               There are Two Sides of the Jordan
This One is Ours and so is the Other 
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                        October 25, 1994
                                
     Ah how sweet the fresh smell of peace in the air!  Why even President Clinton is so
filled with joy that he is personally flying in to Jordan to participate in the momentous signing
of a peace treaty between Jordan and Israel.
     Is Clinton being deceived or is he deceiving us when he describes, in text book
terminology, the meaning of "peace"?  He describes his feeling of joy and accomplishment to
see two nations putting aside their differences and hostilities toward one another to join
together in peace and friendship.  While the cliches may sound impressive, let us look a bit
closer in order to find the meaning behind them.  What were these "differences" which caused
so much hostility between Israel and her Arab neighbors and what is it exactly that caused a
change in such vehement "differences" that enabled peace to bud?
     If one objectively examines the historical evidence the issue is really very simple. 
Islam, the ideology which overwhelming unites the Arab nations in the area, has as one of its
most fundamental premises, that no non-Moslem entity can rule over Islamic territory.  As
such, no religious Arab leader of any country can seriously agree to the existence of a foreign
element ruling over even one inch of what he considers to be Islamic territory.  Until recently
ceaseless efforts had been made to rectify this violation of Islamic doctrine via military force. 
Having discovered by bitter experience that Israel has been able to withstand every military
effort to remove it, Islamic leaders have come to the conclusion that "new" weapons need to
be employed to get rid of this aberration.  
     Sadat, wearing his swastika tie, was the first to attempt this new strategy of waging
war via a "peace" process and discovered a remarkable amount of success.  He got back all of
the land he lost in military conflict, and received financial and military aid from the United
States merely for mouthing meaningless words which his enemies craved to hear.  So much
did they want to believe in this sham, that even outright violations of written agreements were
ignored and accepted with scarcely a murmur of protest.
     It took some time but after swallowing this pipe dream for a number of years and lying
to ourselves about how much Egypt loves us, many of us began to really believe that merely
by wanting peace we can get it.  Did Israel ever want war?  Did we ever harbor "differences"
with our Arab enemies?  Only one.  We insisted that we had a right to a Jewish State in our
legitimate homeland.  We didn't even declare our intentions to return to all of our borders. 
Our enemies "differed" with our contention.  They insisted that we had no right of sovereignty
over any part of the Middle East.  
     This is the only "difference" which had to be overcome in order for peace to reign in
our region.  Does the honorable President of the United State honestly believe that this
"difference" no longer exists?  Is there one Arab state, including the "peaceful" Egyptian one,
which no longer seeks to remove every and any form of Jewish sovereignty from the Middle
East?
     Let us examine the "visionary" Peres program of a New Middle East.  Since the only
alternative to "peace" is war, and since Mr. Peres has determined to single handedly put an end
to all wars, the foreign minister has embarked on a program of "peace" at any price.
     To quote Patrick Henry, "Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the
price of chains and slavery?"  His answer was emphatic and historic.  "Forbid it Almighty 
G-d!  I know not what course others may take, but as for me give me liberty or give me
death".
     Mr. Peres has a new answer.  "Vot is de alternative?"  With this pithy rhetorical
question Peres dismisses any and every reason to even examine our mad race toward self
destruction for "peace".
     The Israel foreign ministry has been orchestrating a symphony of praise to the glory of
the New Middle East which it claims to be bringing via its innovative process of preemptive
surrender of Jewish pride, Jewish land, and Jewish lives for "peace".
     The Peres philosophy has been drummed into us so often that even the so called right
in Israel has been duped into a false sense of euphoria.  The cute little King of the fantasy
Kingdom of Jordan has decided to "make peace" with Israel.  Every Knesset faction is
clamoring to gush forth words of praise for the Rabin government and the King of fantasy
land.  How is it possible for an entire people to forget, not only its ancient history, but even
that part of Jewish history through which many of them lived?
     Is it some ancient mysterious secret that the Kingdom of Jordan was established in
1948 by the perfidy of the British who stole nearly eighty percent of the Jewish homeland in
order to create this fantasy?  
     While no Jewish government ever planned on redeeming this stolen Jewish land, until
now no Jewish government suggested making the thievery legitimate.  Today, not only has the
Jewish Underground government secretly negotiated with our most bitter enemy, promising it
anything it wants in return for lies, and succeeded in foisting this disgusting mess upon the
Jewish State, now it has convinced the entire Knesset that the fraudulent Kingdom of Jordan,
which sits entirely upon stolen Jewish Land, should now be accepted as legitimate!
