October 2001
October 2, 2001 Shiur to Bring Pollard Home!
October 4, 2001 A Palestinian State? Never!
October 10, 2001 Women In Green Needs Volunteers
October 11, 2001 No! To a Palestinian State
October 14, 2001 Great Majority Against a Palestinian State
October 15, 2001 The Behavior of the People Will Dictate the Behavior of the Leaders
October 16, 2001 A Detrimental Unity?
October 16, 2001 Letter to Prime Minister Blair
October 17, 2001 Rehavam Ze'evi Z"L
October 19, 2001 No More Appeasement
October 25, 2001 Kever Rachel
October 25, 2001 In America's Interest: Israel Must Remain In Area A!
October 26, 2001 Listen to Ruth Matar - Women In Green Hour in English
October 28, 2001 Sharon: Rid Us of Peres and Labor!
October 29, 2001 The Oslo Conception Murdered Gandhi
October 29, 2001 Sharon Is More Dangerous than Barak and Peres Together
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Jerusalem, October 2, 2001
Shiur to Bring Pollard Home!
Rabbi Mordechai Noigershal Shlit"a will be giving a shiur (Torah
discourse) sponsored by The Israel Action Alliance's Committee to Bring
Jonathan Home ("HaVaad LeHava'at Yehonatan HaBayta"), a grass roots
organization aiming to increase public awareness about Jonathan Pollard
and to lobby decision makers about him. Rabbi Noigershal will speak in
Hebrew on
"Pidyon Shevuyim Veshichrur Yehonatan "
("Redemption of Captives; Freedom for Yehonatan")
Also speaking will be Knesset Member Michael Kleiner, who will
update us on activities in the Knesset on behalf of Yehonatan.There will
then be a survey of future activities and how everyone can join in the
struggle for Jonathan's freedom. There will be musical entertainment as
well.
The event is scheduled for:
Wednesday, October 3rd (first evening of Chol Hamoed Sukkot) at
8:30pm in the Mevasser Tov Hall in Mevasseret Zion (Rehov HaOren 50).
This is the second of a year-long series of monthly shiurim intended
to arouse people to act on behalf of liberating our brother, Yehonatan
Pollard.
Directions by car: Get off Kvish #1 at the Mevasseret Zion exit. At
the traffic light, follow the sign to Mevasseret. Continue to the first
traffic circle, and turn right. At the next traffic circle, turn right
again (Rehov Oren). The hall is on the right side of the street in the
Yeshiva complex). Directions by bus: Take the #154 or #155 from Jerusalem.
If you need a lift or can give a lift, please call 02-653-6090 or
055-665-036 or email Arvut@egroups.com
To learn more about the Pollard case, see www.jonathanpollard.org
Israel Action Alliance
Committee to Bring Jonathan Home
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Jerusalem, October 4, 2001
A Palestinian State? Never!
The accelerated Arab terrorism within the past year has made the Israeli
public re-evaluate its thinking. Following the rejection by Arafat of the
huge concessions that former Prime Minister Barak's government were prepared
to make, the Palestinian Authority initiated a program of terror. The great
majority of the Jewish People have finally realized the uncompromising
nature of Arab and Islamic thinking. Sadly, the paths taken by previous
Israel governments, namely "Oslo" and "Land For Peace" only resulted in Arab
deceit, and were downright illusory.
Moreover, the exclusive stress on the need for security in Israel for the
Jewish People, has not won over the public opinion of the world community.
It has become readily apparent that new thinking is required on many fronts
concerning the establishment of a modus vivendi between the Jewish and Arab
populations, both within Israel, and Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
Certainly, the events of the past year have clearly indicated that the
creation of a Palestinian state would jeopardize the very existence of
Israel. The U.S. State Department (despite the September 11 catastrophe at
the World Trade Center and the Pentagon) has been pressuring Sharon and
U.S. President Bush to declare their support for such a Palestinian state.
This despite the overwhelming evidence of the terrorist nature of the
Palestinian Authority and Arafat. Both the P.A. and Arafat consistently
foment hatred against Israel and the Jewish People through their educational
and propaganda systems. Both work closely with Hamas and Islamic Jihad,
and, of course, refuse to arrest them, although obligated to do so under
Oslo and other Accords. In the present climate, it is a certainty that
foreign Arab troops which are enemies of Israel, would enter the borders of
such a state shortly after its creation. Moreover, Arab possession of
mortars, forbidden under Oslo, demonstrate that any armament restrictions on
a Palestinian Authority state are worthless.
Since the vast majority of the Israeli public are well aware of the above,
Women In Green have decided to circulate a Petition addressed to Prime
Minister Sharon, which seeks to negate the possibility of creating a
Palestinian state. The Petition, moreover, requests that Sharon, as
Israel's elected national leader, should consistently stress, and act to
restore, the historical rights of the Jewish People to our Promised Land.
Women In Green hope to amass so many signatures of the public throughout
the Land, that it will indicate to the Prime Minister the overwhelming
thinking of a vast majority of the public. This indication of what the
public considers to be right, should carry weight on the question of whether
to establish a Palestinian state within the heart of our national homeland.
Since Israel purports to be a democracy, surely our Prime Minister will
react responsively to what these multitude of signatures demand in their
Petition.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, October 10, 2001
Women In Green Needs Volunteers
We have been informed that Senator Joseph Lieberman of
Connecticut has recently misstated on U.S. television that a
majority of Israelis are in favor of a Palestinian state.
