September 1996 September 1, 1996 Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu: September 8, 1996 Peres' Continued Hypocrisy - Netanyahu's Temporary(?) Cave-In September 12, 1996 Jewish Nationalism is Alive and Well September 17, 1996 Hebron Revisited September 18, 1996 A Call For Leadership September 25, 1996 What Kind of "Peace" Do We Have with Egypt? September 26, 1996 "You Gave Them the Guns which Kill Our Children" September 26, 1996 Arab Rioting - A Forerunner of Things to Come in Hebron ************************************************************ September 1, 1996 Honorable Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister of the State of Israel Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu: Women For Israel's Tomorrow is a duly registered Amutah since 1993, and is as its name suggests, devoted to the betterment of the State of Israel. It is a grass roots women's movement, although we have many men among our members. We have Chapters throughout Israel, but also have many Chapters in America and Canada, including Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Silver Springs, Miami Beach, New York, Teaneck, Detroit and Norfolk. Our members are both secular and religious, housewives and professionals, mothers, wives and daughters; all our members have a common bond, their love, devotion and concern for Israel. We have worked for more than three years, literally day and night, against what we believed to be the disastrous policies of the Rabin- Peres Government. During the recent election, even though our organization is a-political, our members were among your stalwart supporters, and made every effort to see that you were elected. We felt then, and feel today, that the Oslo Accords are immoral and represent a real and actual threat to Jewish survival. We believe these Accords were signed without the approval and consent of the Jewish People, and that the large majority of the Jewish vote you obtained in the past election, reflects this opposition to Oslo. Nevertheless, we urge you not to go back on the standards you have previously announced, and which the People of Israel have applauded. You must continue to be firm on the basic requirement of reciprocity which you yourself have set as a precondition for Arafat and his adherents. Your insistence on their full compliance before considering any claims of Israel's further obligations is not only fair, but is in accordance with recognized basic contract law. Mr. Peres acknowledges, in a jibe at you in the news today, that you are under inordinate pressure,(presumably from America, the Europeans, Mubarak, and the Labor-Meretz people and the media itself), to move away from your requirement of reciprocity beforehand, and to meet with Arafat and to shake his "murderous" hand. No matter the weight of pragmatic considerations which you feel force a concession on your part to meet with Arafat at this time, your following Peres' lead in shaking Arafat's bloody hand is simply out of the question, and crosses the red line which leads directly to the destruction of Jewish morality. Such a handshake would be most traumatic, and have an adverse affect on the many thousands of us who worked so hard to elect you. Their confidence in you would be shaken beyond repair, and would put your following in an utter state of disarray. The only ones who will rejoice will be the Peres-Meretz clan, who will rightfully gloat "Peres and Netanyahu are indistinguishable with regard to accepting Arafat, and all he stood and stands for, past, present and future." We need a leadership that has the strength and courage to take positions that are morally right in accordance with our prophetic tradition. We must be able to count on you for such inspirational Jewish leadership. Please do not disappoint us. Ruth and Nadia MatarTop of Page | End of Page | What We Say Index Page | To Home Page
************************************************ Jerusalem, September 8, 1996. Peres' Continued Hypocrisy - Netanyahu's Temporary(?) Cave-In If anyone wishes to know why Shimon Peres is not trusted, loved or respected by the Jewish populace generally, look no further than the type of public statements he has been making of late. Incredulously claiming he represents 50% of the Israel electorate, (which includes practically the entire Arab vote), he has acted independently of the government in conducting his own foreign relations, meeting with Arafat and his Norwegian supporters, and King Hussein of Morocco. His conduct can not be described in any other way but as audacious, disloyal and disruptive. Peres continually attempts to force Netanyahu's hand to follow his own failed policies, which Jewish voters had emphatically rejected. Aided by a media hostile to the new leadership, he conducts open warfare on Netanyahu. In those instances where Netanyahu's actions are not condemned outright, Peres explains that Netanyahu is merely copying or carrying out prior policies originated by Peres. What one clearly perceives in Peres' conduct is not the expected actions of the opposition leader, which he is. In contradistinction to the conduct of Bob Dole in the present U.S. Presidential race, Peres has invented a new set of rules of behavior. Whereas Dole wisely but natuarally, gives his all out support to President Clinton concerning the U.S. attack on Iraq, Peres incredulously sides with Arafat, the self-proclaimed enemy of Israel, in Arafat's various disputes with Netanyahu. It is readily apparent that Peres' first loyalty is to Peres, justifying his past actions with Arafat; never is there a pronouncement by Peres of his loyalty to the Jewish People and their Jewish Heritage. Unfortunately, there is a brazenness, and incapability of respecting the "Will" of the Jewish People on the part of Peres. He treats us all as if we are simpletons, incapable of seeing what he conceives to be the needs of Israel. Peres ignores all facts and proof which clearly demonstrate that his policies have failed; that these