September 1999
September 13, 1999 They're Changing Our History
September 16, 1999 It Was a Case of the Few Against the Many by Dan Margalit
September 16, 1999 Demonstrate Against the "Safe Passage for Arabs
September 19, 1999 Letter to the Editor
September 26, 1999 No "SAFE PASSAGE FOR TERRORISTS"
September 26, 1999 Ehud Barak, Manipulator Extraordinaire
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Jerusalem, September 13, 1999
They're Changing Our History
No doubt about it, we have a real problem in Israel. The
antagonism against Judaism by the secular leaders who controlled this
Jewish State from its inception, has resulted in not properly teaching
Jewish history, and vital aspects of the Jewish Heritage to their children.
As a result, a justifiable feeling of national pride is being lost.
It is in this light one is able to understand the strange
phenomenon of Associate Professor Eyal Naveh of Tel Aviv University. One
can then comprehend his attempt to re-write Jewish History in the form of
the new high school textbook he wrote entitled The Twentieth Century, and
is being introduced into the public schools this coming year.
Naveh was born in 1952, after the 1948 War of Independence to
secular oriented Israeli parents. That war resulted from an open defiance
by five Arab countries of the United Nations' formal decision to recognize
the State of Israel. A small community of 650,000 Jews, ill-equipped and
with hardly any military experience, faced hordes of well financed Arab
nations which attacked from every direction Israel's indefensible borders.
The populataions of these five Arab nations were in excess of forty
million. General George Marshall, the then United States Army Chief of
Staff, did not give Israel, under such circumstances, more than 30 days to
survive. Nevertheless, miraculously, these remnants of the recent
Holocaust somehow were victorious, with the God of Israel's help.
Along comes Naveh and wants to tear out the pride in their
People which Jewish students should rightly feel. He wants to replace
such pride with "feelings of guilt." Naveh rewrites history by
unjustifiably claiming that: " On nearly every front and in nearly every
battle, the Jewish side had the advantage...." Moreover, he writes as if
it were the Jews who drove the Arab refugees out of Israel. He totally
ignores the fact that it was the Arab leaders who tactically told them to
leave voluntarily, so that the Jews could more easily be exterminated,
after which these cooperating Arabs would return. He apparently is
motivated to give the distorted Arab version of what happened in the 1948
War, in a mistaken belief that this will advance the one-sided and
imaginary "peace process."
In the Bible portion, "Ki Tavo", ("When you come to the Land")
the very thing that Naveh is guilty of, is remarkably foretold. Curses are
set forth specifically there that will befall the Jewish People, if and
when they abandon, God's ways. "God will unleash against you the
curse…(of) a feeling of guilt in everything to which you will put your
hand(Dvarim 28:20). Naveh's revisions are thus a fulfillment of this
curse; in his book he tries to instill a sense of guilt in Jewish youth for
Jews having survived the 1948 Arab merciless onslaught against them.
By falsely rewriting our history, he would destroy the pride
that naturally would buoy Jewish students; he thereby lessens their feeling
of self worth. At the same time, he weakens the Jewish People's justified
claim, and right to this Promised Land. To further promote the failing
Oslo Process, Naveh is prepared to distort Jewish history. Unfortunately,
the poisonous medicine Naveh prescribes will kill the patient who Naveh is
attempting to cure.
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Jerusalem, September 16, 1999
It Was a Case of the Few Against the Many
by Dan Margalit
Here is another article written against the post-Zionists and this time by
Dan Margalit, journalist, long identified with the left.
His e-mail adress has been given. It would be nice if he got mail of
support.
Ha'aretz
margalit@haaretz.co.il
We are now in the period of the High Holy Days, a time for
soul-searching. It is interesting that, during this very period, a stormy
debate has become even stormier: the dispute between Zionists and
post-Zionists concerning the interpretation of modern Jewish history and
the transmission of that interpretation to the younger generation.In this
debate the post-Zionists seem to have the upper hand, because they have
managed to depict the defenders of the mythological presentation of
Zionist history as persons who are distorting the facts of history, while
the post-Zionists are being perceived as the champions of objective,
levelheaded truth. When the two sides are presented in such a fashion,
who would not prefer the truth to the myth?
