                                                           B"sd

                      A Voice from Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                         March 1, 1999
                                
                      Jewish Self-respect 
                             means 
                        NEVER SURRENDER
      Not to our Friends, and Certainly not to our Enemies
                                
     Being a Jewish State is not easy.  Aside from the ordinary problems of standing up to an
entire world who, to put it nicely, would prefer that we did not exist, we have to contend with
Jewish leaders who spend more time trying to be like unto the nations rather than accept the fact
that we are not to be reckoned among the nations.

     On rare occasions we actually find our justice system acting in accordance with Jewish
principles. . . quite by accident and much to their own chagrin.  Samuel Sheinbein is just the most
recent in a long list of Jews who was wanted for crimes allegedly committed in other countries. 
In most, if not all, of such cases the Israeli courts have bent over backwards to permit Jews to be
extradited.  Here, for some strange reason, the Israeli Supreme Court decided not to extradite. It
seems that, by some quirk of fate, in this particular case, state law actually coincided with Jewish
Law.  The jurists personally may not have liked the law, but the law is the law.

     The United States is in an uproar that Israel would dare to defy an extradition request. 
Not-so-veiled threats have already been forthcoming from that bastion of democracy calling upon
Israel to defy its own democratic system of law in order to honor the will of the United States. It
is the furor of the United States, more than anything else, that has Jewish "moralists" coming out
of the woodwork beating their chests and trying to find a way to get the decision reversed, "for
the sake of morality and justice."  As a matter of fact, the Knesset is presently working to revise
the law to make it easier for the courts to honor extradition requests in the future in order to
avoid future "embarrassment".

     Jewish Law forbids any Jewish authority to turn a fellow Jew over to non-Jewish
authorities.  While Jewish "moralists" decry the concept of Israel becoming a haven for criminals,
this is not truly the fear which possesses them.  The real fear is the ancient Jewish fear of "What
will the goyim think?  How can we dare defy world powers" ?  It is the placing of our fear of Man
above our fear of G-d.   This kind of thinking and acting is what brings Divine wrath upon us. 
Israel is meant to be a haven for the Jewish people.  Even should a Jewish criminal seek refuge
here it should be given to him without hesitation, because he is a Jew.  It could be that he is a
victim of antisemitism and would not have a chance to be tried among those who seek his demise,
simply because he is a Jew.  But, even should he be an outright criminal, there is no reason not to
try and punish him in Israel.  No one suspects that a Jewish criminal will find haven from his crime
in Israel.

     The PLO isn't Jewish.  The PLO harbors murderers of American citizens.  Yet where is
the outcry in the United States against Arafat's refusal to extradite any of his murderers?  Why
can our fellow Jews, even here in Israel, not notice the obvious double standard?  The fact is that
Arafat himself ordered the murder of American diplomats, yet he is hugged and admired by the
American President for his love of peace.  And, thanks to Shimon Peres, Arafat is a Nobel Peace
Prize Laureate!  Doesn't anyone realize that this fellow continues to plot the destruction of the
Jewish State?  Perhaps it is too embarrassing to think about.

     Jewish lemmings have been marching to their self-destruction as long as there has been a
Jewish People.  It only hurts so much more to observe this cowardly phenomenon especially now,
in the era of Jewish return.  The Jewish State was resurrected as the beginning of the elevation of
the Jewish people prior to redemption.  It is we, the Jewish people ourselves, who are bringing
tragedy upon ourselves and the world by refusing to act as a proud and self-respecting nation. 
What other nation finds its citizens honoring a terrorist murderer, giving up parts of our homeland
to him and, despite his continued violations of all agreements, and declarations that he intends to
make a new Arab state on Jewish soil, continues to insist upon giving him more of our homeland?

      Syria is orchestrating a war against Israel from Lebanon.  Jewish blood flows, Jewish
mothers demonstrate against keeping our army in Lebanon, Jewish leaders talk about a non-
existent peace, and all of our enemies are laughing at us.  It is interesting that Arafat sees
preventing terror prior to election time as in his interest.  Netanyahu is viewed as being "right
wing" and thus terror attacks are likely to give more sympathy to his candidacy.  It is better for
Arafat to keep things quiet for a while to lull the Jewish people into thinking that peace has
arrived and thus find them voting for the authors of this concept, the Labor party.  Yet Asad has
no such problem.   He knows that even Netanyahu is desperate to make peace.  He knows that
Jewish mothers are demonstrating to pull out of Lebanon.  And he knows that the more Jewish
blood that is shed in the north, the more pressure Israel has from within to retreat.   But, most of
all, the Syrian dictator knows that he can use Hisballah to attack Israel relentlessly without any
fear of retaliation.  And this, more than any other factor, is why the attacks in Lebanon will not
stop.

     The fact that Jews are dying in Lebanon does not bother the United States.  But the
thought that Israel may counter attack suddenly finds Madeline Albright trying to intervene,
calling on all parties to exercise restraint.  I have little hope that our leadership will have the
courage to do what it should.  But I still hope that it will.  

     Shimon Peres once said, "One doesn't make peace with friends.  He makes peace with
enemies."   He may be right.  But the only way to make peace with enemies is to first crush them
and make them understand that either they surrender or they die.  When they come to this
understanding, then you can make peace with them.  If you surrender to terror,  to murder, or to
extortion, be it by our enemies, or by those who call themselves "friends", the result will never be
peace.
      