-648-0022
Fax: 913-648-7997
www.israelunitycoalition.com
voices@israelunitycoalition.com
* * *
We think that President Katzav was impressed with the magnitude of the
support from the United States, of 40 million Americans, both Christians
and Jews. That this support from the American People is not exaggerated,
is borne out by the recent public opinion survey commissioned by the firm
McLaughlin and associates:
a) 66.6% are against expelling the Jews from their homes in the territories.
b) Nearly 3/4 of Americans (73.6%) support halting $200,000,000 in
annual aid to the Palestinians.
c) 55.7% of respondents said they agree that the Palestinian's goal is "the
eventual destruction of Israel".
d) 65.2% said the Palestinian Authority "cannot be trusted to fulfill peace
agreements that it signs with Israel".
Referring to the massive number of signatures we had obtained, President
Katzav was of the opinion that Prime Minister Sharon would be forced to
bring a question of such importance to the People for its decision.
This is where we differ with the President. There is no point in having
such a referendum since taking part in it would mean that the Jewish
People consider an Arab State in the Holy Land an option. No one has the
right to give away any part of the Land of Israel to a foreign entity, as G-d
has Promised the Land of Israel to the Jewish People for eternity.
As it is written in the Torah:
"The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is Mine;
for you are settlers and residents with Me" (Leviticus 25:23)
To the wonderful American organizations who published the full page
advertisement in the Jerusalem Post, Yasher Koach! You should go from
strength to strength. For in truth,
IF WE ARE UNITED WE STAND - IF WE ARE DIVIDED WE FALL.
With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth Matar
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