policies had no chance of bringing peace, especially relying on the murderer Arafat as his "peace partner". Therefore when Peres was called upon by the "friendly" media to give his views on why it was necessary for Netanyahu to meet directly with Arafat, Peres came up with another of his classical hypocricies: "it is time for some courage and decency. Enough with cynicism." This comment, after Netanyahu had capitulated to the inordinate pressure which Peres admits had been brought upon the Israel Government by many forces for such a direct meeting! For Peres to use the words "decency" and "cynicism" in this context is indeed ludicrous. Arafat is justifiably considered as evil incarnate by many decent people, who still adhere to traditional Biblical concepts of right and wrong; that the kind of murder of Jews which Arafat has been engaged in over many years, is clearly immoral. Arafat's ability to lie, cheat, and his continued unwillingness to disavow his major immoral conduct, is ignored by Peres and considered by him to be totally irrelevant. Peres dealt closely with Arafat; he not only shook his "bloody" hand with a broad smile, but actually publicly embraced him. It is this same Peres who walked hand in hand with him, who now tells us "Enough with cynicism" and virtually applauds Netanyahu for finally coming around to see that he, Peres, was right after all. Peres caps it all off with this audacious and mind-boggling comment that "even in politics, one must have the courage to speak the truth." Coming from a man whose career behavior has been plagued by actions of deceit and skullduggery, especially toward the Jewish People, this typically inapplicable platitudinous statement rings hollow indeed. And what is that "truth" as reported in the media? Peres' insistence that Netanyahu " must stand up and ask for forgiveness from him and Rabin and admit he was wrong ... that it was necessary to meet Arafat?" The sad fact is that Peres has never stood up and asked for forgiveness for the loss or maiming of thousands of Jewish lives that have directly resulted from his choice of Arafat as his "peace partner." That in turning over large tracts of historically Jewish land to Arafat in Jericho, Shchem, Bethlehem and now Arafat's demand for Hebron, the Biblical moral admonition of the Prophet Elijah the Tishbite is directly in point. The Prophet could be talking to Arafat when Elijah said : "Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? (Kings I 21:19) Yet Peres is exultant that Netanyahu has finally followed in his master Peres' hallowed footsteps, and has seen the necessity, as he did, of embracing Arafat. How sad that Peres, who has jettisoned his Jewish Heritage overboard, and has totally abandoned the eternal truths and morality of Judaism, finds it essential that Netanyahu joins him in this moral crime. Having said all this about Peres, it is nevertheless appropriate to express grave disappointment in Prime Minister Netanyahu having caved into the pressure requiring him to meet with Arafat, and shake the hand which is bloodstained with the murders of Jews. Whatever the extent of the pressures put upon him by outside forces to meet now with this PLO leader, that he did not insist prior to such meeting that Arafat complies with all of the obligations he undertook in the agreements Peres reached with the PLO, did not demonstrate the moral courage and strength expected of a dynamic Jewish leader. What emerged from such an Arafat-Netanyahu meeting, was the impression that pressures on Netanyahu yield positive results in behalf of Arafat and his followers. But what indeed of Netanyahu? He certainly disappoints when he bowed to the admittedly considerable pressure of foreign Governments and met prematurely with Arafat before Arafat fulfilled the Arabs obligations under Oslo. What a sad day for his followers who hoped for a visionary, who had the strength and courage to do the right thing in the face of his many potent adversaries both within and without. He has inherited an Oslo which was undemocratically foisted upon the Jewish People by Peres and Beilin, without the Jewish People's prior consent for them to take such a disastrous course of action. Forced to accept the foul deeds of the previous Government as an existing reality, Netanyahu is virtually in a box that Peres has created. Netanyahu says he reached his decision to meet Arafat at this time prior to his departure to the States without any U. S pressure whatsoever. Alongside of these published remarks is a headline which screams out at us that Secretary of State Christopher "is pushing for regular talks of Netanyahu with Arafat". Careful Mr Prime Minister! Your word and honesty are extremely important. Our Jewish People public must have the necessary trust in you and in what you say. Otherwise, in this regard, they will put you in the category of "no better than Peres." Ruth MatarTop of Page | End of Page | What We Say Index Page | To Home Page
*********************************************** Jerusalem, September 12, 1996 Jewish Nationalism is Alive and Well The pronouncement by Shimon Peres that he is happy that the national camp is dead in Israel, is a bit premature. True the Maccabees are literally dead. True King David and King Solomon are literally dead. True the heroes that fell in the 1948, 1967 and 1973 wars are not here to tell us what they were fighting for then, and for whom. But the spirit of these Jewish heroes is very much alive today, even if Mr. Peres would have it otherwise. Yes, Jewish nationalism still has some meaning and content, even though it seems to be irrelevant to Shimon Peres, and his poodle Yossi Beilin. The fact of the matter is that one of the greatest sources of Jewish Nationalism is Judaism itself, and that is why Mr. Peres has been conducting outright psychological warfare against this religion. His New Middle East has no place in it for a vibrant and meaningful Jewish State, and so his solemn announcement that Jewish nationalism has