The dilemma presented by the post-Zionists has nothing to do with
historical events, however. What they are doing, in effect, is
systematically downscaling the entire Zionist enterprise in any area
connected with the Arab-Jewish conflict. The latest example of this is
the post-Zionist attempt to undermine the argument that the Israeli War
of Independence was a war of the few against the many. Apparently, they
are trying to restore to the Arab armies their lost sense of honor. How
are they doing so? By giving prominence to the claim that the number of
warriors on either side was equal.
Let us, for the moment, assume that this claim is correct. So what? The
ratio in artillery pieces was 154 to 52 in favor of the Arabs, while the
ration in warplanes was 54 to 2 in their favor. At the time of the war,
by the way, the civilian population in the Jewish home front numbered
660,000, as opposed to 50 million Arabs. If this is not a case of the few
against the many, then I don't know what is.
The distortion is particularly glaring when it comes to the issue of the
Arab refugees, which the post-Zionists are trying to depict as victims of
a giant, planned population transfer. (Had there been no attack by the
Arab armies on the nascent Jewish state, the refugees would have remained
in their homes.) It must be admitted that a portion of the refugees were,
in fact, banished, but it was official Israeli policy to call upon the
Arabs to stay where they were (the poster in Haifa, for example).
Most of the Arab refugees chose to leave because they believed their
leaders, who said that they would return within a short while to loot the
homes of their Jewish neighbors, or because they thought the Jews would
act the same way they would if victorious. In other words, according to
the second line of reasoning, the Arabs knew that, in the event of their
emerging the victors, they would massacre the Jews and, thus, the
refugees were afraid that, in the event of a Jewish victory, the Jews
would massacre them; for that reason, the Arabs fled.
Even today, more than half a century after the War of Independence, the
post-Zionists are still trying to bring in the descendants of the 1948
refugees into Israel, believing that this is the magic wand that will
solve all our problems. These post-Zionists are not content to be
historians interested in enriching human knowledge. They are
pragmatically oriented. The presentation of the Jews as bearing
responsibility for the plight of the Arab refugees will increase world
pressure to allow these refugees to reenter Israel and destroy our
demographic shield.
We are not taking about a dispute over a certain limited issue in
history, but rather about a plan to tarnish the image of Zionism. The
entire world knows that the Zionists liberated this land from British
rule, despite resistance from both the Arabs and Britain. In his book,
"The Days of the Red Berets," Tom Segev writes that the British left
Palestine in 1948 because of the Arab revolt in the 1930s. The end of
British rule here was brought about not by Hanita or the Jewish
underground fighter Dov Gruner, who was executed by the British, or the
"illegal" immigrant ship Exodus, but rather by the gangs led by Az a-Din
al-Kassam in the 1930s.
The offensive against the truths of Zionism is being launched along the
entire war front of history. The legend of Yosef Trumpeldor is drawn from
reality - not because he was killed but because, as he was dying, he told
the physician summoned from Metulla that, if he had to die anyway, he
might as well do it for the Land of Israel. The post-Zionists refuse to
accept the idea of Jewish heroism and therefore cast doubt on a statement
made in real time. Menachem Begin was a noble freedom fighter who forbade
the Irgun, the underground force under his command, to be lured into
personal terrorist activity. But that does not stop a post-Zionist from
presenting him as a "terrorist." Hannah Senesh personified the Zionist
ideal - the common fate of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and
the Diaspora - yet she is absurdly depicted as someone who betrayed her
colleagues. If Senesh's name is not besmirched, however, how can one
support the disgusting argument that David Ben-Gurion cared nothing about
the fate of the Jews in the Holocaust?
The post-Zionist offensive is intended to present the Jewish state to the
members of the younger generation as a product of infamy and sin. This
offensive should be repelled not in order to allow the Zionist enterprise
to defend a false mythology, but rather to enable Zionism to enjoy its
right to an objective depiction in the history books of the world
copyright 1999 Ha'aretz. All Rights Reserved
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Jerusalem, September 16, 1999
Demonstrate Against the "Safe Passage for Arabs
PLEASE PASS ON AND COME:
On October 3rd, 1999, Isru Chag, the government plans on opening the
so-called "safe passage". And "safe" it will be....safe for Arab
murderers to enter the state of Israel and kill more Jews.
The unsafe passage will enable the Arabs from Gaza to travel to Judea
and Samaria and vice versa. Up until now only a limited amount of
Arabs had the right to do so (with Israeli permission and security
clearance)... from October 3rd it will be open to the "amcha". (the
people). And according to this new suicidal arrangement, even Arabs
without security clearance, will be able to use the" safe passage",
which entails entering Israel and traveling on its highways.