Women in Green have initiated a nation-wide campaign to prove the
falsehood of this irresponsible statement. We are in urgent need of
volunteers throughout the country to help us to circulate the "No to
a Palestinian State" Petition we have drawn up in Hebrew, Russian
and English against the creation of such a state, which would
endanger Israel's very existence.
If you wish to volunteer in this extremely important project please
e-mail us at michaele@netvision.net.il or wfit@womeningreen.org,
telephone 02-624-9887 or fax 02-624-5380, advising us of your
availibility, and where and when our office can contact you.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, October 11, 2001
No! To a Palestinian State
Due to recent news coming out of Israel and the United States regarding
renewed efforts toward establishing a Palestinian state, Women In Green
have decided to begin demonstrating once again.
Our first demonstration will be this SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, AT 8:45 AM,
ACROSS FROM THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE IN JERUSALEM.
At 10:15 am, we will march to the nearby Foreign Ministry (a 10-15
minute walk) where we will demonstrate against Foreign Minister Peres's
policies and demand that Ariel Sharon remove Peres from this and any other
public office. Peres has done far too much damage to the State of Israel
and its people.
We urge you to come, and to pass this message on to friends and family.
Nadia and Ruth Matar
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Jerusalem, October 14, 2001
The Great Majority of the Jewish People in Israel
Are Against a Palestinian State
U.S. Senator, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut is terribly misinformed. He
went on U.S. television recently and irresponsibly claimed that the majority
of Jews in Israel are for the creation of a Palestinian State. This is a
classical bit of disinformation.
Women In Green's Radio Van travels throughout Israel. As such, it is an
intimate contact with the People of Israel and is familiar with its present
attitudes. The facts are that a great majority of the Jewish People in
Israel are presently against a Palestinian State! Any views to the contrary
expressed by Prime Minister Sharon or Foreign Minister Peres, notwithstanding.
Women In Green, therefore, will bring to the attention of Prime Minister
Sharon and Foreign Minister Peres, the attitude of this great majority of
Jews, both in Israel and abroad, against the creation of a Palestinian
State. They will do so at a
DEMONSTRATION
Sunday, October 14, at 9:00 AM. At the Rose Garden, Jerusalem,
Opposite the office of Prime Minister Sharon.
At 10:15 AM, those gathered will March from the Prime Minister's office to
the office of the Foreign Minister, on Ben Zvi Road, where the protest will
continue.
It is the democratic will of the Jewish People that there will not be
another Arab Enemy State to pose a threat to the very existence of Israel.
Having suffered through a year of renewed Arab terror, the Jewish People are
AGAINST committing suicide.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, October 15, 2001
The Behavior of the People Will Dictate the Behavior of the Leaders
The following is the translation of Nadia's weekly Arutz 7 Hebrew
radio show. This show was broadcast on Chol Hamoed Succot.
Shows can be heard on the Arutz 7 website: www.a7.org
This month the Arab-American journalist Joseph Farah wrote a
wonderful article that was published on the Internet at
worldnetdaily.com. Everything that he wrote there regarding the failed
policy of President Bush can be applied equally well to the failed
policy of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Farah writes:
I didn't think it was possible that U.S. Mideast policy could
get any worse than it was under former President Clinton.
I was wrong.
It just got worse - a lot worse.
In fact, viewed through the eyes of the Islamic world,
President Bush's announcement that he favors the creation of
a Palestinian state as part of a comprehensive Middle East
peace initiative can only be seen as a huge strategic victory
for terrorism.
Like Farah's analysis of U.S. Mideast policy we can say about
Israeli policy:
"We didn't think that Israeli policy could get any worse than it was under
former Prime Minister Barak. We were wrong. It just got worse - a lot
worse. In fact, viewed through the eyes of Arafat and the rest of the
Islamic world, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's announcement that he
favors the creation of a Palestinian state can only be seen as a huge
strategic victory for terrorism."
Farah continues, and every word that he writes is relevant for
the government of Israel:
The message is loud and clear: Keep up the violence,
intensify it, keep raising the stakes, make the U.S. pay a price
and your demands will be met - eventually.
I'm sick to my stomach over the U.S. sellout of Israel.
And, once again, we translate what he wrote for our region and
say: "We're sick to our stomachs how the Israeli government abandons
its citizens to the enemy and does not respond to the murder of Jews."
Farah writes that the U.S. is caving in to terror, and that this is
"unconscionable....We are dealing with murderers, liars, cheats,
thieves. This is not a conflict between two reasonable sides with
legitimate grievances. It's a conflict between right and wrong, good and
evil. Bush's decision will result in more bloodshed beyond our
imagination."
We say that Ariel Sharon's announcement will result, and
already has resulted, in more bloodshed.
Farah asserts:
This is worse than negotiating with terrorists. This is
unconditional surrender to them.
It no longer matters what the U.S. does to Osama bin
Laden in Afghanistan. He has already won the war. He has
managed to enshrine himself as the hero to hundreds of
millions of radical Muslims worldwide whose goal is - and
always has been - the destruction of the Jewish state and,
ultimately, Islamic hegemony over the whole world....
The Bush administration has decided to make its bed
with the totalitarians in the Arab world at the expense of the
one bastion of freedom in the Middle East - Israel.
And we say: Prime Minister Sharon has decided to make his bed
with the architects-criminals of Oslo at the expense of the citizens of the
State of Israel.