disappeared is merely just his way of saying that such an absence of Jewish nationalism is absolutely necessary for his "Utopia" to work. Unfortunately, what would fill the void left if Judaism would depart from our midst was revealed by that Israeli phenomenon, Aviv Gefen, the effeminate, lipstick wearing "pop" singer who purportedly has a huge following among secular Israeli Jewish youth. That empty shell, and pagan philosopher of the "new era" which would replace Judaism, has come up with the sagacious advice which epitomizes Peres' aftermath of the death of Jewish nationalism. Gefen calls for Israeli youth to pack their bags and leave Israel, now that we have a Prime Minister who actually identifies with his Jewish Heritage, and his ancestral and historical homeland in Judea and Shomron. Gefen apparently has been forgiven by his new admirer and friend Leah Rabin. Not long before Yitzhak Rabin's death, Gefen wrote a song where he clearly depicts Rabin as a an outright drunkard. His frank and accurate observation is now being overlooked by Leah Rabin; after all, Gefen was singing the "Peace Song" on the evening of Rabin's assassination, so he can't be all that bad. Peres was not here in the country at the time Gefen made his recent remarks. He was abroad lecturing his stale vision that had been thoroughly rejected by Jewish voters; (as he himself was for the fifth time.) But even Peres would have been disapproving and would have found the Gefen call to abandon Israel a bit much. Yet Gefen is the direct outcome of what Israel is without the controlling force of Judaism at its center and core. It is not simple nationalistic phrasing when our sages wrote that: "The Land of Israel without the Torah is like a body without a soul." If you are deeply identified with your ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, you could not, as Peres did, sign an agreement which would give up your ancestor's home Hebron to the Arabs. However, only a person who has no sense of history, and possesses little faith, could justify his shortsightedness by arguing that we must abandon Hebron because the Arabs at this stage in our long history, heavily outnumber the Hebron Jews. There are few People on this Earth who can point with pride to the actual burial place of their illustrious forefathers, as can the Jews of the world. Moreover, these Jewish giants of moral and ethical and spiritual behavior lie buried under an imposing structure which the Jews built more than two thousand years ago, which still stands today in Hebron. When you have no nationalistic feeling, you are capable of abandoning, as Peres did via Oslo, Jericho, Shchem, Bethlehem and Hebron, and to say what Gefen said, calling for his many fans to quit Israel. That is why the nationalist camp, which prominently includes Women In Green, decided to mount a vigil for Hebron in downtown Jerusalem to help firm up Prime Minister Netanyahu's view of Hebron as an ancient Jewish City where the Jews have an historical right to live and freely settle and to grow, without fear and intimidation. Women In Green were there in great numbers, giving out car stickers to the many passing vehicles. We had produced these car stickers which read in Hebrew: "Hebron the City of the Patriarchs, Is ours forever" It is quite a ludicrous situation where certain callous segments of the world community are mounting pressure on Netanyahu to turn over large segments of Hebron to Arab control, and thus expose the Jewish Community once again to the extinction that the Arabs perpetrated against it in 1929. At the opening ceremony of the vigil there were many prominent speakers, including former Knesset Member HaEtzni, Knesset Members Ze'evi and Rav Benny Alon, Author Moshe Shamir, Nadia Matar and others. Parts of Nadia's short talk was picked up on Israeli Television that evening which gave her an even wider audience for the important "nationalistic" comments she made. The Jerusalem Post reporter who wrote up the event, observed that of all the speakers Nadia was the most enthusiastically received. No, Mr. Peres, Jewish nationalism is not dead. It is alive and well in Jerusalem, and amongst the great majority of Jews everywhere. Ruth MatarTop of Page | End of Page | What We Say Index Page | To Home Page
************************************************************** Jerusalem, September 17, 1996 MEDIA RELEASE MEDIA RELEASE Hebron Revisited Women In Green's response to yesterday's Arab rioting in Hebron is both immediate and emphatic: "We will not be intimidated!" Descendants of murderers of the entire Jewish Community in 1929 will not be rewarded. Jewish property that was stolen by Arabs as a result of this 1929 pogrom, should not now be allowed to be occupied by Arab stores located on this property, which endanger the adjacent renewed Jewish Community in Hebron. Women In Green are therefore travelling to Hebron to conduct a fact finding tour of this ancient Jewish City, which will clearly demonstrate the exact nature of the dangers which the existing Jewish Community would be exposed to if the IDF redeploys in the area. The IDF would be replaced by Arab police, whose known track record of violence against Jews dates back to the British Mandate era. Special vehicles have been hired for the occasion, which will allow visiting areas that tour buses to Hebron do not cover. These cars will leave from the LaRomme Hotel in Jerusalem, on Wednesday, September 18, 1996 at 8:30 A.M. and will return at 14:00 that afternoon. The fact finding in Hebron will commence at 9:30 A.M. from the Gutnick Center. Ruth and Nadia Matar *********************************************************** Jerusalem, September 18, 1996 A Call For Leadership There is a great deal of nonsense being bandied about these days concerning Hebron. Shimon Peres is typically lying to the Knesset when he told its members recently that Arafat has fulfilled all the PLO's obligations under Oslo within the past six months, and therefore called for the IDF's