                      A Voice From Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                       February 16, 1996
                Politics make Strange Bedfellows
                                
     It is a time of tension in the Jewish State.  Our own government has invited Arafat and the
PLO to entrench themselves throughout Judea, Samaria and Gaza. It has armed and trained them,
given them police stations and army bases,  permitted elections and set the stage for the
establishment of a new PLO state on Jewish soil.  
     Peres has announced, even prior to negotiations with Syria, that he recognizes the Golan
Heights as sovereign Syrian territory, which leaves one to wonder what there is to negotiate. 
And, as the nation is sitting on the edge of its seat waiting for new elections to magically undo all
of the suicidal blunders, which virtually guarantee a new united Arab attempt to destroy the
Jewish State, the opposition states that it recognizes the Oslo agreements and will have to live
with them.
     While Jewish statesmen and poets pragmatically consider our hapless condition as proof
that we are seeing the close of the Zionist era, and genuine Jewish Zionists are in a dramatic,
seemingly pathetic, minority holding on to what's left of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, a small, but
strong voice in support of genuine Zionism  is heard from a most unexpected source.
     Jan Willem van der Hoeven and Johann Luckhoff are two Christian leaders who have, for
years, been championing the cause of Israel.  Over twenty years ago they established what they
call the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.  The main purpose for its establishment was
to demonstrate to the nations of the world that Jerusalem is the only legitimate capital of the
Jewish state.  But, more than this, these men raised millions of dollars among Christians which
were used to finance the return of Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union.  It is the Biblical
concept of genuine Zionism, Jewish return to the Land of Israel, which has inspired their tireless
efforts.  On their Christmas holiday this year, when Arafat took over Bethlehem, rather than
accept the hospitality of the PLO, Jan Willem organized several other Christian groups to boycott
the regular celebrations and rather join with the Jews to light the Chanukah lamps by Rachel's
Tomb!
     And now, just as the political arena in Israel seems to be rejecting Zionism as "outdated",
the Christian Embassy has scheduled the Third Christian Zionist Congress to be held in Jerusalem
for the purpose of declaring that Zionism is part of Divine destiny and to encourage the Jewish
people to continue in that path.
     How ironic!  For centuries Jews have suffered under persecution from Christians in all the
lands of our Exile.  Yet, after we have been returned to our homeland, we are persecuted by our
own government and find Christians here who seek to comfort us to renew our faith in Jewish
destiny!  They have consistently opposed every agreement with the PLO and every suggestion
that Jewish land be compromised.  
     Many good people, friends and relatives, have chastised me for my refusal to participate in
the national elections in Israel.  "The important thing is to bring down the Peres government", is
what I am told.  I disagree.  The important thing to me is to reject any system of government in
Israel which in any way compromises Jewish values and Jewish destiny.  To vote in such elections
is to accept as legitimate a form of government which has validated the voluntary surrender of
Jewish Land to non Jews, not to mention that those non Jews are enemies of the Jewish state and
the Jewish people.
     In the Land of Israel a Jew cannot afford to be "pragmatic".  There are forces at play here
which transcend logic.  We never won a war here because we were brilliant warriors.  We won
the wars because the G-d of Israel was fighting for us.  And, if our very own government leaders
decide to join the ranks of our enemies in the effort to transform Jewish destiny into a New
Middle East devoid of a Jewish State, can anyone suspect that they will succeed?  
     Zionism is not a political ideology.  It is Jewish Destiny.  Anyone, be it the enemies of the
Jewish people, or our very own leaders, who dares to interfere with this Divine Process not only
will fail, but will bring tragedy upon his own head.  The entire system of government in the Jewish
State today has nullified its right to lead the Jewish nation by its rejection of the most basic
definition of the existence of the Jewish State, to be a haven for the Jewish people.  There is no
party within this entire government which has declared Oslo as illegal and stated its intention to
remove our enemies from Jewish soil.  To vote for any party in such a government is to accept as
legitimate the concept of Oslo, at least in part.  This I simply cannot and will not do.  
     I live in Kiryat Arba, Hebron.  I still pray every morning at dawn at the Cave of
Machpelah.  I do not think that it makes one whit of difference if Bibi or Peres is Prime Minister. 
My safety and ability to continue to live and pray in Hebron depends upon the Will of the G-d of
Israel.  It is my belief that He wants Jews to continue living here.  If I am wrong then I will have
to leave.  But I plan on hanging around until proven wrong.  Voting and even winning will not
make any difference.  
     If you want to get pragmatic, I feel that more can be accomplished working with
Christians who accept Jewish Divine right to all of Eretz Yisrael than to vote in the Israeli
elections.  There is a very large number of Christian Zionists in the United States.  If they  exert
their political influence upon the government of the United States in favor of supporting genuine
Zionism, as opposed to the current rejection of it, that will have more effect upon any Israeli
government than even a major political force in this country.
     I realize how absurd this may sound, but there is nothing more absurd than the reality of
the current policies of the Jewish State.  Hebron was not officially recognized as part of the
Jewish State by any former Jewish government.  Thus I cannot agree that the fault for our current
insanity lies in the current government alone, nor can I muster reason to assume that changing to
another party will make the slightest difference.
     I will pursue Truth wherever I can find it.  And if that happens to be at the Christian
Embassy in Jerusalem, and at the Christian Zionist Congress, then I will work with them to
declare G-d's Truth that all of Eretz Yisrael belongs exclusively to the Jewish people.