There will be 2 routes:
The southern route will start at the Erez checkpoint in Gaza, pass
Ashkelon (route 35) and turn east, pass Plugot junction, bypass
Kyriat Gat and continue toward the Hebron hills and Tarkumiya.
Negotiations on the northern passage are still continuing. The Arabs
want it to end at Latrun (on the Tel Aviv - Jerusalem highway)
claiming that the so-called " territories" start there. (As we know
"Burger King is not opening a branch at Latrun cause the Arab world
has decided it is "occupied territory"...) Israel wants them to
continue till the outskirts of Ramallah.
(By the way, this "safe passage" should worry not only the
Ashkelon, Kyriat Gat and Hevron Jews but also the Gush Etzyon
residents: till there will be a northern route, the Arabs from Gaza
who will want to get to Betlehem will do so from Hevron, jamming the
Hevron-Jerusalem road even more...).
According to the arrangements, Arabs using the route will first
travel with convoys of buses. Later there will be no convoys and any
private Arab car will be able to travel. The Arabs using the road
will undergo a security check.....by....the Palestinian Authority
Police (Hatzofeh, 10-9-99). Each car will receive a sticker on its
windshield announcing it is using the "safe passage" and it will be
expected to arrive to the other side within 90 minutes.
And what if the car does not arrive and blows itself up in Ashkelon
instead.....? The Israeli security officials have no answer to that.
"Such questions should be referred to the politicians" (Hatsofeh,
10-9-99).
The Hatsofe article points out that this "safe passage" is very
important to the Arabs because it gives them Palestinian sovereignty
within the Green Line. According to the agreement Israel cannot check
or arrest any of the Palestinians using this road, even though it is
within Israel's boundaries. If there is a car accident between
an Arab and a Jewish car, the Israeli police have no say in the
matter. The matter is referred to the joint Arab PLO-Israeli
patrol
The Women in Green and other groups have decided they cannot
let the opening of this route go by silently. Ehud Barak has
announced he would crush terror....and instead he releases murderers
and now gives them a "safe passage" to kill Jews!!!
Join us on the day of the opening of the route, October 3rd 1999,
Isru Chag, and together we will protest this latest madness. We will
meet at the Plugot intersection (near Kyriat Gat) and from there
make a human chain along the route of the unsafe passsage. We will be
holding flags and banners.
There is no doubt that the entire international and national media
will be there to capture this "historical" moment, best compared to
the entering of the Trojan horse within the city boundaries.
It is crucial to show the world that the national camp in Israel
opposes this madness. On Isru Chag there is still no school.
Bring your families and come to scream gevalt.
We want to have our protest at the moment the cars will be actually
passing. We still do not know the exact time. We assume it will be in
the morning. I will be sending you messages with more exact details
as soon as possible. Buses from Jerusalem will be available (details
later).
This big demonstration against the "safe passage" will be the
beginning of a series of weekly demonstrations organized by Women in
Green; as we did under the Rabin-Peres regime. We plan on
demonstrating, starting after Succot, every week to wake up
the people of Israel and encourage them with the message that
all is not lost.
Determination and emunah (faith) will give us the strength to
continue and fight against all those Oslo-Hebron-Wye and Sharm
agreements. We believe that all agreements are reversible. The only
agreement that is not reversible is the covenant that Hashem made
linking the People of Israel with the Land of Israel for eternity.
For details about the human chain demonstration , you can also call
the Women in Green office at 02-624-9887
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Jerusalem, September 19, 1999
Letter to the Editor
One of our supporters wrote the following letter to some Israeli newspapers.
To the Editor:
It is encouraging that noted members of our Community are
voicing their vociferous objection to the rewriting of our history by
post-Zionists such as Ayal Naveh. The latest to express his
dissatisfaction is former Mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek who actively
participated in the 1948 War of Independence. He joins broadcaster and
columnist Dan Margolit, author Aharon Megged, and others who deplore the
misrepresentation of these anti-Zionists, who are now telling our youth
that the facts that they were told about the bravery of the few against
the many, and the miracles that occurred which made Israel victorious
during the 1948 War, were all "myths". Disturbingly, Naveh' s purported
history text is now part of the Meretz education process, and is an
accepted text for 9th grade high school students, but our protests can
change that.