immediate re-deployment in Hebron. Netanyahu is talking out of both sides of his mouth telling the world that Hebron is an ancient Jewish City and about the right of the Jews to live there, but at the same time says that he is bound by the prior acts of Peres re Oslo concerning re-deploying in Hebron with some "slight modifications." The Hebron Jewish Community is sick with fear and apprehension, because no positive actions are coming forth from the Prime Minister, not even personal words of encouragement or assurances. The beautiful phrases he spoke before the U.S. Congress have turned out to be empty words so far, and disappointment and despair have replaced the high hopes that prevailed following his election. Interestingly enough even Peres initially thought Hebron had a unique status compared to the other areas he had ceded to the PLO in the Oslo "deal." About a year ago when Rabin and Peres had visited Hebron, they themselves made the unsolicited observation: "The IDF must not withdraw from Hebron, as Hebron is different from the other cities." A Jewish Community had been reestablished there after 1967, when we regained possession of this ancient Jewish City, the home and burial place of our Patriarchs. Although presently not a large Jewish Community, its small numbers were a direct result of the former Government's inappropriate and deliberate severe restrictions on its growth. Nevertheless, the Jewish Community has ancient roots in Hebron; they have been there continuously for an amazing period of almost 4,000 years, before Jewish presence in that city was temporarily disrupted by the Arab riots of 1929. In that Arab mayhem, in addition to the slaughter of many innocent Jewish residents, and their expulsion from the City, a great deal of Jewish property was wrongfully confiscated by the Arabs. There is overwhelming and impressive historical proof of the deep roots and ties of the Jews with Hebron. There are specific references in the Bible about our forefathers living there, and that our Jewish ancestor Abraham purchased a large burial site in Hebron. It is recounted there specifically that not only his wife Sarah, but he, as well as the Patriarchs Isaac and Jacob are buried on this purchased plot, along with the Matriarchs Rebecca and Leah. There is, moreover, other evidence of Hebron's ties to the Jews. There is an imposing edifice built by King Herod over the sites of our ancestors' graves, dating back some 2,000 years. That building which is a prominent architectural feature of this ancient city, predates by many, many centuries the Arab or Moslem presence in this ancient Biblical City. Actually more than 90% of the present Arab population in Hebron, has immigrated into the area from neighboring Arab countries within the last 100 years or so.Top of Page | End of Page | What We Say Index Page | To Home Page
Peres was apparently prepared to sacrifice the present Jewish minority, and the ancient Jewish City of Hebron itself under Oslo. It was an unparalleled act in history of a leader of a State voluntarily abandoning the historical rights of his People to their ancient Land! In any other country, such a leader would be considered a traitor, and probably be tried for treason. But Peres' skillful and deceptive and essentially illegal manipulations concerning Oslo fooled and benumbed many Jews! Taking advantage of Israel's Jews' spiritual and war weariness, and not acting on the basis of the Party platform on which his Party was elected, and without getting the necessary approval beforehand from the Jewish People, Peres made a pact with the devil Arafat. He thought he was divesting Israel of the troublesome "West Bank" via Oslo. He disguised the essence of this pact by falsely telling the Jewish People that by virtue of the Oslo Accord he would bring an era of peace to the Jews; such a deceptive "peace bait" was extremely tempting to many war weary Jews. A large majority of the Jews of Israel came to their senses at the first opportunity offered to them, and rejected the Peres panacea, or at least the method he chose to reach the desired goal of peace. Oslo, they all saw, had miserably failed; Arafat by his chicanery and continued enmity of Israel and the Jewish People had fooled no one. Yet Netanyahu hesitates, is silent, and fails to spell out to his eople and to the world at large the truth about Hebron, and the grave dangers Jews would be exposed to there and elsewhere should Hebron be treated as the other areas which Shimon Peres has turned over to Arafat. Not a word is said by Netanyahu how the Hebron Arabs have been particularly hostile to the Jews; there is not a scintilla of proof offered or demanded that their attitudes have changed. It is suicidal under such circumstances to go ahead with any kind of transfer to them of control of any area, where their track record has been so bad. It is irresponsible of Netanyahu to cause his main supporters such worry and concern, and it is extremely short sighted on his part as well. He simply can not afford to disillusion and lose his former staunch loyal supporters by ignoring their concerns. But the unkindest cut of all, was the performance by the Arabs of Hebron led by their mayor Mustafe Natshe on Monday, September 16, 1996. They sought to open by force stores adjacent to where Jews are living, which had been closed to avoid Arab attacks. These stores are all located on Jewish property which was unlawfully confiscated by the Arabs as a result of the 1929 pogrom. It is this same Arab Mayor Natshe who has previously proclaimed that his aim is to once again forbid Jews, as Arabs in the past have done, to pray at the tombs of their Jewish ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Are the Arab riots in Hebron and the Mayor's planned restrictions on Jewish prayer, portents of things to come? That is why Women In Green believed it incumbent upon the Jews to immediately respond to these Arab threats and other foreign pressures on Netanyahu to comply with