Of course, the Jewish right has been saying this for the past 13 years, ever since a Jewish motorist got into a minor fender-bender in Gaza and was lynched because of it. The resulting Intifadah has left more than 600 Israeli Jews dead and one-third of the country now in the official hands of the terrorists who have committed these atrocities - Yasser Arafat at their head.
Judging by the results of the past 13 years, there is logic in Tirawi's words. And judging by both that logic, and his plain utterance of those words so every Israeli can hear them, there is justification for what the right has been saying all these years.
One would think, especially after 43 more Jews have been killed in the past three months at the hands of these very same terrorist-statesmen, that most Israelis would understand that logic, and that our so-called leaders would see that justification.
But alas, the reaction of Israel's politicians has been quite a different story. Almost in direct response to Tirawi's words, Ehud Barak sent forth his foreign minister, Shlomo Ben-Ami, to negotiate further concessions with Arafat's cohorts in Washington. The media is full of reports of an impending agreement. It's almost like Camp David. The difference is that Israel is making more concessions at these negotiations than they made at Camp David.
You will remember, of course, that Ehud Barak has already resigned the Prime Minister's title. He had led a coalition numbering only one-fourth of the Knesset, and now presides only as a caretaker Prime Minister until February 6 when a new one is elected.
Barak does not have a mandate to do anything in this country, much less sign an international agreement that will wrench what is left of Israel's heartland from within our territory, divide our capital city, and relinquish control of Judaism's holiest site to a band of criminals. The Knesset even recently passed a bill placing greater restrictions on attempts to alter the boundaries of Jerusalem. A bill is before the Knesset to prohibit the signing or initialling of international agreements by a Prime Minister whose government does not include a majority in the Knesset.
None of this fazes Barak, however. He believes that the only way for him to claim victory February 6 is to come to the people with an agreement in his hand. Personally, I think Israelis are more intelligent than that. Most Israelis, according to polls, believe that Barak has no right to make such deals in the current situation. I believe that Barak will lose the election regardless of whether he has an agreement in hand.
The problem is that whether he wins or loses, the international community will likely consider the agreement binding, even without Knesset ratification, and even without the support of the public in the election-cum-referendum that is approaching in six weeks time. The Palestinians will declare their state and place their capital on the Temple Mount regardless of pleadings by Israel that, well, we didn't really mean it. And no future Prime Minister will be able to do a thing about it.
This cynicism of Ehud Barak must be stopped, and the sooner it is stopped the better off every Israeli - Jew or Arab - will be. International agreements are supposed to be solemn pacts entered into by sovereign governments representing the best interests of their respective nations. Any agreement now would be folly and would lay to rest any claim of legitimacy the Jewish nation has in Israel.
Tirawi is very much correct, it seems. Create more pressure, kill more Jews, and no one will do anything except give the Arabs more of what they demand. And the Palestinian terrorist-in-the-street has heard his message loud and clear.
Two days ago, while the headlines screamed of the impending deal, a few terrorists lay in ambush on the Jerusalem-Modiin highway. This road is used by thousands of people each day who commute between these two major cities in Israel's center. Eli Cohen, a driving instructor on his way home from a hard day's work, was ambushed and killed as he drove by their hiding spot.
Tawfik Tirawi's message had been heeded. Now we would await the results and see if his estimation was correct.
It wasn't long in coming. The next day's Jerusalem Post carried the following sentence in an article about the murder: "Prime Minister Ehud Barak condemned the attack and said Israel would continue to confront terrorism with all necessary force, while maintaining its efforts to reach a peace agreement that would bring an end to the violence."
Of course, by maintaining efforts to reach an agreement with these terrorists, we give them our land, our resources, and their independence. And in place of peace, they give us Tawfik Tirawi, more murders, and a greater sense that Israel is a dangerous place for a Jew to live.
So Tirawi emerges the victor. And with Ehud Barak as prime minister, Israel and all Jews are the losers.
Copyright 2000. Yehuda Poch is a writer living in Israel. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
