                                                               
                      A Voice from Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                       December 23, 1996
              Breathes there a Zionist in Israel?

     In the Jerusalem Post edition of Friday, December 20, 1996, David Bar Ilan, advisor to the
Prime Minister, gave a very frank interview which reveals the fact that the voters in the last Israeli
elections got gypped.  To sum up with a very short quote: "there are not major differences
between Likud and Labor today."
     A good case could be made that, had Netanyahu lost the election, at least today we might
still have had an opposition.  Bar Ilan's revelation should not really surprise anyone.  From the
moment Netanyahu shook hands with Arafat, or even earlier, it has become clear that his policy is
to continue with Oslo rather than scrap it.
     Only yesterday the great right hope of most political activists, General Ariel Sharon,
announced that he feels it essential to work closely with the Labor party to get a national
consensus before proceeding with the peace process.  In other words, we voted for Likud and
seem to be getting Peres back anyway.
     A few weeks ago Abraham Burg came to visit Hebron.  While the son of the former
Minister of religious affairs does sport a kipa, he is an active MK in the Labor party.  His point of
view is that, while he does recognize the holiness of the City of Abraham, he would prefer to see
it abandoned by Jews in preference for "peace".  "Maybe the time isn't right for the Jews to come
back to Hebron.", he suggested.  What makes him feel that by surrendering Jewish holy soil to
those who presume to destroy us will result in peace defies the imagination.
     And, only this morning, we heard on Israel radio the voice of yet another modern
"Abraham".  This time it was MK Abraham Stern of the National Religious Party.  Yet his
remarks were neither of a patriotic national or religious nature.  His suggestion was that the time
has come for us to decide to permit a "limited" palestinian state on Jewish soil.  How he presumed
to limit this state remains unclear.   The only reason he would make such a suggestion is because
he really believes that we are losers and that the time to quit is now.
     If the pragmatic attitude of, what seems to be the whole gamut of the Jewish political
leadership, seems to be ready to accept "unpleasant realities", consider the words of a proud Arab
living in Jerusalem.  Reacting to the "threat" of seeing a new Jewish neighborhood erected in a
part of the city which is predominantly comprised of Arabs, this fellow, did not threaten mind you,
he merely "pointed out" that it will take a great many soldiers to protect the lives of the Jews who
would dare to live there.  Ah, how sweet is peace.
     And in Hebron itself, we see the Arabs frantically building as close to the Jewish quarter as
is physically possible.  Clearly they are planning to make the job of wiping out the Jewish
Community in Hebron as quick and easy as possible, just as soon as Mr. Netanyahu decides to
honor his commitment to redploy  (surrender).
     With all of the brilliant Jewish minds we have one would have expected more.  I am not
even talking about religious or nationalistic ideology.  How about the concept of self
preservation?  Even a dumb animal instinctively knows when it must fight to protect itself or its
young.  Does one need to be a genius to notice the fact that all of the Arab nations still seek our
destruction?  Does anyone really believe that Arafat only wants to have a little "palestine" so he
can live in peace with Israel at his side?  Does one need to be a prophet or magician to understand
that the PLO is creating an infrastructure for the purpose of destroying the entire State of Israel,
with the help of the other Arab nations?
     And, even if we want to hope for the impossible.  Does that justify deliberately weakening
our defenses and strengthening those who are likely to (indeed already have done so) attack us
with our own weapons from fortified positions which we provided them?  Is madness a strong
enough word to describe such insanity?
     If I were a pragmatist, as are so many of our so called "leaders", the most intelligent thing
I could think to do would be to pack up and run as far away as possible from this country.  Our
government, without a viable opposition,  is working together with our enemies to negotiate the
terms of  our self destruction and there is no logical reason to stick around to see how they finally
decide to finish the job.
     But . . . I am not a pragmatist.  I understand full well that logic has no place in the Land of
Israel today.   I am a Jew; a descendent of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  I really believe the Promise
that our G-d made to our father Abraham here, in Hebron.  I also have eyes and can see that He
has returned us to our homeland, exactly as He promised to do.  If now was not the right time, we
simply would not be here.  Unlike in 1929, we are not living under foreign rule.  The Living G-d
of Israel has given control of our homeland back to us.  Our only problem is that we haven't the
intelligence, or the courage, to accept the gift which was given to us. 
     The problem is not Dennis Ross, Clinton, Arafat, Mubarak or Hussein.  The problem is
that we refuse to just accept our obligation as Jews to return to our homeland because it is the
Will of G-d.  It is precisely because we deny the Divine Process of Jewish redemption that we
bring upon ourselves the impossible crises which appear to threaten our very existence.
     Rather than negotiate with Arafat we should have destroyed him.  Rather than making
peace with those who wage war and mock us, we should strike first and destroy our enemies.  We
haven't because we are afraid and we do not believe that we can win.  Rather than vanquish our
enemies we have set upon a course of surrender to them, even as we lie to ourselves and call it a
"peace process".  They don't believe it for a minute.  But if we will surrender to them they are
willing to play our silly game too, until they are able to finish the game their way.
     I do not see one serious Jewish leader on the scene today.  There is no Jewish right wing
today.  The only way we will get out of the Oslo horror is when Arafat declares all out war upon
us.  Only then will we fight back.  Only when they really bloody our nose will we be willing to
recognize our own self delusion of this wonderful peace.  A few bombs and murdered families is
just not enough.  We need a real war before we wake up to reality.  And it is truly a pity.  We still
have the capacity to prevent large scale war.  If we would only do what any other normal country
would do.  Fight for what belongs to us.  Can anyone really believe that by giving up on Zionism
we will bring peace and redemption?
     Precisely at a time like this, when all appears to be helpless, we can find encouragement
and comfort in the words of G-d's prophets:
     
     "There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is
there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up."  Isaiah LI:18
     "The L-rd will make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of
the earth shall see the salvation of our G-d."  Isaiah LII:10