Peres' unjustifiable giveaway of Hebron under Oslo. Accordingly, they traveled to Hebron on Wednesday, September 18, 1996, in an immediate response to the Arab riots there that past Monday, to demonstrate in behalf of the majority of Jews in this Land their solidarity with the brave and exposed Jewish Community in Hebron; in addition, it was decided to conduct a fact finding tour of Hebron, pointing out specifically to the Netanyahu Government the many pitfalls: i.e. the shooting down with the multitudinous weaponry in Arab hands today as a result of Oslo, on the houses of the Jewish Community which are all located in the lower portions of Hebron, once IDF re-deployment would take place. Nadia Matar appeared on radio and television during this Hebron tour, protesting the Oslo re-deployment from Hebron. She argued that if such re-deployment is to take place, it should not be done until there is full assurance for the safety and well being of the entire Jewish Community, and its right to grow and expand, and until there was at least full reciprocity by the PLO of its commitments under Oslo. Such reciprocity would include but not be limited to: the revocation of the PLO covenant ( When the PLO met for the express purpose to amend its Charter it appointed instead a Committee to report back within six months recommendations for such amendments to the Charter. Five months have elapsed since then, and significantly no such Committee has even been appointed.); extradition of the murderers of Jews walking about freely in PLO controlled areas; a cessation of the anti-Israel propaganda in PLO schools and media; a demonstrable control of terrorist activity in the areas previously ceded to the PLO which includes an effective crack down on existing terrorist groups operating in and from such areas. It was necessary to send a message to the Netanyahu Government to be strong and not capitulate to the callous demands of outsiders that Israel comply with that portion of Oslo that they say requires the Jews to turn over Hebron to Arab control; without foolproof security for the Jewish populace, and adequate protection of Jewish holy sites first being worked out, there can be no turnover of any sector of Hebron to Arab control. Such a turnover, as presently written in the Oslo Accord, would spell certain death to the Jewish Community in Hebron! Any re deployment of the IDF will have Arab policemen replace our soldiers. Unfortunately, we have a vivid experience of Arab police dating back to the British Mandate. In Arab riots against Jews in Jaffa, and Jerusalem, the Arab police actually joined the rioters in murdering and maiming innocent Jews. Even though Peres claims there is little he can learn from history, the Jews of Hebron are not prepared to experience a repeat performance of the past. However, the worrisome aspect of the whole Hebron affair is the fear that Netanyahu will not measure up to the needs for dynamic leadership that the present dangerous situation calls for. What must be made known to the Arabs of Hebron, and to the world at large, including America, is that Netanyahu is not Peres, and that Zionism is a vibrant factor in the Government's policies once again. That we Jews will not permit anyone to tell us where we can live in Israel. That Hebron is a Jewish Biblical City and is ours! It was ours before the Arabs ever lived there, and it is ours in the present, and will remain that way in the future. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of the Hesder Yeshiva Ateret Cohanim in the Old City of Jerusalem, put it bluntly on the radio when he emphatically stated: "We would love to have cordial relations with all of our neighbors; but these can not be based on a lie! The great lie that Hebron is theirs (Arabs) cannot form a basis for understanding. 'Have you then murdered, and also inherited?' They (Arabs) slaughtered tens of innocent Jews in cold blood - which we will never forget - and then come and claim that Hebron is theirs?! This lie based on theft and murder, cannot be the foundation on which to build relations of peace. Relations of understanding and friendship in Hebron must be predicated on the eternal truth that Hebron is, and will always be, ours." If only Netanyahu would express himself as emphatically on Hebron as has Rav Aviner, the Jews of Hebron and the great majority of Jews who elected him, would feel much more at ease. Ruth MatarTop of Page | End of Page | What We Say Index Page | To Home Page
*********************************************************** Jerusalem, September 25, 1996 What Kind of "Peace" Do We Have with Egypt? A relatively peaceful Yom Kippur has come and gone. This is the time of year given to reflection, and most important, a time when our thoughts should be containing the least amount of sham and illusion. We ought to be dealing with things as they really are. Reality may not always be pleasant, but an awareness of things as they really are is quite necessary, if our future course of action is to be wise and prudent, and disasters are to be avoided. That perception is applicable not only to individuals, but to our nation as well. But Yom Kippur deals not only with a review of our actions over the past year. It encompasses the Yom Kippurs that have gone by, and our past successes and failures relating to our correcting our past mistakes, and bringing our decisions and vows, to fruition. Outstanding among our memories should be the Yom Kippur War that occurred some 23 years ago. This was not just any other Arab War against the Jews. It was virtually an open expression of contempt for the God of Israel by the surrounding Arab nations who attacked Israel at that time. The day chosen to commence the war, clearly demonstrated the deep hatred and contempt the Arabs had for the Jewish People, and their religion. It is often recognized that the reason the Arabs attacked the Jews on their holiest day of the year was an obvious military strategic ploy. The surface reasoning of the Arabs was not difficult