Farah continues:
What the administration will soon learn is you can never win
by making concessions to these tyrants. No concession is
ever enough. It took many in Israel a long time to figure this
out.
We are rewarding terrorism - pure and simple.
Remember who will lead this new Palestinian state for
life. His name is Yasser Arafat, the father of modern-day
terrorism - a man with lots of American blood on his hands.
For 30 years of hijackings, Olympics murders,
execution of U.S. diplomats, suicide bombings, torture of
dissident Arabs, the cold-blooded killings of Israelis and
more, the reward for Arafat is the presidency of his own state.
With this model in mind, isn't it time to consider giving
bin Laden a state, too?
But as any astute observer of the Middle East can tell
you, a Palestinian state was never the final goal in the first
place. So this is not the end. The Palestinian state was, at
best, an interim step toward the annihilation of the state of
Israel.
This is a war on terrorism?
It seems more like a victory for terrorism,
It seems more like an international celebration of
terrorism.
It seems more like surrender to terrorism.
(End of Farah's article).
I ask: is this it? Shall we sit at home with our hands folded in our lap and
say, as Farah says regarding bin Laden, that Arafat has actually already
won the war?
I am certain that you all have the same gut feeling that says: "We cannot
go on like this." Every day more and more Jews are murdered. Jewish
blood is spilt like water, and our leaders do nothing. We are abandoned
to the mercies of the enemy. What are we to do?
The moment when I personally finally lost my trust in the Prime
Minister and in all our corrupt political leadership was when the
government of Israel "decided not to respond to the murder of Sarit
Amrani," may the Lord avenge her, the mother of three children who was
murdered in a shooting attack the night after Rosh Hashanah on her way
home to Nokdim. The government of Israel does not just not respond to
the murder of Jews (this has been the situation for a year), the Prime
Minister decides - as a formal decision - not to react to the murder of a
Jewish mother. That is to say, the political leadership in Israel sacrifices
its citizens to the enemy, and announces in advance that there will be no
response to murders. Not only this, but there will be a prize for the
murders: the establishment of a Palestinian state!
I am told that the Israeli government and its head are under
tremendous American pressure, and we therefore must "understand" the
situation. My fellow Jews, the answer to this is the famous American
saying: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"
The question that I ask myself, over and over again, is: What
are we to do? We could grumble and cry all day long about the situation,
and about the inactivity of the politicians. This is not enough. It is true
that we have never seen such weak leadership that caves in to terror. But
I want to add that we have never seen a people like ours, that does not
react and rise up against this irresponsible abandonment.
When I turn to Jews abroad, to ask them to try and influence
matters, to send protest faxes and the like ... they tell me, and rightly so,
"What do you want from us?" "What is happening with you?" "Where
are the people?" "How can you be silent like this?" "Where are the
hundreds of thousands in the streets?"
And so, the question is not "How can it be that the government
of Israel abandons its citizens to the enemy and does not respond to the
murder of Jews?" The true question is: "How can it be that we, the
people, allow the government to abandon us? Where are the stormy
demonstrations? Where is the spontaneous 'taking to the barricades'?
Where is our anger?"
It is very easy to preach to politicians. But we must look in the
mirror. If we had taken to the streets, in tens of thousands, the day after
the Prime Minister's declaration of his consent to the establishment of a
Palestinian state, and had cried out: "A Palestinian state? No - never!
Eretz Israel belongs to the People of Israel!" and we had let Sharon
understand that if he would not immediately retract his humiliating
proclamation, we would immediately bring him down. And, additionally,
if all the television stations in Israel would broadcast reports of
protesters filling the streets in Israel in the wake of the Prime Minister's
statement, everything would look differently.
If, every time that a Jew were wounded, spontaneous and vocal -
yes, even stormy - demonstrations would be held, the Prime Minister
would be compelled to act in a more forceful manner.
We must understand the strange situation in which we find
ourselves and to draw the conclusions: today, there are no strong
leaders who act in accordance with ideology and who show the way.
Obviously, there is no leadership in the left, but there is none in the
right either. Neither Bibi nor Sharon. All of them (kuuu-lam) are the
same. All are weak, All are afraid of what the non-Jews will say.
Consequently, now it is the behavior of the people that dictates
the behavior of the politicians. Our silence will lead to the submission
and restraint of the leadership. In contrast to this, taking to the streets,
spontaneous demonstrations, the anger and bitter wailing of the people,
will compel the leadership to act differently. The leadership trails after
the
conduct of the people. This will be so until a completely new generation
of true Jewish leaders will arise, who will act within completely new
frameworks. But until then, we must understand that a heavy
responsibility lies upon us: our actions and our responses will dictate the
actions of the weak politicians.
I want to believe that it is still not too late. Although there is no
spiritual and political leadership that leads and shows the way - the
people is fundamentally strong. It's just that it does not sufficiently
believe in itself and in its power to change things.
When I visited Hebron on Hol ha-Moed of Sukkot with my
family, we saw the people there. Tens of thousands of visitors and
supporters, men, women, youth, and children, from throughout Israel,
came to Hebron. From Haifa, from Givatayim, from Netanyah, from Beit
Horon, from Beersheva, from Jerusalem, from Tel Aviv, from Tiberias,
from Nahariyah, from the settlements of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza ... from
everywhere! And when we came under attack and the Arabs began to
shoot at us from the Abu Snenah neighborhood. There was no panic.
There was only anger at the government's still allowing this
anarchy.