It should be noted that Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women In
Green) originally initiated the protest against the falsification of our
history by these post-Zionists. They gathered together signatures of
prominent Israelis from all walks of life and took out newspaper Ads
protesting against the use of post-Zionist history texts such as the one by
Ayal Naveh. In addition, they recently have written to over 1500 high
schools principals making them aware of the public outcry against the use
of these corrosive history texts in educating our youth. No one should
rest until the removal is effectuated of such texts from our public school
system.
Sincerely,
Joseph Margulis
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Jerusalem, September 26, 1999
No "SAFE PASSAGE FOR TERRORISTS"
Demonstration:
Sunday, Isru Chag, October 3rd*
10:00 am
Plugot Junction (Kiryat Gat)
On October 3rd, the government intends opening a "safe passage"- a
road that will enable all Arabs, including murderous terrorists, to
travel from Gaza to Judea/Samaria and vice versa.
PASSAGE - in convoys without security clearance.
PASSAGE - near our homes, on our roads, without Israeli control over
the vehicles.
PASSAGE - for murderers and their weapons through the
heart of our land
SAFE - to assume that in case of road accident with an Arab vehicle,
no insurance claim can be made by the Israelis
SAFE - to assume that thieves will have easier access to your property
SAFE - to assume that terrorists will now have easy targets anywhere
in Israel
Organized by the men and women of
"Women in Green", "Many Mothers", "Matot Arim"
Bring the entire family!
For more information and reservation for buses call:
Jerusalem: 02-6249887 Meitar: 07-6517111
Tel Aviv: 03-5357588 Beer Sheva: 07-6431573
Kyriat Gat: 054-702338 Rehovot: 053-586072
Gush Katif: 07-6840880 Bat Yam: 03-5063168
Efrat: 02-9932083 Gush Etzyon: 02-9964805
Kyriat Gat: 054-702338 Bnei Brak: 053-923814
Kyriat Arba - Hevron: 02-9969500 Givatayim:03-7321516
* If the opening of the road is postponed, the demonstration will be
postponed to the new date
* Police Permit
* Parking for buses and private cars available at the Plugot
Junction
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Jerusalem, September 26, 1999
Ehud Barak, Manipulator Extraordinaire
Ehud Barak apparently believes that it is easy to fool the Israeli public
all of the time! He has learned well from his role model, charismatic but
immoral William Clinton. Barak knows he was elected by reason of the
"Clinton Crew" which provided the strategies for Barak's election campaign.
That plan was to feed the Israeli public with little information about
Barak's stands on important issues, but on the other hand to emphasize to
an insecure Israeli public that Barak was Israel's most decorated General.
It worked!
The People in Israel to this day do not really know what Barak has in mind.
He doesn't talk to them. He has little rapport with them. Every now and
then in an interview he intentionally tells us how it pains him to give up
part of our homeland. You get the feeling that such statements are being
prepared for him by the same team of manipulators who managed his election
campaign. The public will be assuaged in this manner, and dissension will
be prevented. That is the goal, to keep the public in a stupor. No patent
provocations. What is portrayed is the image of a man in charge who alone
has the facts, and therefore knows best what is to be done. But what Barak
is actually doing is following the Clinton-Albright script of exposing
Israel to dangers which no American electorate would ever tolerate with
regard to its own safety and security.
The recent news of Barak's innovation of setting up a new information
communications and spokesman's unit within the Prime Minister's Office is a
consistent progression of this basic arrogant attitude. He obviously has
concluded that he can manipulate the public into any concession, if he
handles the public relations "properly"; that is, in accordance with the
philosophy of the Carville election team which successfully brought him
into office.
Virtually giving away the Golan, the "Safe Passage" provisions for
Palestinian terrorists, the uprooting of Jewish settlements, the upcoming
"Palestinian State", and the whitewashing of his questionable "peace
partner", the arch unrepentant terrorist Arafat, all these can be "handled"
if presented to the gullible Israeli public "properly."
Several factors may not be so easily controllable by the Barak team, and
this remains our only hope for salvation. The God of Israel, whom Barak
ignores, and the People of the Book, may yet have something to say about
Jewish Destiny. May it be God's Will that the present slumbering Giant,
the People of the Book, realizes what Barak has in store for them. When the
Jews in Israel finally awaken, they must democratically bring down Barak's
Government forthwith.
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