to fathom. The Jewish People would be taken completely by surprise. They would not conceive that anyone would be so scurrilous as to wage an attack against them on such a God centered day of Atonement. No other nation or nations, pagan or otherwise, had ever resorted to such a strategy to attack Israel on Yom Kippur. The total lack of moral and religious restraints shown by Egypt and the Arabs against the Jews in initiating the 1973 War on Yom Kippur is one of the realities that we must recognize when Israel devises a strategy for survival. Unfortunately, as even Arafat himself has privately expressed, the Oslo Accord has not in any way changed this pernicious attitude among the Arabs towards the Jews. Egypt was one of the foremost leaders of the 1973 Yom Kippur attack on Israel; it was led by Anwar Sadat, who at the time was an open and avowed enemy of Israel. Unsuccessful, despite the sacrilegious Yom Kippur attack, in accomplishing the destruction of Israel through open warfare, his realistic appraisal brought him to the conclusion that a paper peace could probably achieve in the long run, the same goal he sought to accomplish by joining in the 1973 War, i.e. the destruction of Israel. Having been saved just in time by the Americans and Europeans from Arik Sharon's leading a total conquest of Egypt, war was recognized by Sadat as not being the proper tool or means to destroy Israel. It had proven to be far too risky. Temporarily swallowing his pride and hatred, he made the necessary pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Knesset, and as a reward he got back all of the Sinai and more. Camp David was an accord rewarding Egypt as a defeated aggressor. They gave up virtually nothing, except for a promise of peace and received under the original "land for peace" formula even the destruction of an established Jewish "settlement" in Yamit; the failure of the resistance to Yamit helped Peres when he went even further and devised and hammered through the disastrous Oslo Accord. One of the most "make believe" fantasies of our times is ascribing to Sadat a statesmanship whereby Sadat suddenly saw the "light," reversed his former hostile outlook and intentions, and sought to make a true and lasting peace with Israel. As part of the "wishful thinking" phenomenon that has cursed our war weary nation, we have attributed to Sadat motives that had no relation to reality. If indeed our goal is to obtain a workable peace arrangement for Israel with its neighbors, and the Arabs who live in Israel, and in Judea and Samaria, we must not enjoy the luxury of self-delusion. The reality is that Sadat, and his successor Hosni Mubarak are cut from the same cloth. Mubarak is no different than Sadat, a true enemy of Israel; either would have joined with any forces to destroy Israel if it appeared that there was a reasonable chance of success. When it is considered that Egypt is the recipient of huge American foreign aid, and notwithstanding has openly flaunted its peace agreement with Israel, you can begin to realize the depth of the hostility of Egypt towards Israel. Egypt apparently is not prevented by the U.S., despite the billions of dollars it annually receives from America, from its almost daily verbal and other acts of hostility towards Israel. In its media and in the hostile statements and threats continuously emanating from Mubarak, Egypt has no fear of putting such aid in jeopardy by such unwarranted and unjustified attacks. Moreover, no one seriously points out, significantly not even the U.S., that such attacks are in violation of Egypt's obligations to Israel under the terms of Camp David. The recent hullabaloo Egypt raised concerning its vigorous opposition to Israel having nuclear capability, is just another indication of the one-sided hostility and suspicion it still maintains towards Israel. And the continued threats it has made of calling off a scheduled November Middle East Economic Conference unless Israel carries out what Egypt determines is required to be done under Oslo, is still another grotesque showing of its usual, unchanged Arab parochial view and unfairness when it comes to any question concerning Israel. Egypt's not allowing Israel to attend purported international book fairs, and other "conferences" in Egypt, and Mubarak refusing to visit Israel, (except to witness the burial of Rabin) are more of the same, and incompatible with and a violation of the peace arrangement it entered into with Israel. The most telling and audacious bit of news, as reported by Reuters, was that the recent "war maneuvers" conducted by Egypt are called by them "Badr II". It will be recalled that "Badr I" was the name given to the maneuvers preceding the Egyptian Yom Kippur War attack against Israel in 1973. The evidence is overwhelming and all to the same effect, with regard to Egypt; the realities are that you must continuously cast a wary and cautious eye on this neighbor, because her actions are extremely worrisome and contrary to the Camp David peace treaty with Israel. That is why it was a healthy development, distinguishing the present Netanyahu Government from the one that Peres led, to call in the Egyptian Ambassador to protest the stream of hate and threats coming out of Egypt of late, led by Mubarak himself. Mubarak has ceased to make any pretenses that Egypt is at peace with Israel. Instead he attempts to demean Netanyahu and Israel by accusing Netanyahu of going back on his promises to him concerning the Oslo Accord. He has threatened Israel by saying that an Arab uprising, worse than the intafada was going to break out, unless Israel gave Hebron over to Arafat. Mubarak has never once criticized Arafat for the undemocratic and sometimes brutal nature of his leadership in areas which he controls; nor has Mubarak so much as even once hinted that the Arabs were not complying with the obligations they undertook under Oslo as to adequately preventing terrorism, extraditing murderers of Jews who are in areas controlled