And the people showed its strength and fortitude the following
day when, despite the attack, once again tens of thousands came to the
celebrations in Hebron. And that same week, tens of thousands
participated in the celebrations of "Se'u Zionah nes ve-degel - Bear the
banner and flag to Zion!" - the celebrations in honor of the initial settling
of new settlements in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, in memory of the victims
of the Arab terror.
The conclusion is simple: There is only the people. There is no
leadership. And if we want to change the humiliating behavior of the
leadership, we, the people, must prepare to act in such a manner that will
force the political leadership to drastically change its policy. We will
show them that the people will tolerate only a proud Jewish-Zionist
leadership that combats terror, that does not allow the enemy to attack
the Jewish interest, and that loudly proclaims: "The Land of Israel
belongs to the People of Israel in accordance with the Torah of Israel."
Such a leader was Danny Shoham, who died during Chol HaMoed.
Danny, one of the first members of Lehi [Lohamei Herut Yisrael],
was known as "Danny Beit Hamikdash." A proud Jew. A Jewish hero.
I will quote a single passage that appears on the last page of the
book by Ezra Yakhin, Yibaneh [It Shall be Built]!: The Story of Danny
Beit Hamikdash, a Fighter for the Freedom of Israel, p. 301:
When people greet me with the word Shalom, I have difficulty
in replying "Shalom." What kind of peace is this, if we have
fought so much for this land, and most of it is still captive in
the hands of non-Jews? No! We did not fight for peace in
threatening borders that drip blood. Peace is impossible and
shall not be established as long as the Mount that soars
above all peaks, the Temple Mount, is beyond the territory of
the Jews.
"The Temple Mount," I am accustomed to respond to
those who greet me. First the Temple Mount. If we build the
Temple - peace will be established. Since then, all my
comrades have learned to greet me with the greeting of the
Temple Mount. Everyone knows what my name is. Not Zevi,
not Danny, not Danny the Elder, but "Danny Har Habayit [the
Temple Mount]." This is my name. [...]
The Six Day War came. The proclamation by the
commander of the Paratroop Brigade, "The Temple Mount is
in our hands!" came. I ascended the Mount with the greatest
of the poets, Uri Zvi Greenberg, and with the pillar of fire that
goes before the camp - [Yisrael] Eldad. The sight is not
inviting. The Temple Mount is in our hands, but our hands
are not engaged in its redemption. More is lacking than exists.
Uri Zvi Greenberg turned to me and said: "You said all the
time, 'The Temple Mount,' and now we are here. Say from now
on, 'The Temple!'"
Since then, everyone knows not to greet me with
"Shalom." Nor do they great me any more with "The Temple
Mount."
"The Temple" - this is the greeting-desire.
"It shall be built!" - this is the response.
"The Temple" - this is the prayer.
"It shall be built!" - this is peace.
Danny Beit Hamikdash. May his memory be for a blessing.
It is in our power, and our obligation, to continue the struggle
that heroes like him began.
Nadia Matar
Chairperson, Women in Green
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Jerusalem, October 16, 2001
A Detrimental Unity?
With the resignations of the Nationalist oriented factions, what remains is
a Government led by Shimon Peres. In the name of a Unity Government, Sharon
has capitulated to Peres and the failed Oslo process of the Labor Party. It
moreover dictates a continuation of a Peres policy of appeasement to Arafat
and the Palestinian Authority. Labor resoundingly lost the last election,
but surprisingly rules the roost today. The Shas Party remains in the
Government and can be counted on never to leave. Its major concern is its
own survival and Party advantages, rather than the vital interest of the
Jewish People. Added to the pot-pourri is the Dan Meridor faction, which
lacks any real program nor any plans for solving national ills. A
Government composed of such a motley group is doomed to failure. It can
have no real leadership because of the serious conflicting viewpoints of its
main members.The result is a Government of compromise and appeasement.
Where do we go from here? The Government is following the path of Peres to
renew Oslo, and to live with Arafat and a Palestinian State. In fact Sharon
incredulously initiated a statement talking about the creation of such a
State several weeks ago. As such, he offended the majority of Jews who do
not believe he was speaking in their behalf. One does not have to be
clairvoyant to realize that the Palestinian Authority and Arafat are not
capable of changing their ways. They have had a sustained course of action
of teaching hatred and hostility in their schools and in their media against
Israel and the Jewish People. Such action has borne fruit - suicide bombers
and ruthless shootings of civilians . It will be a very long time before
there can occur any change in this Arab hostility, if ever.
There is virtually a lack of concern by Peres and the U.S. State Department
for the loss of Jewish life. Remarkably, the catastrophe of September 11
hasn't changed the U.S. State Department's policies in the Middle East.
They have divorced Arafat from terrorism and insist that Israel sit down
with him to work out a peace process. Such a myopic approach is a clear
message to Israel that there will be no moral leadership from the United
States. A spark which Sharon recently generated by his pointing out
American inconsistencies about the terror of Arafat, has been quickly
extinguished. The Israeli Government is back to its subservient role to
American interests, to its own detriment.
What should be the course of action of the Jewish People who a year ago
entrusted the leadership of their nation to Sharon? He has grievously
disappointed this electorate. At the time, the Jews resoundedly defeated
the Labor orientation of Barak and Peres. Yet those policies dominate the
present Government of Sharon.
