                                                               
                      A Voice from Hebron
by Gary M. Cooperberg           
        When we Create Disasters which we Refuse to See
     Then He Creates Disasters which we can't help but See
                       February 11, 1997
                                
     Why?  Why did such a horrible tragedy befall us as a nation?  Why did we lose so many of
our finest young soldiers in an accident?  It is always our nature to look for a place to focus blame
when tragedy strikes.  If terrorists murder us we focus the blame both on the terrorists, and on
those who should have prevented terror.  There are also those who choose to blame the victims as
being the cause of the terrorist act.  But who can you blame when a bizarre accident claims so
many lives?  
     The fact of the matter is that we Jews have no enemies. . . except ourselves.  Would we
but obey the Commands of our G-d, no harm would befall us.  Our enemies would be afraid to
attack us.  Amalek is the prototype of all enemies of the Jewish People.  When we were first
redeemed, by G-d, from slavery in Egypt, the entire world heard of the miracles performed for us
by G-d.  They were terrified of us and wouldn't dare attack us.  Then, the Torah tells us that
Amalek came and attacked the weakest of our people when
 ". . . we were faint and weary; and he feared not G-d." Deuteronomy XXVI verse 18.  
     When the Jewish People "get tired" and look for the "easy way" out of their problems,
that is when our enemies lose their natural fear of our G-d and seek to destroy us.  Our Rabbis tell
us that Amalek hated us so much that he set the example for those who were afraid to attack us. 
It was as if we were encircled by a moat of boiling hot water by which all were afraid of being
scalded.  Amalek jumped in just to cool down the water so others would be able to harm Israel. 
Arafat is playing that role to a tee.  He is cooling down the fear the Arab nations had of the
mighty Israeli Army, paving the way for yet another united Arab attempt to destroy the Jewish
nation.   And all because we have "become tired of war".  It is not peace we are making, rather a
feeble attempt at partial surrender which is like trying to ride a roller coaster half-way down the
track.  Once you begin there is no stopping until it is all over.
     The election of Bibi Netanyahu was supposed to have marked a change in direction of
Israeli policy.  It was meant to have been a clear rejection of Oslo and all that it signified.  Instead
we saw Netanyahu make an about-face change in direction.  Using his campaign slogan of "Peace
with Security", he simply continued upon the perfidious path begun by Peres.  In spite of the
preponderance of evidence, including his own allegation that to retreat from Hebron would be a
clear and present danger, not only to the Jews living there, but to the entire country, he sat with
Arafat and, with no hint of his famed "reciprocity", handed over control of most of the city to the
PLO.
     Basking in, what he seemed to consider, the glory of a better agreement, the leader of the
Jewish State then went on to Switzerland to promise further retreat from Jewish land before
Mubarak and Arafat.  That being done, he then went to Rome and had a private audience with the
Pope, whom he invited to Jerusalem.  Reports have leaked out that Peres had previously assured
the pontiff that Jerusalem would serve as the dual capital of both "palestine" and Israel, and that
he (Peres) would be willing to accept the Pope as the religious authority over the Old City to
whom both the PLO and the Jewish government would turn to direct the international religious
needs served by our holy city.
     Netanyahu was then scheduled to meet with King Hussein in Jordan and then with Arafat
at the Erez Checkpoint to discuss further Israeli retreat and the building of a PLO airport and
seaport in Gaza.  The joyful celebrations of "peace" were marred by a monumental, precedent-setting Israeli tragedy which took the lives of 73 of our finest young soldiers as two military
helicopter troop transport units collided in mid-air killing all of the passengers and crew on both
units.
     In one instant the State of Israel found itself in a state of national tragedy.  So many
funerals of young men in the prime of their youth.  Questions were asked as people could not
comprehend such a tremendous calamity.  Psychologists, rabbis and radio commentators along
with political and military leaders as well as amateur poets all attempted to come to terms with the
most devastating disaster in IDF history.   
     While I certainly have not been able to listen to all of the comments made, I did not hear
one leader, not even a religious leader, suggest that this horrible tragedy might be a direct reaction
to our government's shameful behavior of surrendering Jewish land to the PLO, as well as turning
to America, Egypt, Jordan, the Pope, and Arafat for our future security.   
     The Six Day War of June 1967 was a "Kiddush HaShem", a sanctification of the Name of
 G-d.  It proved to the world that the G-d of Israel fights for the Jewish people.  
     The handshake with Arafat on the White House, lawn which saw Israel negate her
exclusive sovereignty to the Land of Israel and agree to share it with the PLO, along with the
many other handshakes and the retreat of the IDF from so many of our holy cities in Israel, was a
chilul HaShem, a desecration of the Name of G-d.  It showed the world that we fear America, the
Arab nations, and Arafat more than we do our own G-d!   
