Subject: R&B: "Good Morning, Yesha!"
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 00:13:38 +0000
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
To: rb@rb.org.il
From: "Root & Branch Association, Ltd." <rbranch@netvision.net.il>
Subject: R&B INFORMATION SERVICES: "Good Morning, Yesha, Theres
Building Going on There" by Susan Rosenbluth
R&B INFORMATION SERVICES
"Good Morning, Yesha, Theres Building Going on There"
by Susan Rosenbluth
ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, February 17, Root & Branch: Madeleine
Albright's call for a time-out from building in Yesha has fallen on deaf ears.
Conscious of the window of opportunity that must be taken advantage of if
there are to be facts on the ground when decisions must be made,
Israelis are building like crazy in Judea, Samaria, and even Gaza.
The more building with the necessary approvals and the less talking about
it, the better, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting
of regional leaders of the Yesha Council. He denied that he plans to
isolate any Jewish communities, as is the case with Netzarim and Kfar Darom
in Gush Katif, Gaza, or to uproot them. He insisted he will proceed with
his government's agenda, which includes building Jewish communities to
keep up with the growth in those areas.
Hundreds of Homes
On December 1, the Judean community of Alfei Menashe received permission to
build another 900 homes. According to Alfei Menashe Mayor Shlomo Katan,
another, even newer neighborhood is also on the planning boards, but, for
that one, the settlement does yet have permission.
The construction of 30 housing units has been approved in the Southern
Hebron Hills community of Otniel, currently home for 73 families. The
Ministry of Housing, led by Deputy Minister Meir Porush, has also approved
the paving of internal roads that will lead to a new neighborhood in the
city of Maale Adumim. The ministry, which is officially led by Mr. Netanyahu,
has approved the construction of 3,500 new housing units.
There is no difference between Rechavia and Maale Adumim, said a Housing
Ministry spokesman. They are both integral parts of greater Jerusalem.
Maoz Tzur
During the last week of December, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for
the new Beit El neighborhood of Maoz Tzur, named in memory of Ita Tzur and
her 12-year-old son, Ephraim, who were murdered by Arab terrorists outside
Beit El during Chanukah 1996. The name is especially appropriate because
it also refers to a traditional Chanukah song.
The new neighborhood, which will be comprised of 130 housing units in the
first stage, will be built near the army camp which is adjacent to Beit El.
Ahmed Tibi, an adviser to PA leader Yasir Arafat, expressed rage at the new
development, accusing Israel of voiding the Oslo Accords of meaning.
I cannot even relate to those sentiments, when only a kilometer or two
away, the Palestinians allow the murderers of Ita and Ephraim to roam free
in Ramallah, said Beit El Mayor Uri Ariel.
Gaza and Har Homa
The Israel Lands Administration has also announced a tender for the
addition of 100 housing units in the Gaza-Jewish community of Nitzanit.
The left-wing Peace Now organization insisted the move was merely a
government ploy to provoke Mr. Arafat and the PA. Peace Now spokesmen
pointed out that the Jewish community of Nitzanit has not been expanded
since 1990. Peace Now said there is no justification for its growth now,
when the US has called for a time-out from construction.
For a few days in December, there was a concern that the government had
secretly placed the Har Homa building project in southwest Jerusalem on
hold. The trucks and equipment to begin the building on the southwestern
neighborhood of Har Homa had been ready for some time, but the order to
begin construction had not been given.
According to a report in Haaretz, Mr. Porush had been told not to move
ahead without receiving clearance from the Prime Minister. The paper said
MK Michael Kleiner (Gesher), who heads the Land of Israel Front coalition
in the Knesset, was told by a senior government clerk that Mr. Netanyahu
was behind the freeze in accordance with America pressure.
Just Takes Time
The report prompted Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert, a prime supporter of the
Har Homa project, to find out what was really causing the delay. Officials
in the Prime Ministers Office and the Housing Ministry denied that there
was a freeze, explaining that it just takes time. Mr. Netanyahus press
adviser, Shai Bazak, told Arutz 7 that Mr. Porush had informed the
government that there were some technical delays in the construction, but
that the earth-moving works would conclude soon and tenders for the
construction would be issued in January.
