                                                               
                      A Voice From Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                        October 24, 1996
                     The Yahrzeit of Rabin
                     Renewal of a Witch hunt
     With the anniversary of the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin the media in Israel is having a
field day rubbing salt on old wounds and rekindling the flames of hatred toward religious and
alleged right wing Jews.  An entire segment of Israeli society has been blamed for the murder of
Rabin.  Film clips of legitimate and peaceful demonstrations against the perfidious Oslo accords
are presented as "provocation" which led to the assassination.  Over and over again we are shown
the photo montage which depicted Rabin dressed as a Nazi.  What is never mentioned, however,
is the fact that this particular poster was manufactured and presented by a plant from the
government's own undercover agency!
     Knesset Member, Benni Alon, was asked by a young man what he was doing to make sure
such a terrible crime never happens again.  Benni, who is usually quite capable of answering such
provocative questions, blew it on this one and fell right into the trap.  He tried to explain that
people can make mistakes in the halacha if they read it on their own.  But the question was not
about halacha.  It was about guilt.  It was not Zu Artzenu which caused a fanatic to murder the
prime minister.  All they did was peacefully protest insane suicidal policies, which was their
democratic right.  The very question implies guilt and any attempt to respond is to accept that
guilt.  The right is not responsible for Yigal Amir; the left is.
     Rabin was murdered, not out of halachic zealousness, rather as a result of extreme
frustration and fear.  I do not for one minute justify his murder, I only seek to more accurately
assess the factors which caused a sensitive,  educated young Jew to commit such an outrageous
act.  It most certainly was not a result of posters or protests.  It was a result of a dictatorial
government which openly mocked its constituency by making decisions which drastically affect
the future of our country without as much as informing the people until after the harm was already
done.  On top of this, in reaction to large scale protests, the Prime Minister told his people that
they can spin around like propellers for as much good as their protests would do.
     Again, this is no justification for murder.  But when you take hundreds of thousands of
people and push their backs against the wall, you should not be surprised to find a few individuals
who cannot stand up to the frustration and to be driven to violent extremes.  Government in a
democracy was designed to serve the governed, not to oppress them.  When it fails to fulfill this
most basic requirement, then severe repercussions are likely to result.  The wonder is not that a
lone fanatic Jew murdered the Prime Minister.  The wonder is that far many more didn't rise up in
a violent rebellion.  Taken in this context we should be proud of the incredible restraint shown by
the overwhelming majority of angry and frustrated Jewish people.
     Today, despite the fact that we have a new government in control, the anniversary of
Rabin's murder is being used as a propaganda tool by the left to discredit the government as well
as any who dare disagree with the former government's policies.  The most flagrant example of
this backlash is the reaction to the refusal of the Bnei Akiva and Betar movements to sing "The
Song of Peace" in memorial to Rabin.  While, indeed, this song has become an object of
martyrdom along with the former prime minister, the words are clearly of an anti religious nature
and thus offensive to any religious individual.  For this reason it had been banned from being
played on the army radio station for years.  Rather than recognize the fact that religious
individuals cannot sing a song which mocks the G-d of Israel, these religious youth movements
are being accused of not being willing to join in on the commemoration of Rabin.
     Pompous and self righteous labor leaders, such as Barak and Ramon, among a host of
others, are guilty of fomenting the very atmosphere of hatred which they try to blame on religious
Jews.  The noble left, which is so proud of its achievements in the peace process, has produced a
breed of former army officers who are openly calling for soldiers to refuse to serve in an army
which is under the command of those who oppose the so called "peace process".  This is their
expression of "democracy".
     In spite of the deliberate exploitation of Rabin's assassination by the left in this country,
and with it the random arrest and imprisonment of alleged right wing Jews to mute those whose
opinions differed with theirs, it is vital that the right to dissent be upheld.  It must be pointed out
that red lines have been crossed by a government which clandestinely acted against the self
interest of the Jewish State behind the backs of the people and in disregard for its own laws. 
When Rabin and Peres first met with Arafat it was against the law for them to have done so.  For
this reason alone their agreements should have been declared illegal and non valid.  When the
people of Israel watched their prime minister shake hands with the veritable symbol of Arab
terrorism a red line was crossed.  When they helplessly watched as he handed this criminal Jewish
lands, even as our soldiers were pelted with stones, another red line was crossed.  And to hear the
decision to take murderers out of jail, give them guns and call them "policemen" as we abandon
Jewish police stations to them passes yet another unforgivable red line.
     What can be done to prevent another political assassination?  Our elected leaders simply
must act to preserve the safety and lives of their constituents.  They must recognize the need to
provide avenues for expression of dissent, as well as make every effort to abide by the will of the
people.  Giving our land to our enemies, arming them and retreating before them is not a way to
instill confidence in the people.  The word "peace" sounds very nice, but it rings very thin in
response to the self-demeaning agreements reached in Oslo.  Arafat has openly declared his
willingness to fight for what he claims is his land.  When was the last time a Jewish leader made
such a declaration?  When Peres said that "there is no alternative", he automatically admitted
defeat.  Wars are ended when one party admits that it has no alternative but to surrender.  Peres
tried to end the war against the Jews by agreeing to a conditional surrender to our murderers. 
These are the conditions we are presently negotiating . . . not peace.
     Because the left insists upon forcing a condition of surrender upon the Jewish State, it has
bred and led hatred between Jews.  In these days of mourning for Rabin the left has used the
painful emotions to foment further distrust and guilt upon the present government as well as the
so called right wing which opposes Oslo.  No, it was not the protests against treacherous policies
which caused Rabin's murder.  It was the policies themselves, coupled with the blatant disregard
for the will of the electorate which drove a fanatic to commit such an outrageous act.  When
people, like Chaim Ramon, declare that they will crush those who differ with them, one can only
expect violent reactions.  Rather than blame the protesters who sang songs and carried banners,
they should praise them for not bursting into violent demonstrations.  Even after being hosed and
clubbed, as well as trampled by police horses, the vast majority of protesters controlled their
expressions of dissent into non violent measures. If apologies are in order for creating a Yigal
Amir, they lie with the left, not the right. The wonder isn't that a Yigal Amir happened. The
wonder is that there weren't hundreds, nay thousands,  more like him. 