by Arafat, nor in actuality amending the PLO Charter of clauses which seek the destruction of Israel. Any impartial observer of Egypt in action today, would caution Israel to proceed with the utmost caution when dealing with Oslo. If Camp David concerning relations with Egypt is any indication of what execution of the Arab doctrine "Land for Peace" will bring, it may well deter further concessions concerning Oslo. Certainly, the repetition of the same formula of an "empty" peace is not to be tolerated. Syria has learned from Egypt that it need not make any meaningful concessions, nor amend its hostile attitudes, in order to wring concessions from a war weary Israel, and a Netanyahu who has proven himself to be subject to pressures. Arafat is not far behind, learning well from his mentor Mubarak. Netanyahu, beware! Peace, although a desired objective, is still a long way off. "Land for Peace" is not a working or successful formula, if Egypt is any indication. Rather a realistic approach is called for, proceeding slowly but surely, without endangering the historic Land of Israel, or the security of its Jewish inhabitants in the process. We must insure that today's concessions do not lead to tomorrow's catastrophes. Ruth MatarTop of Page | End of Page | What We Say Index Page | To Home Page
***************************************************************** Jerusalem, September 26, 1996 "You Gave Them the Guns which Kill Our Children" Shimon Peres' grandiose claims, as reported in the media, that the last four years under the Peres regime have been the best thing that has happened to the Jews in all of the 4,000 years of Jewish history, reminds us of the insane asylum's classic joke. When a doctor in that institution questioned one of the inmates as to who told him he was, as he was claiming, Napoleon, he answered unequivocally, that God told him so. Whereupon an inmate from the other end of the room listening to the conversation, indignantly replied: "I did not!" Peres is on a roll. He is not satisfied with his ridiculous claim that Oslo and his pact with Arafat was the best thing that has happened to the Jews over the past hundred years; he claims that his feat was more important than the return of the Jews from the four corners of the earth to their Promised Land, the re-founding of the Jewish State, and the rebuilding of the Land of Israel by the Jewish pioneers. Now he has gone even futher. He cavelierly dismisses the Exodus from Egypt, the parting of the sea the giving of the Bible Moses, King David and King Solomon, the building of the First and Second Temple,the Prophets, the great sages, the writing of the Mishneh, and the Talmud, all monumental events in Jewish history. All those events are surpassed by the accomplishments of Shimon Peres over the past four years in bringing Arafat and Oslo to the Jewish People. It is not important that the Jewish People have rejected Peres and his claims of what he has done for them, on five different occasions. Nor does it faze Peres that some people think of him as a traitor,and a seller out of Zionism, and the Jewish People. Playing God, as the man in the asylum, he feels no need to explain or justify his actions to the Jewish People. Women In Green, however, are more realistic. They know what harm Peres has done to the Jewish People by entering into Oslo with Arafat, the murderer and mortal enemy of the Jewish People. In the light of the recent riots, instigated by Arafat, where the guns that Peres gave to the PLO under Oslo are being used to kill our soldiers and our fellow Jews, Women In Green are holding a protest against the results of the nightmare that Peres has created for the Jews over the past four years. Jewish history which Peres usually scorns, will eventually record his infamous and deleterious actions. In the meantime. we will be demonstrating about his outlandish claims at the Mashbir Plaza, in downtown Jerusalem, on Friday at 9:30 A.M., on September 27, 1996, under the theme: "You gave them the guns which kill our children." Ruth and Nadia MatarTop of Page | End of Page | What We Say Index Page | To Home Page
********************************************* Jerusalem, September 26, 1996 Arab Rioting - A Forerunner of Things to Come in Hebron The Arab rioting, that has been occurring in many places in Jerusalem and throughout Judea and Samaria and in the Gush Katif area, is a sad omen of things to come. The pretext for the commencement of these riots was the dedication of the new Hasmonean Tunnel and its official opening. In Jerusalem there was a repeat of an attack made several years ago at this time of the year by Arabs on Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall. Stones were thrown from the Temple Mount area down at worshipping Jews and the Police reacted to this latest attack by clearing the Western Wall of Jews, while stopping the attacks from above. Prior to the incident, the Old City Police broke up a large hostile group of Arabs that attempted to block the newly dedicated entrance to the Western Wall Hasmonean Tunnel. In Ramallah, and in Bethlehem near Rachel's Tomb, there was also rioting. The Ramallah episode was the far more ominous riot, where live bullets were fired by PLO police at IDF soldiers; this went beyond the serious stone throwing by Arab youth in other locations. There were seven Arabs who lost their lives when the IDF returned fire, after Arafat's police initiated firing at our soldiers, in clear violation of Oslo. The rioting started without any provocation whatsoever, and seemed to be encouraged by a PLO strategy which sought to bring pressure on the Netanyahu Government to leave Hebron immediately, and as a reaction to the pressures being brought against Arafat by Netanyahu with regard to illegal operations of the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem. Ostensibly the cause of the rioting was given as the opening of the Hasmonean Tunnel, but that tourist attraction had little or nothing to do with any Arab