                                                               
                      A Voice from Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                        December 3, 1996
               Hebron doesn't need our Protection
                    Hebron is our Protection

     It seems that at least two Likud members, Limor Livnat and Uzi Landau, angered by
Yassir Arafat's threat to declare statehood, announced that should such an event occur they
would recommend that Israel declare Jewish sovereignty over Judea Samaria and Gaza.
     While some may consider this to be a bold threat made by proud Jews, I consider it a
shameful and pathetic example of how far we have drifted from Jewish pride and self-respect. 
Aside from the fact that one would have naturally expected an alleged right wing government to
have rejected both Oslo and Arafat outrightly, for generations we were waiting for a self-respecting government to take power and, at long last, recognize that all lands under our control
should be included under Israeli sovereignty.  For the "pride of our right wing" to threaten to take
the most basic expected step of self respect only in reaction to statements made by our enemies is
an insult to our intelligence as well as a demonstration of our lack of self respect and Jewish pride.
It is as if they were saying, "should Arafat be a "good boy" and not declare PLO sovereignty over
parts of our homeland, neither will we."  
     For months now Netanyahu has been trying to add Hebron to Arafat's goody package
without success.  At the present time Arafat has been going around the world trying to arrange to
force Netanyahu to accept his original agreement with Peres via international arbitration.  In other
words we should go, hat in hand, to the nations of the world and ask them to decide our future in
our homeland.  We already know what the nations think.  They would all prefer that Israel just
quietly disappear.  This will never happen.
     What both Arafat and Netanyahu fail to understand is that the Living G-d of Israel
personally watches over his people in the Land of Israel day and night.  No power in the world
can destroy His nation.  Neither enemy nor foolish Jewish leader has the ability to wrench our
homeland from us again.  Hebron is the veritable symbol of G-d's Promise to our Father,
Abraham.  For this town to be taken from us would be tantamount to nullification of that Promise. 
Therefore it cannot and will not happen.  
     Hebron was home to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Their souls repose in Machpelah and
pray for their descendants from this holy site.  Caleb, ben Yephunneh prayed at Machpelah for
strength to stand up to the evil counsel of the spies, and in return was granted, not only strength,
but given Hebron as an inheritance.  All Jewish prayer from all over the world first travels to
Machpelah, in Hebron, before ascending to heaven.  Throughout all generations Machpelah and
Hebron offered hope and protection to the Jewish people.  It is no less so today.
     For a Jewish government to treat this holy city as "an Arab town" or a piece of chattel to
be bargained with, is to invite Divine wrath and bring tragedy, G-d forbid.  But the pure and holy
Jewish souls who live in this city, and those whose blood has stained its soil, are the guarantors of
the future of our country.  The G-d of Israel does not forget, nor does He turn His back on those
who love Him.
     If we had a government or a Jewish leader who would but recognize the reality of the
ongoing miracle of Jewish redemption, we could avoid the coming tragedy.  If not . . . If we try to
negotiate our very existence with those who seek to destroy us, all we will accomplish is to
continue the shameful pattern of having our enemies force us to do what we could and should
have done on our own.