                                                               
                      A Voice from Hebron
by Gary M. Cooperberg           
        Without Fear of G-d there is no Jewish LeadershipNovember 26, 1997
                                
     The bombshell has exploded.  No one can continue to believe that we have a right wing in this
country any longer.  Once we had a centrist party which called for the removal of the Arabs of Israel
before they could turn this country into a replica of Northern Ireland.  After the murder of  Rabbi
Kahane, z"tl, H"yd, he was posthumously labeled a "terrorist" as was his party, for espousing
"racism".  Today you will not find one Knesset faction, and maybe not even one Knesset Member,
who will publicly call for the removal of Arafat, much less the Arabs of Israel.
     The last vestige of  "hard-line nationalism", Ariel Sharon, has sounded the death knoll for the
nationalistic nature of his party as he publicly declared in the United States that a PLO state is
inevitable and that there is nothing Israel can do about it.  Had Yossie Sarid, Abba Eban or Shimon
Peres made such a statement it would be laughable.  But to hear such words from an Ariel Sharon is
enough to make a "right wing Jewish terrorist" break down and cry.
     When Left wing Laborite IDF generals declared in the past that we cannot find a military
solution to the intifada, only a political one, they were really admitting defeat.  Sharon openly opposed
that assertion and declared that there was a military solution.  Today it would seem that he has
changed his mind.  Apparently he feels that now, the same Arafat whom he smashed during the Peace
for Galilee invasion of Lebanon, can no longer be defeated militarily.  
     And what about the "force 17" group of Knesset Members led by Michael Kleiner?  They,
together with their backers from the Yesha Council, have declared that they would bring down the
government should any more land be ceded to Arafat.  Clearly, even these people are willing to live
with Arafat, only to a lesser degree than is the Prime Minister.  I never heard one member of this group
calling for the scrapping of Oslo altogether and the removal of the PLO murderers from our homeland.
     Everyone seems to be lying to themselves.  There was a time when only the extreme left really
believed that you could buy peace by giving away parts of your homeland.  This has now become
national policy under an alleged right wing government!  Yet, hand in hand with the agreements and
the handing over of Jewish Land to Arafat, we have spent fortunes of money building new bypass
roads to avoid contact with our peace partners, and bought new bullet proof busses to protect us from
the peaceful bullets which our government knows full well are being fired at its civilian population.  
     In spite of these outrageous facts, our charming Prime Minister, who is an expert on terrorism,
is openly planning to give away more Jewish land to Arafat!  What is worse is that presently he is
negotiating with himself as to how much to give away.  Arafat will not settle for less than everything,
and we are still negotiating.  Bill Clinton indicated that he would not meet Bibi unless he has "a
credible withdrawal plan".  And, incredibly, Bibi is frantically drawing one up!!
     The most significant part of this insanity is the fact that Bibi is not alone.  He is still presented
as the symbol of right-wing hard-line Israeli intransigence.  And who is opposing him?  Ariel Sharon? 
Beni Begin?  Ehud Olmert? Rahavam Zeevi?   Who is calling for an end of Oslo?  Who is demanding
that the PLO be removed from Jewish land, never mind wiped out altogether?   The silence is
deafening.  Where is the Caleb ben Yephuna who stood up against the majority of Jewish leaders and
insisted that we possess our homeland in spite of the seemingly impossible obstacles?  He and Joshua
stood alone, a tiny minority.  They stood for Jewish rights and they demonstrated their unshakable
faith in the Living G-d of Israel and Jewish destiny.
     It seems that nothing has changed.  The majority of our leaders still are afraid of puny nations
and lack fear of their Creator.  Caleb was rewarded for his faith and his courage by being given
Hebron as his inheritance. Hebron was the home of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  It was the city where
David first ruled as King for seven and a half years.  It served as the stronghold for Bar Kochba in the
revolt against the mighty Romans.  And it will be from Hebron again that genuine Jewish leadership
will soon arise.

     "And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said 
Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." 
                                                    Numbers 13:30