     President Clinton is a handsome and well spoken leader.  It is also alleged that he is a
brilliant scholar.  If so, how is it possible that he can believe that Israel is making real peace
with Egypt, Arafat, and Hussein?  How is it conceivable that, on the one hand Israel is
unanimously called upon to make territorial concessions to countries far larger in territory than
she, while, at the very same time, she is called upon to understand that all Arab countries have
a time honored tradition never to part with one grain of holy Islamic soil?  It is a deceitful
double standard which is readily accepted by all parties!
     This very concept has been pushed to its most ridiculous limit with recent agreements
between Israel and Jordan, where Israel has chosen to recognize disputed land as legitimately
belonging to Jordan, if Jordan agrees to rent the land to Israel.  While the little King was
pleased to make this absurd accommodation with Israel, loud and angry protest was heard
from a most unexpected source.  Our best, most trusted ally in the quest for peace, who loves
and understands us more than any other, the President of Egypt, expressed his outrage that
any Arab leader would willingly part from exclusive sovereignty over even one millimeter of
holy Arab soil.  Syria's Assad was quick to announce his absolute unwillingness to even
consider such an arrangement with sovereign Syrian soil.  And now, President Clinton plans to
assist the peace process along by "helping" Israel give the Golan Heights to Assad.
     I understand Mubarak and Assad.  I can even understand Clinton.  It is Jewish leaders
who perplex me.  At the very least, let us listen to our "peace" partners.  Most, if not all, of
them are still saying what they mean, even if they couch their words in misleading cliches. 
How is it possible for even a six year old to believe that Arafat is willing to compromise on
one grain of his so called "Palestine"?
     Rabin issued a stern warning to Arafat during the abduction of Nachshon Wachsman,
that he holds the PLO leader personally responsible for the young soldier's safe return home. 
Immediately following the murder of Nachshon, the Nobel Peace Prize winner decided to
forgive his partner in "peace and prizes" and to reopen the Gaza Strip to innocent suffering
Arabs who only want to peacefully earn a living in "Israel".  Not a week passed when the
unprecedented bomb attack in central Tel Aviv gave proof to the sincerity of our Arab
neighbors' desire for peace.
     If Mr. Peres cannot understand that the Arab interpretation of the New Middle East is
one without any form of a Jewish State, then it is he who presents the greatest danger to our
continued existence.  Unfortunately this exercise in intellectual acrobatics has succeeded in
dazzling nearly all of our leaders and contenders for leadership.  
     Bibi Natanyahu, the bright young hope for the Likud's bid to take over the
government, was directly asked by a reporter to comment on the new "peace" with Jordan. 
Wasn't it always Likud policy, as espoused by Zeev Jabotinsky, that both sides of the Jordan
belong to Israel?  Natanyahu, in his typical political double talk put his foot in his mouth.  He
told the local radio audience in Israel that, while historically this has always been the position
of his party, one must address the pragmatic reality of an Arab state sitting on the other side of
the Jordan.  It has, therefore, become necessary to address this reality and seek to make peace
with this entity and this is the direction his party supports.
     If this is Likud policy, than it logically follows that, despite the fact that everyone
knows that Arafat and the PLO seek to destroy Israel, we must recognize the pragmatic reality
that we have already given them all the tools needed to create a state.  As such we must
address this reality and seek to make peace with this entity as well.
     So our "right wing" idealists have traded Jewish honor, Jewish history and Jewish
destiny for "pragmatic reality".  If this is our "hope" for new leadership, woe to us all.  In our
desperate rush to rid ourselves of Jewish self haters, let us take a long hard look at those who
seek to "save" us from them.  At least with Peres and Rabin we know what we are dealing
with.  With Bibi and others we are far more vulnerable to being deceived.
     Jewish Destiny is not dependent upon democracy nor upon the present form of
dictatorship in the guise of democracy in Israel.  It is an unstoppable process which will
continue to completion with or without our help.  It is we, the Jewish people, together with all
G-d fearing people who are prepared to live by the Promise that G-d made to our Father,
Abraham, who will determine the quality and speed in which this process will culminate.
     The New Middle East, indeed, the New World, is waiting for us all.  It will be a world
of peace in which nation shall not lift up sword against nation.  It will be a world in which all
mankind will recognize the One G-d of Israel as the Supreme King of the Universe, and His
chosen People, Israel as the instrument by which all mankind can learn to serve Him.  This will
not come about by our denying His commandments nor by the Jewish nation rejecting its
inheritance, on either side of the Jordan River.

 