Recently, Rabbi Shalom Gold, formerly of Toronto, and now residing in Har Nof, near Jerusalem, interviewed Oren's father on behalf of the Shomron News Agency. With their permission, part of the interview is included in this article:
Mr. Edri: "Oren has become a symbol. He represents the settlers, the religious, therefore he is not being permitted out of jail (on bail).
"The head of the General Security Services is out of the country on some kind of educational leave. The person taking his place is very anti-religious and anti-settler. He has written an entire book on his theories. He is now putting his theories into practice against us.
"This week the government has released three Arab terrorists on bail. They were found to have plans and the weapons to carry out an attack on Jews. Oren is stuck in jail."
The charges against Edri have not been brought before a tribunal as yet, and by all indications, are baseless.
On October 9, three Arab terrorists sprayed machine-gun fire on a street filled with outdoor cafes, killing two people, and injuring twelve others. One of the terrorists, it was found, was a member of the PLO police force.
We have an interesting dichotomy between Zionism and Rabin's policy. On the one hand, Zionism believes in the Land of Israel as the home of all Jews, and the place from which no Jew shall be persecuted. Opposite this, we have Rabin and Peres cozying up to the most notorious anti-semitic murderer of our time -- Yasser Arafat. The relations between these people have become so close that Rabin and Peres are now more willing to accept Arab terrorism against Israel and allow it to go unpunished than they are to protect the Jewish citizens of Israel. Whereas all previous Israeli governments have made it the cornerstone of their policy to fight anti-Jewish terrorism and protect all Jews who seek such protection, the Rabin has turned that policy on its head.
That Rabin and Peres, and their underlings, now accept Arab terrorism in Israel, and allow it to go unpunished, is bad enough. That they offer political rewards to these terrorists is severly damaging not only to Israel, and to all Jews around the world, but also to Western interests. With the new Israeli policy, terrorism will now grow throughout the world as the resolve of Western governments to defeat it crumbles.
But the damage Rabin and Peres are doing goes much deeper. It is now the Jews who have become the dangerous elements in Israel. It is now the Oren Edri's and the cafe patrons that are the "enemies of peace", and the terrorists, murderers, and war-mongers that are the diplomats and statesmen.
The time has come for Jewish people around the world to stand and voice their outrage at this drastic abandonment of Zionism that is the philospohy of the Rabin regime. Oren Edri depends on it, the Jewish State depends on it, and above all, the Jewish people -- all of us -- depend on it.
Copyright 1994. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