In a private meeting, Mr. Netanyahu offered Mr. Olmert the same
explanation, which the mayor said he accepted. Mr. Olmert warned
he would act against any delays in the building.
Mr. Kleiner responded by making it clear that until his coalition members
could meet, he was calling on ministers to make their attendance at the
Cabinet meeting contingent on Har Homa getting the green light.
Standing up to Pressure
Har Homa is among Israel's most controversial building projects. No one in
Israel denies the Jewish state has the right to build on the land, which
was mostly confiscated from Jews, but some members of the left-wing parties
say Israel should not use the right to build in Jerusalem now.
The PA has maintained that the construction in Jerusalem is a violation of
the Oslo Accords, and, in March of 1997, when construction on Har Homa
began, Mr. Arafat succeeded in turning US and world opinion against the
project. Although Mr. Netanyahu vowed to stand up to the pressure and
remain committed to building Har Homa, MKs affiliated with Mr. Kleiner's
Land of Israel Front have made their remaining in the government coalition
dependent on Har Homas progress.
Arguing that the issue must be the continuation of construction throughout
Yesha and not just Har Homa, Mr. Kleiner told Arutz 7, Har Homa is an issue
which we already struggled for, and which we won. We cannot afford to stop
building in Har Homa just because of American pressure, because if we do
that now, even before the talks on Jerusalem begin, we are simply inviting
more pressures to give in on more issues later.
Science Minister Michael Eitan (Likud) agreed. We should establish a
ministerial committee to prepare a national emergency plan for construction
in Yesha, at least in the areas about which there is no dispute among
ourselves, he said, suggesting that Infrastructure Minister Ariel Sharon be
put in charge of the new committee and be given authority to prepare plans
for the building.
We must start strengthening the settlements, so they will not remain lone
enclaves, and they must receive more money, better security, roads, and the
like. My support of the continuation of the Oslo process is contingent
upon our taking parallel actions to strengthen the settlements, he said.
23% Growth
The fact that Israel is building has not escaped Yeshas opponents in Peace
Now. A Peace Now report maintained that the western Benjamin region
community of Nachaliel is about to become a city. According to the report,
the Housing Ministry is planing to build some 3,000 new housing units
there. In fact, said Peace Now, construction in general in Yesha increased
during the second quarter of 1997 by 23 percent.
With his tongue firmly in his cheek, a Yesha Council spokesman said the
Yesha communities would make every effort to meet the challenge set for
them by Peace Now.
Making Jerusalem Jewish
Even Hamas has noticed. According to the Hamas organ, Al-Rasala, Sheik
Ahmed Bahar said at a ceremony commemorating Mohammed's Night Journey and
ascension to heaven, "I see the Jews, the enemies of peace and humanity,
since they massacre, murder and exile Palestinians, are making Jerusalem
and Hebron Jewish, and are building settlements."
In a declaration marking the close of the three-day Islamic Conference in
Teheran, Iran, the participants called on Israel to stop building Jewish
homes in areas throughout Judea and Samaria, including Jerusalem. Mr.
Arafat has called all Jewish construction, including that going on inside
Jerusalem, a violation of the Oslo Accords and grounds for terminating
negotiations with Israel.
Myths and Facts
In response, the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) published a sheet
entitled Myths and Facts about Jewish Settlements. The GPO says it is myth
that the Oslo Accords prohibit the expansion of settlement in Judea,
Samaria, and Gaza. Neither the Declaration of Principles of Sept. 13, 1993, nor the Interim Agreement
(Oslo II) of Sept. 28, 1995, contains any provisions prohibiting or
restricting the establishment or expansion of Jewish communities in Judea,
Samaria, and Gaza, says the GPO.
When he presented the Oslo II Accords before the Knesset on Oct. 5, 1995,
the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin stated, I wish to remind you, we made
a commitment, meaning we reached an agreement...[with] the Knesset not to
uproot any settlement in the framework of the Interim Agreement, nor to
freeze construction and natural growth.
