Since the election, Netanyahu has not seen fit to contact Yasser Arafat, chief arch-terrorist of the Palestinian People's army. That is as it should be. Arafat has been screaming for most of that time that if only Netanyahu would call him, the Oslo process could continue and the Palestinian State-in-waiting could continue on its march to existence.
Netanyahu is keeping a campaign promise. He promised, even before the campaign got under way, that he would not talk to Arafat. Regardless what else transpires henceforth, Netanyahu kept that promise. He could call Arafat today, and not be any the worse in the promise department. That is not to say that he should, for Arafat needs to finally get what he deserves.
But let us imagine for one moment what would have happened had Peres won re-election. Not only would he have called Arafat, he would have made sure that Arafat was his very first call after the victory party. Not US President Bill Clinton, not Jordan's King Hussein, but Arafat. Clinton and Hussein should be happy that Peres was not given the opportunity to slight them in this manner. (Indeed, Hussein is very happy.)
But Peres did not win last month, and Arafat is still waiting for his phone call. Hevron has not been abandoned (thus far) and the Arabs in Israel have been served notice that any renewal of the violence that has plagued Israel these past years will be met with the kind of response Israelis were begging of the Rabin-Peres governments.
Now, just to show that such violence can be expected, we turn our attention to Hevron. Last week, a delegation from Peace Now, that organization which leads all of Israel in its self-hate and support for the enemies of Jews, and of peace, met with the Arab mayor of Hevron, Mustafa Natsche. In that meeting, Natsche told them that should the Netanyahu government fail to carry out the redeployment from Hevron promised by Peres, the Intifadah will begin anew. Like it had ever been stopped.
One thing that has seemingly escaped notice is the willingness of Peace Now to be a party to such a meeting. Peace Now initiated the meeting, and the warning transmitted by Natsche was transmitted with the approval of Peace Now, acting as they did, as a vehicle for such a warning. Indeed, barely two days have passed, and already Peace Now is echoing the call of Natsche.
Peace Now is, as I write this article, demonstrating outside Netanyahu's offices demanding, get this, that Israel withdraw from Hevron. Of all the umitigated gall! That any Jew should ever demand of a Jewish government that they withdraw from the cradle of Jewish history and civilization. Every Jew that ever lived must be rolling in his or her grave at the thought. Yet the Netanyahu government, a government based upon the rule of law and not of power, does not arrest these demonstrators (or Natsche for that matter) and imprison them for incitement.
Wanting, desiring, yearning, craving, for peace to finally descend upon Israel is an admirable trait, and one shared, no doubt, by most Jews in the world. Peace Now, unfortunately, cannot be counted amongst us in this trait. Their name belies their attitude toward anything representing Jewish control over our own destiny.
Jews the world over should shun any contact with representatives of Peace Now. They are a dangerous and festering boil on the buttocks of our nation. Their policies exactly mirror those of Arab groups who wish nothing but to destroy the Jewish nation. And now that Peace Now is, thankfully, outside te government of Israel, they have taken to acting as a mouthpiece for those Arabs toward the Jewish communities of the world. As if those Arabs needed another mouthpiece.
Fifty years ago, the Jewish nation began to pick up the pieces of its shattered existence and found a state dedicated to its future defense. Never Again would any nation rise up to destroy us and be met by the powerless response of the wretched remnant of a once powerful nation. Jews the world over would now be able to call Israel home, and to count on that State in their hour of need. Indeed, the greatest living example of hust how important Israel is to the Jewish nation, now sits as a cabinet minister in the Knesset, the head of a new party. Natan Sharansky knows what defense of Jewish identity means. Peace Now does not know what this means, nor do they care.
Henceforth, any Jewish organization that maintains ties with Peace Now cannot be said to represent Jewish interests. For Peace Now represents the exact antithesis of Jewish interests, and until this sore is removed, the Jewish nation will never be wholly able to conquer its past or gain its future.
Copyright 1996. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