     Our rabbis warned the government that halacha, Jewish Law derived from the Word of
G-d as written in His Torah, forbids the dismantling of even army camps for the purpose of
handing them over to foreigners, not to mention doing so to Jewish communities in Israel.  This
warning not only went unheeded, but threats were made to prosecute the rabbis for "interfering"
with military matters.  Our sages tell us that there is no such thing as an "accident".  We are made
to suffer for our sins.  The nation of Israel was punished by having such a horrible tragedy take
our finest young men from us. 
 Listen to the prophet Ezekiel, Chapter VII verses 25-7:
     "Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.  Mischief shall
come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon rumor; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet;
but the law shall perish from the priest, and council from the ancients.  The King shall mourn, and
the prince (president?) shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land
shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge
them; and they shall know that I am the L-rd."
     While some may scoff  at random choosing of Biblical verses, consider the fact that the
following appeared in the reading of the haftorah, the portion from the prophets read on the
Sabbath preceding the tragedy.  Isaiah VII verses 3 and 4:
     In verse three we see reference to Shaar Yashuv, the name of King Ahab's son, which is
also the name of the place where the crash took place; 
     And in verse four, the prophet refers to "the two tails of these smoking firebrands"
On the Sabbath following the incident we read from the haftorah, Isaiah 66 also verses 3 and 4:
     ". . . they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.  I
also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none
did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before my eyes, and chose that in
which I delighted not." 
     Integrity is a wonderful thing.   Our prime minister has told us, on a number of occasions,
how, in spite of the fact that he disapproves of the decisions made by the former government,  he
has a moral obligation to honor all commitments.   The wonder is that the prime minister, who is
so meticulous to honor agreements which he formerly found repugnant, merely because they were
made, feels absolutely no such obligation to honor the promises he made to his constituents.  I
wonder if there is a lawyer out there who knows of a way for voters to file a class action breech
of trust suit against the prime minister.   If we wanted Oslo and Arafat we would have voted for
Peres.  We were cheated!   We were under the impression that Netanyahu rejected both Oslo and
Arafat.  We expected a proud Prime Minister who would fight terror, not encourage it.  Even
Rabin refused to release terrorists with blood on their hands.   How did Netanyahu get Weitzman
to change his mind and agree to turn convicted terrorist murderers of Jews free?   Imagine, our
Netanyahu actually has agreed to turn murderers loose after they sign a peace of paper promising
not to murder more Jews!  (I doubt that they will even make that much of a gesture).
     What happened to the opposition?   Where are the protests?  Who is screaming and
complaining that our own government is on a whirlwind path of self destruction?  Isn't it nice that
HaNegbi, the "Justice" Minister who champions the cause of Jewish justice, suggested that Jewish
prisoners who killed Arab terrorists be freed as well?  Perhaps this "balanced" gesture will soothe
the conscience of our leadership which has rejected the most basic minimum of self respect.
     We have approached rock bottom.  Our government has nothing left to offer us.   Not
only are we not fighting terror, we are aiding and abetting it!  What right does our Prime Minister
have to abrogate every vestige of self respect we had left.  How can he not see that what he is
doing is leading his people to disaster?  And what of his ministers?  And what of us?  What are we
doing to stop this madness?  Has our right to protest been voluntarily abandoned because
Netanyahu was supposed to be better?  Or maybe we have stopped protesting for fear that such
things may lead to "violence".  
     We, the entire Jewish nation, are responsible for the needless tragedy which befell our
precious sons.  We are sitting on our hands as our own leaders invite disaster upon us.  This
terrible punishment was sent upon us to show us just how close to total calamity we are coming. 
Our innocents were served up as a genuine sacrifice.  Dare we reject their holiness and return to
our errors?!
     Those who talk glowingly of peace which will end war and prevent our children from
being killed have lulled us into false hope that by surrendering to Arafat our enemies will love us. 
Does anyone at all really believe that any of those pardoned women murderers will begin to love
Israel?  Is their release a harbinger of peace which will now embrace us all?  Anyone who tells you
he believes that is a liar.
     I will tell you the result of freeing the murderers.  After they are given a heroes welcome
by the King of the terrorists himself, they will go to the mosques to thank Allah for freeing them
to continue the valiant struggle to free all of Palestine from the Jews.  They will be the rallying
point for more and more terror which will eventually lead to the biggest war this country has ever
seen.  Only this time our enemies have armed bases inside the heartland of Israel.  And you can be
certain that, when the time comes, most of our loyal Arab citizens will join with their brothers in
the next war of annihilation.  This is the peace for which Peres was given a prize and for which
Netanyahu rejected greatness.
     Let us stop blaming others and look deeply into the mirror.   What have we done to stop
our country from crumbling around us?  Where are the protests?  Why is there not a massive
campaign to stop Oslo in its tracks?  Netanyahu was elected Prime Minister, not King.  He is
responsible to those who elected him.  We are the ones who must let him know that we reject the
path he has taken.  We must demand that he stop Oslo now, or resign to someone else who will.
     "For if you remain silent at this time, then deliverance will come to the Jews from another
place. . ."  Esther IV verse 14