(IsraelWire-
Wednesday, June 17, 1998)
According to police reports, they were told to proceed with the ongoing
investigation
pertaining to the activities of the radio station, without causing
an interruption in
service.
The radio station, affiliated with the Bet El Yeshiva in Samaria,
is nationalistic in its
ideology and is supportive of the communities located throughout
Judea, Samaria and
Gaza (Yesha). Arutz-7 broadcasts from the "Eretz Tzvi" ship, outside
Israeli territorial
waters.
Many MKs affiliated with the left-wing have been pushing for the
shutting down of the
station, claiming it is a "pirate station," since it operates without
a broadcast license.
Officials in Arutz-7 maintain that since they do not broadcast from
within Israel, they do
not need a license, as was the case with the "Voice of Peace," a
left-wing affiliated radio
station that broadcast for years from a boat in the Mediterranean
sea.
Officials of Arutz-7 expressed the shock and disappointment at the
Netanyahu
administration, especially since the prime minister, in his campaign
for office, promised to
make the increasingly popular station legal.
Directors of the station indicated that documents and files were
taken by police in today's
raid. The directors also expressed their shock at the government,
and stated they were
especially surprised that the prime minister would tolerate attempts
to stifle the voice that
represents the views of many Israelis, an act which was a "blow
to democracy," they
explained.
Police added they will be monitoring the position and status of the
"Eretz Tzvi," since
many MKs have reported the ship does not always leave territorial
waters, or at times
Arutz-7 broadcasts from a studio in Bet El.
Officials at Arutz-7 added they hoped this was not part of a hidden
agenda by the
government, to stifle the nationalistic radio station, to coincide
with the upcoming 13
percent withdrawal.
MKs from the National Religious Party warned, following this morning's
raid, that shutting
down the station would elicit an immediate response from their party
and they would leave
the government.
In a related incident, the supervisor of the community center of
the community of P'sagot,
in Samaria, was arrested by police when they were obstructed by
him this morning. Police
came to P'sagot to confiscate some transmission equipment, which
they maintained
belonged to Arutz-7. The unnamed supervisor explained the equipment
belonged to the
community center and would not permit them to carry on with their
duties.
The man was later released and police reportedly did take the equipment.
(IsraelWire-19 June 1998)
Justice Minister Tzachi Hanegbi yesterday stated that he listens
to and is interviewed on
the Arutz-7 Radio Station, and hopes to find a legal solution that
will eliminate the
problems revolving around the station, which broadcasts outside
of the territorial waters of
Israel.
One day following a police raid of three Arutz-7 facilities, the
government has taken
urgent steps to legalize the station, which is affiliated with the
nationalistic camp and is an
ardent supporter of the communities throughout Judea, Samaria and
Gaza.
Officials in the government have already reported that the directors
of Arutz-7 have
rejected an offer to be licensed as a regional radio station, since
today, broadcasting from
the SS Eretz HaTzvi, it reaches most areas in Israel.
Police reported last evening, the 4 persons, all of whom are leading
officials in Arutz-7,
who were summoned for questioning yesterday morning, failed to do
so and police were not
supplied with any explanation as to why they did not make an appearance.
The
following text is adapted from Arutz 7 News Service, June 17, 1998 / Sivan
23, 5758
The Israel Police raided the offices and studios of Arutz-7 National
Radio this morning. During the two-and-a-half hour "operation," they searched
the building, took documents, and questioned employees of the station.
 |
 |
 |
Transportation Minister Shaul Yahalom, together with Communications
Minister Limor
Livnat, Public Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani, and Education
Minister Rabbi Levy,
met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu this morning, and all
agreed that Arutz-7
must be legalized as soon as possible. Yahalom said that he understood
that it could very
well be only a matter of a day or two before Arutz-7 is granted
a license. Rabbi Levy told
Netanyahu that the government had acted like a "shlemiel" by not
solving this issue during
its two years in office, and he threatened to resign if Arutz-7
is not granted a license to
broadcast from land. Beit El Mayor Uri Ariel criticized the government
for not living up to
its campaign promises to allow Arutz-7 to broadcast from land.
1. THE FOX AND THE FISH
Yesterday, I was summoned to the police for questioning on my connection
with Arutz-7. I
was reminded of the words of the Talmud (Berachot 61): "It happened
that the Romans
forbade the Jews from studying Torah. A Jew named Pappus found Rabbi
Akiva gathering
crowds together and learning Torah. 'Akiva,' he said, 'Aren't you
afraid of the ruling
Romans?' Rabbi Akiva answered, 'I'll give you a simile,'" and of
course you all know the
rest [a fox offered to protect a fish if he would but come onto
the land; the fish said, 'If in
the water I'm not safe, then how much more so out of the water!'].
