                                                           B"sd
                      A Voice from Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                  Netanyahu Must be Re elected
                         March 19, 1999
                                
     Good leadership requires the ability and willingness to make decisions.  The difficulty with
making decisions is the fact that there will always be some who disagree.  No politician wants to
make unpopular decisions, and, for the sake of being safe, most prefer not to make decisions at
all.  In order to please as many potential voters as possible, a clever politician knows how to
couch his statements in carefully woven ambiguities which enable the listener to assume what he
wants to hear, while the speaker never really commits himself to anything.  This sterling talent is
Prime Minister Netanyahu's key to success.  In fact his competitors, Yitzchak Mordechai and
Ehud Barak, have been trying desperately to emulate the pro, but cannot come close.

     All three clearly are political animals whose interest and ability to run this country are
limited to selfish motives.  All are self-aggrandizing, power-hungry politicians who have a love
affair with themselves.  For this reason I have been struggling to decide what to do on election
day.  My gut instinct is to stay far away from all of them. . . to distance myself from those holding
a philosophy which is against Zionism and the best interests of the Jewish State.  If I have no
good leaders to choose from, then why bother?  What is the big difference between them?

     I know, Netanyahu has looked kindly upon builders of Zion, more so than his competitors. 
He also has a better image of being right wing, even if it is a distorted image.  But this is just not
enough for me.  He gave away 80% of Hebron to Arafat.  He committed himself, and still
commits himself, to Oslo, despite the fact that the PLO has given him every possible justification
to consider that agreement null and void.  And he, (as well as everyone else) still talks about "final
status negotiations".  Someone should tell our leaders that the final status will be a Jewish State
run only by Jews, according to the Law of Torah and with no foreign autonomy, much less
sovereignty, on Jewish soil.

     There is a celebration taking place in the White House today.  Leah Rabin, the late Prime
Minister's widow, was invited by President Clinton to mark the occasion with him.  It is
interesting to note that Yitzchak Mordechai is in attendance as is the wife of Ehud Barak. 
Netanyahu was not invited nor is he in any way represented at this closed party.  When I heard
about this I was relieved.  I now understand that there is one measuring stick that distinguishably
elevates Netanyahu above his opponents.   Enemies of the Jewish State would prefer to see Barak
or Mordechai replace Netanyahu.  Arafat would prefer it; Mubarak would prefer it; Assad would
prefer it; Abdullah would prefer it; and so would Clinton. No one can deny this fact.  This being
the case, my decision is much easier than I thought it would be.  

     I dislike Netanyahu.  I deplore his policies and lack of strength and leadership.  But if he
does not get reelected, our enemies will have scored a victory.  And that must not be allowed to
happen.  For this reason alone it is imperative not only to vote for Netanyahu, but even to
campaign for him, as distasteful as that may be.  

     My concern had been that participating in the election process would be tantamount to
endorsing a system in which all elements have rejected even the most basic political ideology of
Zionism. . . all of the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People.  There seems to be no party or
political element in the entire spectrum which endorses this concept which once was embraced by
the Labor Party!   Thus it would appear that no matter who wins, we all lose.  

     What is important to keep in mind, however, is the historical fact that the modern miracle
of the rebirth of the Jewish State in the Land of Israel occurred in spite of political elements, not
because of them.  The founders of the modern state were not religious individuals, even though
their motivations were certainly religious ones.  In 1967 it was not the strategy of the Israeli
government to recapture the ancient holy places throughout Judea and Samaria, including the
unification of the holy city of Jerusalem.  Yet few can deny that even the most secular of Jews felt
an inexplicable desire to whisper a prayer of thanksgiving at the Western Wall.

     The reestablishment of Jewish sovereignty in 1948, as well as the return to the holy Lands
in Judea Samaria and Gaza in 1967 were accomplished by governments run by secular Jews. 
Because their ideology only recognized Zionism in a nostalgic sense, it was destined to deteriorate
as it has.  Right wing and left wing are meaningless terms.  The only stable ideology is one based
upon the eternal values which the Jewish People were given by the Living G-d of Israel.  All that
we have accomplished in the past fifty years has been in spite of the policies of our leaders, not
because of them.  The future of the Jewish State is guaranteed by the Creator of the Universe. 
Nothing can change or slow down the process of Zionist return as the prelude to redemption.  As
bad as things may appear, the future will see the Jewish State continue to grow and flourish no
matter who finds himself in the office of Prime Minister.

     While the previous statement may seem justification not to bother voting, there is still an
important element which demands attention.  In Jewish life we must always try to avoid chilul
HaShem, the desecration of G-d.  Any action which the world may deem as weakening the Jewish
State, makes the Jewish G-d appear to be weak.  Thus, if, in the eyes of the world, Netanyahu
appears to stand for Jewish self-respect, while his opponents seem to exhibit Jewish weakness, it
is a mitzvah to elect Netanyahu, even if this assertion it is just an illusion.  As a result of our
intention to do the best we can to elevate ourselves to be worthy of the miracles we receive daily,
perhaps we will merit the kind of genuine Jewish leadership for which we pray.