The latest Sharon appeasement is his failure to retain Abu Sneineh. Once
again we are turning over this area to Arafat's control, thus exposing the
Jewish Community of Hebron to murderous attacks. Sharon, who has called
Arafat a murderer and a liar, is entrusting the safety and security of the
Jews of Hebron into Arafat's hands. It is an incomprehensible situation.
It well deserved the departure of the nationalist camp from Sharon's
Government.
Unfortunately, Sharon will go down in Jewish history as a mediocrity. He has
failed to meet the historical needs of his People. He has missed
opportunities to retake part of his ancestral homeland. Sharon's major
failure, however, under the guise of unity, was elevating Peres to a
position where Peres is able to defy the Will of the Jewish People.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Israel, October 16, 2001
Letter to Prime Minister Blair
To Prime Minister Tony Blair
We will neither forget nor forgive.
During the Holocaust the British closed off access to the Land of Israel
and prevented European Jews from escaping the Nazi beast by fleeing to
their homeland.
Thus Britain was effectively a full collaborator with the Nazis in their
attempt to annihilate the Jewish People.
During the British Mandate, when Britain occupied the Land of Israel
(1917-1948), Britain betrayed its promises in the Balfour Declaration by
appeasing Arab terror and extremism, and turned a blind eye to the Arab
pogroms against the Jews throughout the Land.
For example, in 1929 the British could have – but did not – prevented the
massacre of the flourishing Jewish community in Hebron by their Arab
neighbors. Your inaction and indifference led to the ethnic cleansing of
Hebron's Jews and thus interrupted thousands of consecutive years of Jewish
life in Hebron. Yes, Britain is responsible for Hebron being Judenrein
(clean of Jews)till our return in 1967.
The list of British acts of collaboration with Arab terror is endless and
shameful.
And now you have the gall to once again ally yourself with Israel's bitter
enemy, the mass murderer Arafat, supporting his demand to create a
terrorist Palestinian state in Israel's heartland, knowing full well that
such a state would mean the destruction of the State of Israel.
Shame on you!
Let us remember God's words to the first Jewish "settler," Abraham: "I will
bless those who bless you (Israel) - and curse him that curses you"
(Genesis 12:3).
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, October 17, 2001
Rehavam Ze'evi Z"L
It is with great sadness that we bid farewell to our
beloved warrior and loyal friend, Rehavam Ze'evi.
Evil enemies have taken him from us, but they will not
prevail. May his blood be avenged.
He always stood in the front ranks of those who loved our
People and our Land. He will be sorely missed, but his
memory and the goals he fought for will always provide a
continuous inspiration for us.
Nadia and Ruth Matar
and all the Women In Green
[Women In Green will meet tomorrow at 3:00 pm outside
Sha'are Zedek Hospital and walk together to Har Herzl,
where we will join in the funeral of Rehavam Ze'evi Z"L.]
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Jerusalem, October 19, 2001
No More Appeasement
Women In Green will continue with their weekly demonstrations outside the
Prime Minister's Office at the Rose Garden in Jerusalem, on Sunday morning,
October 21, 2001 at 9:00 A.M. As in the previous week, at approximately
10:15 A.M., we will March over to the nearby Office of the Foreign
Ministry on Ben Tzvi Boulevard, where we will continue our protest directed
at Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
We will urge Prime Minister Sharon and Foreign Minister Peres not to repeat
their sad appeasements of Arafat and the warring terrorist Palestinian
Arabs. Such appeasement does not help to improve the security or safety of
our People one whit. Only a strong, firm, resolute hand will be
understood. The opportunity afforded by the brutal murder of our beloved
"Gandhi," a former Minister of the Government, should be seized. We should
retake Joseph's Tomb in Schehem, and our ancient synagogue in Jericho. We
should never withdraw from any area we have been forced to retake because of
Arab terrorism. Only in this manner will safety and security be provided
for the Jewish People in their ancient, historical, and holy Homeland.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, October 25, 2001
Kever Rachel
This Sunday, the 11th of Cheshvan marks the yahrtzeit of Rachel Imeinu. As
you may recall, in previous years, tens of thousands of Jews thronged Kever
Rachel on this day. Last year, the Barak government closed Kever Rachel to
all Jews as a preliminary step in handing over the holy site to the PLO.
Only a handful of Jews came to the Beit Lechem Gilo intersection to attempt
to pray near Rachel Imeinu and to protest the outrage. This year, with
G-d's help, Kever Rachel is open for Jewish prayer. While the Israeli media
is pressuring for an immediate IDF withdrawal from Beit Lechem and other
cities currently in our hands, it is vital that thousands of Jews again
inundate this holy site and claim for all the world to see that Am Yisrael
will not surrender! Please see this message as a personal plea to do your
utmost to visit Kever Rachel on Sat. nite or Sunday. Of course, the area
will be fully secured by the IDF.
Egged buses number 163 (bulletproof) from the renewed central bus station
in Jerusalem from platform 5 as follows:
Sat. night: Every hour on the hour from 7 until 12.
Sunday: Every half hour from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The bus will make additional stops through Geulah at the bus stops of bus
#1 on Sarei Yisrael, Malchei Yisrael and Shivtei Yisrael streets.
Rachel Imeinu will be happy to see you on other days as well. Kever Rachel
is open 24 hours a day for those people travelling in bulletproof vehicles.