The Talmud continues
and says that within a short time both Rabbi Akiva and Pappus were
caught by the
Romans. Rabbi Akiva asked him, "What are you in for?" Pappus answered,
"How
fortunate you are, Rabbi Akiva, that your 'crime' was studying Torah;
woe unto Pappus,
who was brought here for things of no worth [financial irregularities]."
2. COMPARATIVE SACRIFICES
I am not, God forbid, comparing our government to the Romans; the
difference between
them is a thousand-thousandfold. However, after I was summoned to
the police for
gathering crowds and engaging in Torah - referring of course to
the words of Torah that I
give over on Arutz-7, to which, thank God, great "crowds"
listen - and after the search carried out here yesterday, I was
reminded of this story. I of course did not merit the level of self-sacrifice
that Rabbi Akiva [who was killed by the Romans for teaching Torah]
performed, but we are attempting to learn at least something from
his actions in terms of sacrifice for the Land of Israel and for
the Torah.
3. FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE
There was also another thing that I learned from the police summons
I received yesterday.
Our Rabbis have taught us, "A sin for the sake of Heaven is greater
than a mitzvah
[Torah commandment] not performed for the sake of Heaven." This
is learned from Yael
[Judges 4], who sinned with the enemy Sisera in order to save all
of Israel - something like
an ambulance that carefully commits all sorts of traffic violations,
such as crossing a solid
white line, in order to save a life.
To our sorrow, the public media do not serve as a channel to spread
the light of faith and of Torah. This was what brought the founders
of Arutz-7 to establish the station - to shine
the light of Torah faith amongst those who desire it, and to deepen
the love for the People
of Israel and the Land of Israel. Instead of recognizing the importance
of this action, which
is so just and so right, they come and nit-pick with us to see if
we have crossed the white
line on our way to save lives.
4. ...AND NOT FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE
I now understand much more clearly the above words of our Rabbis,
"A sin for the sake of
Heaven is greater than a mitzvah not performed for the sake of Heaven."
In this case, it
means that the interrogated are greater than the interrogators.
The latter feel that they
are preserving the law, but in fact they are shutting mouths, they
are attempting to put out
the light of the Torah and the true national-Zionist spirit of Israel.
This is a "mitzvah not
for the sake of Heaven" - just like one who studies Torah only in
order to find what to
argue against it. The Rabbis have said that one who learns for the
wrong intentions, even
though he is formally performing a mitzvah, is in fact abusing the
Name of God.
Look at the journalists. How many sins they commit! They reveal military
secrets, and
spread gossip and slanderous insinuations, but in the name of freedom
of speech and the
right of the public to be informed, they are not punished. It is
similarly the right of the
public to know the Torah viewpoint, and to know what large sectors
of the population think
about the Land of Israel. "How fortunate we are that we have been
'caught' on Torah
matters."
Shalom, shalom.
Rabbi Melamed, Chief Rabbi of Beit El, is also the Dean of Beit El
Yeshiva Center Institutions and a founder of Arutz-7.
Arutz-7 Chairman Yaakov Katz (Katzeleh), speaking from the United States, said:
"This is another transparent attempt by the State Attorney's Office
and the police to stifle freedom of speech and to harm - even to
topple - the present government. In a previous
police raid [during the previous government], they confiscated the
transmitters from our
boat, but did not find any evidence that we did anything illegal.
That's why they have not
brought any charges against the station or anyone at the station,
and it's been almost five
years now. We still have not received the transmitters back, and
it cost us hundreds of
thousands of dollars. Now, again: they know that we are not in violation
of any law, that
there is no law against calling a boat by phone and from there transmitting
to land, and yet
they continue to try to shut us up..."
"When we started broadcasting ten years ago, we never expected a
rose garden, and in
fact the police and political elements do all they can to shut our
mouths. The government
promised two years ago to allow us to broadcast from land, and still
has not done so. We
have learned not to expect anything from the government, nor from
the NRP, and we
know that we have to work ourselves for whatever we want. Jut like
the Jews in Egypt:
the more they were oppressed, the more they flourished and grew,
and the same with us -
we will grow, because people want to hear us, and need to hear us.
We will soon even have
television broadcasts, with God's help. Their efforts will not succeed."
Shomron Regional Council head, Attorney Ben Tzion Lieberman, former
head of the
B'Tzedek judicial organization, said to Arutz-7 today:
"... This action against Arutz-7 is a very bad omen for freedom of
speech and expression in this country. If any action is taken against
Arutz-7, we will not remain silent, and we will
do all we can to ensure that it continues to broadcast as it has
done until now."
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