                  Whose hands shed this Blood?
                     by Gershon Ben Shabtai
                        October 29, 1991
                                
       Rachel Druck, a mother of seven from the Jewish settlement of Shiloh, was on her
way to the demonstration in Tel Aviv to protest the so called "peace" conference,  when her
bus was attacked by terrorist gunmen and she as well as the bus driver were shot dead.  It was
only a miracle that the bus didn't go over the embankment and cause many more Jewish
casualties.
       It truly warms our heart to listen to the wise words of our Army Chief of Staff,
Ehud Barak, urging the settlers to remain calm, and promising to catch the terrorists.  He may
very well do so, but to what end?  So they can sit in a comfortable Jewish jail until they are
traded for hostages?  
       But there is another promise which the good general admits he cannot make.  He
cannot promise that it won't happen again.  All he can do is tell us that he is doing the best he
can, and that very few Jewish mother's of seven children will be murdered in the future.
       I am not angry at General Barak.  He is an honest man and a good soldier.  He has
been given an impossible job and is doing it as well as can be expected.  My anger is directed
at the governmental leaders of my country who have been sitting on their hands for years
watching Eretz Yisrael drink the blood of women and children only because they will not
admit that THEY MUST GO!
       The only way to guarantee no more victims of Arab terror is to remove the Arabs! 
How many more Jews must needlessly die until we understand that truth?  For over forty-three
years we have been mixing oil and water and we still want to believe that they can be mixed.  
       And what is the reaction of the Jewish victims of terror?  They pray, they hope, they
hold demonstrations and sing songs.  How do we chant and sing songs while our brothers are
being slaughtered?  We have a right to expect our Jewish government to destroy those to
come to destroy us.  If they refuse then it is only normal that others will rise to do their dirty
work for them, regardless of the consequences.
       Jews in New York are no different.  Innocent Jews are murdered there too.  How
wonderful that thousands came out to a mass rally to listen to political speeches, sing songs
and hold up signs attesting to their opposition to antisemitism.  Did anyone assume that they
were in favor of antisemitism?  Demonstrations are fine in order to raise public awareness to
issues that few have heard about.  They are ridiculous as a reaction to cold blooded murder!   
       Just imagine a man shooting a woman in the head and, in reaction, one hundred
protesters fill the street with signs attesting to the immorality of murder, and closing with a
song, "We shall overcome", after which they all go home feeling that they accomplished
something.   Yet this is exactly what is happening, both in New York and in Tel Aviv.  
       If we Jews do not stand up with a strong Jewish fist in the only "demonstrations"
that anti-Semites understand, then we must accept the blame for the continued shedding of
Jewish blood both in the Galut and, what is worse, in Israel.  
                   Another "Piece" Conference?
       Everyone wants to believe that Shamir will be strong and stand up for our rights at
Madrid.  He has made many positive statements that all of our country belongs to us, yet he
has never suggested legally incorporating Judea and Samaria and Gaza to the Jewish State.  I
just heard him on Israel radio responding to a foreign reporter who asked about the possibility
of Israel eventually giving up land.  The Prime Minister began strongly by stating that this land
has belonged to the Jewish people for thousands of years.  Then he folded and said that he
knows that the Palestinians also think that this has been their land for thousands of years.  He
told his listeners that we must sit down and discuss our differences at a peace table and find an
acceptable compromise.  If the Arabs can show us that they accept our sovereignty and are
willing to live with us in peace, that is our main objective.  The clear implication is that he
would be willing to give up land for such and expression of willingness on the part of the
Arabs.
       Where is the Jewish self-confidence and self-respect?  Arafat says that Jerusalem is
the capitol of Palestine and that he will settle for nothing less.  When will Shamir stop
concerning himself with what Arabs demand from Jews, and rather start making Jewish
demands of Arabs:
       1. Since 1948 we have accepted and continue to accept Jewish refugees from all
over the world.  We can no longer take care of your refugees.  We demand that the Arab
nations each accept their fair share of responsibility in receiving Arab refugees who have been
living in Israel all these years.  We can no longer take care of them.
       2. The country of Jordan is an illegal one sitting entirely on Jewish land.  Syria,
Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq all occupy pieces of Jewish Land.  We never will renounce our claim
to these lands, but we will not press for their return at this time if these nations are willing to
sign a peace treaty with us.  If not, any lands which fall into our hands as a result of a war
launched against the Jewish state will never be returned-- this applies as well to all lands
currently in Jewish hands.  
       3. We will talk with anyone, but we do not recognize the legitimacy of either Jordan
or Palestine.  These entities negate our legitimate claim to our homeland which we will never
abandon.
       Never have I heard a Jewish prime minister talk like this.  Shamir is a disastrous
mirror image of Begin.  A sheep in wolves' clothing.  All the above demands should have been
made before going to Madrid thus giving him the upper hand.  Instead, the strongest Jewish
position is not to give back any land, so what does he need to go to a conference for?  He has
no demands and the Arabs have many.  That is not a scenario of compromise, only defeat. 
Only Shamir can be blamed for setting the stage for our destruction.  And only we can be
blamed for Shamir. 