Egged bus number 163 goes to Kever Rachel at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Return time is 90 minutes after departure. In addition, shuttle buses
enter Kever Rachel daily from the Beit Lechem Gilo intersection every half
hour between the hours of 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
For more information: 056-530-537 or 02-996-1756
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Jerusalem, October 25, 2001
In America's Interest: Israel Must Remain In Area A!
Terror is indivisible, and will spread if not rooted out at its core. It
cannot be distinguished, nor differentiated. That is the grim lesson of
September 11. The U.S. State Department, which advises President Bush and
U.S. Secretary of State Powell, has not adjusted to this reality. Calls by
the U.S. that the Israel Defense Forces withdraw from the cities where it is
presently located, is against the interests of the United States. The
Palestinian Authority has refused to outlaw Hamas, the PFLP and other Jihad
groups and jail the terrorists that are operating in these areas. This
must be done, or such terror will continue and eventually spread. The IDF,
under such circumstances, must be allowed to root out these terrorists once
and for all times.
Therefore, Women In Green will convey this message to Prime Minister Sharon
on Sunday, October 28, 2001 at 9 A.M. at the Rose Garden in Jerusalem,
opposite his offices where his Cabinet will be meeting.
At 10:15 A.M. Women In Green will then March over to the nearby Office of
the Foreign Ministry, where they will bring the same message to Foreign
Minister Shimon Peres.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, October 26, 2001
Listen to Ruth Matar
Women In Green Hour in English
This week:
"Why is There a Cover-up of Arafat's Ordering
the Murder of U.S. Diplomats?"
Ruth Matar interviews:
James J. Welsh
(former U.S. National Security Analyst for
Palestinian Afairs)
Wednesday, October 31, 2001, at 9:07 PM (Israel time)
On Arutz 7, 98.7 FM or 1539 AM
Also live on Internet: http://www.israelnationalnews.com
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Jerusalem, October 28, 2001
Sharon: Rid Us of Peres and Labor!
The feelings of frustration, together with the dissatisfaction with the
policies of the Peres-Sharon unity government, have become sorrowful facts
under which most Jews live. The zig-zag policies of the government are
disconcerting. The statements of Sharon's office which tell us that this
government will not leave area A until its ultimatum is complied with turn
out, once again, to be a statement of a paper tiger. The demands, similar to
those made by U.S. President Bush on the Taliban regime in Afghanastan,
that the Palestinian Authority outlaw the PFLP, Hamas and other terrorist
groups, and to arrest and turn over to Israel the murderers of Minister
Ze'evi, are inconsistently abandoned by Sharon. There is a rush to tell the
world that we soon intend to withdraw, weakening the morale of our nation
and the IDF.
What does all this mean? Certainly it points to a lack of an overall plan,
and a resolve to apply it, something vital to a nation engaged in a war for
its survival. Moreover, it highlights the impossibility of decisive
leadership as long as a divisive Labor Party remains part of the unity
government. The small Labor minority which forced Oslo on the public, and
is still committed to this suicidal plan, has been given key positions by
Sharon in the unity entity. Labor continues to express its own conflicting
views, and insists it has the right to do so.
We have a Palestinian Authority that has ruthlessly killed and maimed scores
of Jews during Arafat's intifada. Yet it has not been required to compensate
families that have been gravely harmed, nor children who were left without
parents, or lost limbs as a result of these Arab atrocities. The PA even
refuses to pay its long overdue huge electric bill. All this because we do
not have the leadership capable of making consistent, purposeful and firm
decisions.
Women In Green urge the Sharon Government to make an end to the false and
divisive unity. To use the monies that have been withheld from the
Palestinian Authority to attempt to compensate those Jewish families that
have sustained grave losses as a result of these Arab attacks. If these
monies are not used in this fashion, we can surely expect that they will be
turned over to the Palestinian Authority at some stage. Thus the PA will be
rewarded for the violence it has created, and escape paying for the
irreparable damage they have caused to many innocent Jewish families. There
is no better deterrent to Arab violence than to have them personally pay for
the damages they cause. In addition, a firm decision to shut off, on a
given date, its electricity will result in the immediate payment of the PA's
outstanding bill.
There is ample precedent for Arabs paying damages for their intifada.
History is replete with such payments by those who go to war and lose.
Sharon must rid himself of the Arab apologists in the Labor Camp who
generally hold views diametrically opposed to those held by the majority of
the public. There must be an end to disunity, and an inaction caused by
dissention. There is a sufficient majority to form a government which will
truly work solely in our own national self-interest. Moreover, such a
government will be more consistent with, and representative of, the
overwhelming majority that voted out Labor in the last election.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, October 29, 2001
The Oslo Conception Murdered Gandhi
The following is a translation of part of
Nadia's show last Thursday on Arutz 7:
The day on which Rehavam Ze'evi (Gandhi), may the Lord
avenge him, was murdered, like many in Israel - I could not function.
Like many in Israel, the shock was tremendous. The mind did not want
to believe. The body responded with a feeling of profound inner pain.
The muscles refused to move. These feelings accompany many of us
today as well, more than a week after the murder. In order to keep my
sanity, I kept myself busy that terrible day, writing an obituary for the
newspapers.
This is the translation of the Hebrew obituary that we sent in
the name of our movement:
The "Women in Green" movement bows its head
before the hero of Israel, a proud Jew, our cherished friend,
Minister Rehavam Ze'evi, may the Lord avenge him,
who was murdered by bloodthirsty Arabs.
In his death he left a testament for the people of Israel
to enlist in the war for the redemption of Eretz Israel."
