                                                               
                      A Voice from Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                                
                Mordechai Places Israel in Peril
                        January 14, 1997
                                
"The best way I see for living in Hebron is for both sides ...to come to a
situation where they know how to coexist, with mutual respect. 
Anything else will bring about friction and conflict and bloodshed
                  and can be very dangerous."
                                
     Yitzchak Mordechai, the Israeli Minister of Defense, clearly and succinctly annunciated his
blatant and cold disregard for human life yesterday as he made the above statement at the Israel
Press Club in Tel Aviv, and yet continues to advocate military withdrawal from Hebron.
     The same statement really applies to the Jewish State as a whole.  In effect, rather than
dealing with the realities, the defense minister is admitting his inability to deal with them.  What he
really means is "There is nothing I can do.  Let them find a solution or perish."  Were this
statement made by anyone else it would be merely an irresponsible statement.  But, coming from
the man who is responsible for the defense of the nation, it is an overt act of criminal negligence.
     Were he an honest and responsible individual he would recognize his obligation to state,
clearly and unambiguously, that the only solution to prevent bloodshed in Hebron is to remove
our enemies from our midst.  The PLO is not our partner.  Arabs have murdered Jews in Hebron
even before we had a Jewish State.  Their goal today is still to replace Jews, not to live with them.
And they still continue to murder us.
     How impartial to call upon both, Arabs and Jews, "to come to a situation where they
know how to coexist, with mutual respect. . ."  What a wonderful thought!  Perhaps our brilliant
general might venture forth a suggestion as to how such a simple task might be accomplished. 
Maybe we can convince the Arabs to convert to Judaism.  
     Yitzchak Mordechai might be a good general, but the above statement proves him to be a
cynic, a fool, or just evil.  The fact is, this statement also proves that he is not even a good
general.  The first requirement of a good soldier is to know who the enemy is.  Mordechai refuses
to recognize that we are engaged in a war for our very existence.  Rather than conduct himself as
the chief defender of the Jewish State, he talks like a disinterested and impartial observer.  
     As Netanyahu predicted before he was Prime Minister, every place which the Jewish State
has given over the the PLO has become a hotbed of terror and a safe haven for terrorists.  No one
has claimed that Hebron would be any different should it be handed over the the PLO.   
     Were Mordechai to honestly believe that security will improve as a result of the retreat
from Hebron, he would be more than justified in supporting such a move.  But for him to openly
admit that bloodshed will result, and yet continue to recommend retreating before the PLO,
should be grounds, not merely to remove him from office, but to place criminal charges against
him for knowingly placing lives, of both Jews and Arabs, in clear and unavoidable danger.
     How ironic that another "Mordechai's" warning comes to mind:

"For if thou altogether holdeth thy peace at this time deliverence shall arise to the Jews from
another place; but thou and thy fathers house shall be destroyed. . ." Esther V 14