grievance, as it was predicted that it would bring many tourists to the area, and would be financially beneficial to Arab merchants. Of course, as was expected, Meretz and the Labor contingent led by former Labor Tourist Minister Uzi Baram, who had approved and was in favor of the whole Hasmonean Tunnel project, deplored the "untimely" opening of this tourist attraction. He was joined in this railing at the opposition, by none other than Jerusalem's former mayor Kollek, who is still nursing his severe defeat by the electorate. Kollek also had been in favor of the "project" but did not hesitate to put the blame on Netanyahu. Both typically said nary a word of criticism of Arafat's Police who tried to kill our soldiers. And of course Shimon Peres weighed in with his usual disloyal comments. This great historian contributed this ludicrous observation, that Netanyahu was now ruining the "previous four years which were the best in all of the Jewish People's 4,000 year history." What a vain and foolish man Peres is! He has taken up the Arab line of re-writing and falsifying Jewish History, and that is unpardonable. Our glorious history of the Bible, Moses and his magnificent dialogue with the Lord and his receiving the Torah for the Jewish People, our world famous prophets, King David's Psalms, and King Solomon's Proverbs, in his distorted and myopic view, all fall into nothingness compared to the accomplishments of Shimon Peres giving up the Promised Land to the Arabs in the name of a false "peace." Just the day before, the Arabs had rioted in Hebron itself, for a second time. Again, the reason given was that Israel was not permitting the Arabs to open stores adjacent to the area where the Jews resided. Ironically these stores are located on Jewish Property which the Arabs had seized as a result of their 1929 pogrom. This second wave of rioting was led by Hanan Ashrawi, whose impudence and raucous Arab partianship blinds her ability to play a proper leadership role in behalf of her People. What have we learned from this turn of events? Serious as these developments are, there may be a silver lining in what occurred. It came at a time when Netanyahu, succumbing to intense pressures, was seriously considering complying with Oslo as it pertains to Hebron, with some "modifications." As a consequence Arab armed police would be operating within firing range of the existing Jewish Community there, and the IDF soldiers patrolling around the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Given the even greater hostility of the Hebron Arabs to a Jewish presence in that City, it does not take a great amount of wisdom or clairvoyance to predict that a re-deployment in Hebron at this time would lead to a serious endangerment of Jewish women, men and children living in Hebron. Particularly is this true when the Jews live in the valley, and the hills surrounding them are what is scheduled to be turned over to Arafat under Oslo. Women In Green foresaw the problem even prior to the dangers revealed by the Arab rioting which took place yesterday all over Israel, including the "territories." Our women had predicted that the guns that Peres was giving over to the Palestinian Authority would one day be used against us. Arab police in the Mandate period proved themselves completely untrustworthy when Arabs attacked Jews, and instead of protecting the Jews, actually joined in those Arab riots in the past. So yesterday was merely a repeat performance by the Arabs. There is truly nothing new under the sun. On Friday morning, September 20, 1996, our women delayed their preparations for the oncoming Shabbat, because of the imminent danger the Jews of Hebron were facing. The Cabinet was to meet that morning and the topic of Hebron was no doubt a matter on the agenda. In a lawful vigil outside the Prime Minister's office, our women in their green hats were there to protest against the virtual abandonment of our prized possession, the ancient Jewish City of Hebron, and its present Jewish population It was a protest against sheer madness, and committing national suicide. We brought with us David Perkins, who is an expert in sounding the Shofar, and whose Shofar blasts were intended to awaken the Jewish souls of these Ministers. The Shofar was a call to them to remain loyal to Hebron as a Biblical Jewish City, and to remind them of the Arab pogrom in 1929 which destroyed the ancient Jewish Community which had lived there continuously for almost 4,000 years. Nadia Matar spoke before television, radio and press, emphasizing the danger to which this Government would be exposing our Jews in their own Land, in their own ancient Jewish City. And less than a week later, the Arabs showed us all what they are capable of with the guns Peres had given them. No greater proof was needed with regard to what we should be doing with regard to Hebron, and to show us the magnitude of the danger to which we would be exposing our Jewish brethren. When Netanyahu returns from his brief European trip, we are hopeful that in the light of this recent Arab rioting, and Arafat's leading role in provoking same, he will do what is right and proper. And what is that? To indefinitely delay any further steps being taken with regard to Hebron until there is first of all a complete compliance or reciprocity by the Arabs of their basic obligations under Oslo: No violence, riots or terror against Jews over an extended period of time; the extraditing of Arab murderers; the specific amendment of all of the clauses of the PLO Charter calling for the destruction of the State of Israel; the immediate cessation of all hostile statements against Israel over the Palestinian controlled media, and a complete revision of its educational texts to eliminate all reference of hatred and dislike for the Jewish People and the State of Israel. There are many more Arab violations of Oslo, many more. The above mentioned could serve as appropriate starters. Ruth MatarTop of Page | What We Say Index Page | To Home Page