But the truth is that there are no words.
There are no words to express the pain.
There are no words to express the shock.
There are no words to express the national disgrace.
There are no words to express the greatness of the precious
man.
There are no words to express our love and our esteem for him.
A special relationship developed over the years between
Gandhi, may the Lord avenge him, and Women in Green. A relationship
of respect, a relationship of friendship. A relationship that also
developed into a personal relationship between our family (the Matar
family) and Gandhi, may the Lord avenge him, and his dear wife Yael,
may she live a long life.
When the Women in Green movement was in its infancy, when
we incessantly protested against the Rabin/Peres government, Gandhi
was the only Member of Knesset who stood with us on the sidewalk,
mingled among the demonstrators, and demonstrated with us. At these
demonstrations Gandhi always delivered emotional speeches that stirred
all of us. His words gave us the strength to continue and to persevere.
Every time that we were arrested by the police under then Police Minister
Shahal who, you will recall, attempted to repress the national camp and
shut our mouths by the use of force against demonstrators, including pregnant
and elderly women - it was MK Rehavam Ze'evi who came to our assistance, and
who did not rest until we were released from jail.
Our personal family relationship with Gandhi began immediately
after the '96 elections. Our son was born two days before the elections.
The brit milah (circumcision) was held on the day that we learned
officially that the national camp had defeated the Oslo criminals, and that
Benjamin Netanyahu had been elected. The brit milah celebration turned
into a victory celebration for the national camp, when we still naively
thought that Netanyahu would bring about the change we longed for.
We held the brit milah in Maarat ha-Machpelah (the Tomb of the
Patriarchs).
We were greatly honored that Gandhi consented to be the one
who "presents" the baby (the kvatter). We named our son Yisrael
Amihai, but Gandhi always called him by the nickname "Dagan," because
he was born a while after our struggle on Givat Hadagan.
We kept in touch ever since the brit milah. We were invited to
Yael's birthday, and to the wedding anniversary of Yael and Gandhi, a so
beautiful and so loving couple. When our Amihai turned three, it was
Gandhi who gave him his first haircut. Despite his being very busy, he
and Yael came to our home in Efrat to share in our celebration.
It was a great honor for us that our children knew a Jewish hero
like Gandhi, even slightly.
When little Amihai, who is five years old now, heard about the
murder, he said, in all seriousness and with great sadness: "Daddy, this
is the end of the Jewish people." And despite the fact that, physically,
the Jewish people obviously continues to exist, five-year-old Amihai's
statement expresses a type of truth that we all feel: now that Gandhi is
no longer with us, Israel does not have a single true Jewish-Zionist
leader.
And despite my having known Gandhi for only a few years, I am
at a loss for words to describe him. Gandhi was, first and foremost, a
mentsch - a real human being. He always was concerned for others. He
always tried to help. He was always there in time of trouble. Someone
expressed this well when he spontaneously taped a sign on his
automobile: "Gandhi was a true friend!" Hundreds of stories about
Gandhi are being told these past days, and together they portray a man
who so loved to help his Jewish brethren. The terror victims can attest
that Gandhi was the only one among all the politicians who made sure to
come to the funerals and/or to console the mourners. In short, Gandhi
loved the people, and the people loved Gandhi.
At the same time, Gandhi resolutely held his opinions, uncompromisingly.
A proud Jew, a man of truth who is not afraid to tell the truth. A true
leader whose entire life constituted a personal example. Accordingly, in
addition to all the compliments, the eulogies, and fine recollections
that we hear about Gandhi from people on the right, and even from people
on the left - I am convinced that Gandhi would expect us to add the bitter
truth regarding his murder:
We must remember, and not forget, that Oslo murdered Gandhi. Or, to be more
precise, the "Oslo conception" murdered Gandhi.
That same terrible conception that says that we must surrender
to terror. Gandhi's murder, like the other murders of Jews since Oslo, is a
direct result of capitulation and surrender to terror. All the architects-
criminals-supporters-continuers of Oslo cannot say, "Our hands did not
shed this blood." Just as they cannot say this about the other victims of
the Oslo war. We must recall that Shimon Peres and the other Oslo
criminals gave the enemy guns, and ammunition, and cities of refuge.
These guns are murdering us every day. These guns also murdered
Gandhi.
The war today in Israel is between the "Oslo conception" and
the "Gandhi heritage." A war between the post-Zionists and the
Zionists. A war between the Israelis who are willing to concede Eretz
Israel and hand it over to the enemy, and the Jews, such as Gandhi, who
love the land, love the people, and are willing to give their lives for a
continued Jewish existence in all of Eretz Israel.
In the last elections the people chose the Gandhi heritage. A heritage of
love of the people of Israel, the Land of Israel, and the Torah of Israel.
We thought, in our innocence, that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
would represent that heritage. But in recent weeks we were stunned by
Ariel Sharon's statements in favor of the establishment of a Palestinian
state in the heart of Eretz Israel. At every occasion - even at Gandhi's
memorial ceremony in the Knesset - Sharon repeats that he is willing to
make "painful concessions." In the last few days, the "Ha'aretz" newspaper
has leaked that Sharon has already presented President George Bush
with a clear plan for the creation of a Palestinian state in Yesha. When
Bush asked Sharon what will happen to the many settlements in those
areas that are supposed to be handed over to the Palestinians, Sharon
is quoted as saying: "Don't worry. I know how to deal with them".