The GPO explains that Mr. Arafat agreed to the Oslo Accords despite the
fact that he failed to achieve a halt in settlement activity in the interim
period.
Obstacle to Peace?
The next myth on the sheet is the notion that the expansion of Jewish
settlements is an obstacle to peace.
In fact, the GPO says, under the previous Labor government, the Jewish
population of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza grew by approximately 50 percent,
from 96,158 in June 1992, to 145,000 in June 1996.
I am not ready for there to be a law in Israel to forbid building houses in
existing settlements or a kindergarten or a cultural center in a place
where people live today, said Mr. Rabin on Jan. 10, 1995.
The final myth listed is that Israel confiscates land to build settlements.
As a matter of policy, Israel does not requisition private land for the
establishment of Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, says the
GPO. Housing construction is allowed only on public land after an
exhaustive investigation has confirmed that no private rights exist
regarding the land in question.
Susan Rosenbluth
Englewood, New Jersey
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUSAN ROSENBLUTH is Editor and Publisher of "The Jewish Voice &
Opinion, Inc."
*******************************************************************
To: rb@rb.org.il
From: "Root & Branch Association, Ltd."<rbranch@netvision.net.il>
Subject: R&B INFORMATION SERVICES: "David Bar-Illan: No Withdrawal
before 5 Months of PA Compliance and Moshiach Will
Probably Come First" by Susan Rosenbluth
R&B INFORMATION SERVICES:
"David Bar-Illan: No Withdrawal before 5 Months of PA Compliance and
Moshiach Will Probably Come First"
by Susan Rosenbluth
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, February 17, Root & Branch: Despite all the maps
and talk of withdrawal, there will be no Israeli relinquishing of land
in Judea or Samaria until there is a five-month period during which
Palestinian Authority leader Yasir Arafat must comply with the Oslo
Accords, according to a senior spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu.
We will never give away Israeli land to an entity which supports,
sponsors, and engages in terror; has never shown any opposition to
terror; and then tells the world it wants peace. We wont move one
inch until we are convinced the PA wants peace and will comply, said
David Bar-Illan.
However, he said, cautioning that he meant no sacrilege, There is a
better chance that Moshiach will arrive than that the PA will act to
be in compliance.
Mr. Bar-Illan made his remarks at the recent Beit El Dinner, which
supports the Shomron community of Beit El, its yeshiva, and its
projects, including the Arutz 7 radio and computer network. The
dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel drew close to 1,500 Beit El
supporters.
Revolving Door
According to Mr. Bar-Illan, the PA's idea of fighting terrorism has
meant engaging in a revolving-door policy by which the PA holds
quickie trials for those terrorists who are caught, sentences them to
long jail terms, and then releases them just as quickly. The
terrorists who murdered Ita Tzur and her 12-year-old son, Ephraim,
during Chanukah 1996, were sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Today they sit in the cafes in the PA cities of refuge, drinking
coffee and granting interviews to the foreign press, said Mr.
Bar-Illan.
To be in compliance in order to merit Israels withdrawal, Mr. Arafat
must not only improve his terrorists prison records, but also disarm
terrorist cadres and extradite at least the 36 terrorists known to be
freely roaming PA territory, said Mr. Bar-Illan. Mr. Arafat will also
have to put a stop to the regular incitement against Israel being
broadcast over Palestinian radio, he said.
Every day, Palestinians hear calls by their leaders for jihad and
armed struggle against Israel until the purpose of the PA has been
achieved. Their maps show us their purpose. They want Palestine,
which is the whole area from the Jordan to the sea, said Mr.
Bar-Illan, adding that no Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan,
who have signed peace treaties with Israel, have maps with the name
Israel on them.
Rabin's Demands
Mr. Netanyahu's demand for compliance is no less than that required,
at least initially, by former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, said Mr.
Bar-Illan, recalling that, four days before the Oslo Accords were
signed on the White House lawn in September 1993, Mr. Rabin
demanded that Mr. Arafat commit himself to abolishing the clauses
in the Palestinian Covenant calling for the destruction of the State of
Israel.