Remembering that it was Sharon who was in charge of uprooting and
destroying Yamit, we know what he means when he says he will "deal
with the settlements." In fact, people surrounding PM Sharon have told
and warned Yesha people that Sharon often repeats that "only he is
capable of uprooting settlements."
With his statement in favor of a PA terror state, Sharon thus joined the
small band of "Oslo conception" supporters who are struggling against
the Jewish "Gandhi heritage." Such an announcement is a betrayal of the
mandate that the people gave Sharon. Agreeing to the establishment of a
Palestinian state is also a betrayal of the Likud platform, a platform that
Sharon is supposed to represent, that states explicitly that "no Arab
state will be established to the west of the Jordan." Consent to the
establishment of a Palestinian state is a slap in the face of thousands of
years of Jewish history in Eretz Israel. It is also a slap in the face to
Gandhi's family, to the family of the victims of Oslo, and to the family of
all the terror victims and the families of the soldiers who fell in the war
for
the establishment of the State of Israel.
Throughout our people's entire history, despite all the
persecutions, despite the Inquisition, despite the pogroms, despite the
Holocaust - no leader could conceive of foregoing a single bit of Eretz
Israel. By what right does Ariel Sharon now surrender our land and
homeland? Did we establish the State of Israel and sacrifice more than
20,000 of our sons in Israel's wars, in order to give over our land to a
foreign people? We call upon Ariel Sharon to retract immediately,
publicly, his shameful proclamations of assent to the establishment of a
Palestinian state in the heart of Israel.
Ariel Sharon received a mandate from the people to continue the "Gandhi
heritage." A deviation from this mandate will compel us to bring down the
government and to find other leaders.
We pledge to Rehavam Ze'evi - Gandhi, may the Lord avenge him, that we will
neither be silent nor still. We will continue his will with greater vigor:
the struggle for the people of Israel, the Land of Israel, and the Torah of
Israel.
To the Ze'evi family, to our dear Yael and to the dear children, be strong.
We love you.
Nadia Matar
Co-chairperson, Women in Green
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Jerusalem, October 29, 2001
Sharon Is More Dangerous than Barak and Peres Together
by Haggai Huberman
The following is a translation of an important article that
appeared in today's "Hatzofe" newspaper (October 29)
If we had thought until recently that Ehud Barak was the Prime
Minister who set forth the most dangerous political proposal for the
State of Israel, the one that was discussed with the Palestinians in the
Camp David talks in the summer of 2000 and in the Taba talks exactly a
year ago, Ariel Sharon comes and proves that he can be much more
dangerous, from the diplomatic aspect, than Ehud Barak.
Last week the "Ha'aretz" newspaper revealed, in its lead article by
its political correspondent Aluf Benn, that Sharon is willing to offer
Arafat an interim agreement that centers around the establishment of a
Palestinian state, even before the determination of the final borders. The
main elements of Sharon's political proposal are a long-term interim
agreement, without a timetable, while postponing the treatment of the
difficult issues such as the refugees and Jerusalem, but with the
establishment of a Palestinian state even before the resolution of the
other issues.
Aluf Benn's article clearly shows that it is based on background
talks with the Prime Minister himself. When he writes sentences such as
"Sharon is of the opinion..." or "According to Sharon..." this does not
attest that the "Ha'aretz" political correspondent has become a
parapsychologist or a telepath. This is a well-known technique of
journalistic writing, to cite statements without attribution - while
mentioning by name the person who made the statements.
If Sharon is indeed willing to already offer the Palestinians a
state in the stage of the interim agreement, then this is a political plan
more dangerous than any of the agreements that have been signed until
now with the Palestinians, by any Israeli government. The policy of the
leftist governments since the beginning of the Oslo process was that the
Palestinians will receive a state - but at the end of the process, only after
the resolution of all the difficult problems, including Jerusalem and the
refugees. Although at Camp David Ehud Barak tabled the proposal that
the Palestinians would receive a state encompassing all the territory of
Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital, including
control in practice of the Old City, he set this forth within the context of
"all or nothing" - and in the end he was left with nothing, to everyone's
relief.
In the final analysis, the tremendous advantage of Barak's plan lay in its
unrealistic nature. Thanks to the Barak government, the left as well came
to know the true face of Yasser Arafat, that behind the handshakes and
the smiles hides the concealed old and profound aspiration to bring
about the eventual destruction of the State of Israel, even at the price of
the postponement of the establishment of the Palestinian state.
The probability of the establishment of a Palestinian state
dropped to zero in the past year. Arafat, perhaps in one of the fatal
mistakes of his life, missed the "now or never" moment. This was on
September 13, 2000, the day the interim agreements of the Oslo accords
formally came to an end, and the final-status agreement was supposed to
be signed. Until that day, the political process in the region was
conducted in a manner leading directly to the establishment of a
Palestinian state. [...] Arafat, unlike Ben-Gurion, when the latter also
stood at such a moment [of proclaiming a state], decided to change
direction: instead of declaring a state,[he decided] to go forth to war.
And in this war he has suffered a stinging strategic defeat until now.
After a year of fighting, he cannot point to a single accomplishment,
either political or military, either tactical or strategic.
Who came to his rescue? Arik Sharon. If the permanent-status
agreement is not practical, Sharon is also willing to give a state in the
interim agreement, the chances of whose attainment are realistic, while
leaving the conflict and its causes still in place. Just what Arafat so
greatly hungers to attain.
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