Mr. Arafat also had to promise to fight terrorism with all his power.
Mr. Bar-Illan pointed out that of the 33 clauses in the Palestinian
Covenant, 30 call for the destruction or delegitimization of Israel.
It's been four years since the Oslo Accords were signed, and the PA
has done nothing to fulfill its requirements. The covenant is still
there, unchanged and unmolested, and, except for a few weeks in 1996
after 60 people were killed by suicide bombers and the Peres
government could not survive the carnage, the PA has never fought
against terror directed at us, said Mr. Bar-Illan, explaining that
during those few weeks in 1996, the PA clamped down a little on Hamas,
showed that it could when it wanted to, and then stopped.
As a rule, he said, the PA coddles, glorifies, and lionizes
terrorists, calling them martyrs. Israel, on the other hand, is
consistently vilified.
Israeli and US Attacks
As disturbing as the attacks from the PA are, at least they are
expected. Mr. Bar-Illan seemed more distressed by what he called the
incessant political attacks against the Netanyahu government by it's
domestic opponents. Not a day goes by that we dont have to confront
sabotage of this government's existence. The opposition is convinced
we have no right to be here, he said, referring to the recent Labor
Party-controlled Histadrut labor-union strike as an example of such an
assault. In fact, even Histadrut leaders seemed to have trouble
clearly explaining the reasons for the strike.
Equally troublesome for Mr. Bar-Illan was the pressure being applied
unilaterally against Israel by the Clinton administration. Mr.
Bar-Illan pointed out that because Libya refuses to extradite two of
its citizens suspected of planting the bomb which destroyed Pan Am 103
over Lockerbie, Scotland, six years ago, the US has imposed sanctions
against Libya and its leader, Muamar Khaddafy.
But known murderers of Americans with Israeli citizenship are
currently serving in the PA police, and the US doesnt even ask for
their extradition, said Mr. Bar-Illan. The laws of the US should be
applied even if the killers are officers in the PA police force.
Pressure Will Get Worse
The US pressure will probably become more intense when, after five
months of watching to see if the PA is in compliance, Israel decides
that the withdrawals cannot be completed, said Mr. Bar-Illan.
If after five months, the Palestinians do nothing to comply with their
obligations, just as they are doing now, there will be enormous
pressure on Israel, and not just childish snubbing of the Prime
Minister or tough language and hints, he said, adding that he will not
consider anything real pressure, until the Marines land on the beach
of Tel Aviv.
To be in compliance, the PA will not be able to rely on tricks, said
Mr. Bar-Illan, pointing to recent press reports that the PA had
arrested a would-be terrorist who had 100 kilograms of dynamite on his
person and intended to blow up a site in Tel Aviv. In fact, it turned
out the arrested individual was carrying 100 kilograms of cement.
Jewish Support
When these tactics do not succeed, and Israel does not withdraw, the
Jewish state will have to rely on its supporters in the
American-Jewish community, said Mr. Bar-Illan. And I dont mean those
who purport to be leaders even though they are unelected, and still,
unfortunately, are listened to by the White House, he said.
The real supporters of Israel, he said, will have to lobby, write
letters, publish ads, and, in every way, make the truth known.
Despite the anxiety, he said, Israel has no room for pessimism. What
is important is every home built in Beit El. That is irreversible, and
all the rest is nonsense, he said.
The same is true throughout the territories, he said. If by the year
2000, we have a quarter of a million Jews in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza
- a realistic goal - all those who oppose what we are doing will be
marginalized and irrelevant, he said.
The Netanyahu government, he said, was permitting and encouraging this
building. When you want to criticize the government for not standing
as strong as you would like it to, remember it is this government that
is building, and that is what it important, he said, adding that he
understands the complaints.
Remember that building is the essence of Zionism, and ignore
post-Zionism and all the other fads and cults we grow in Israel. In
fact, they are only a vociferous, tiny minority, he said.
Shalom,
Susan Rosenbluth
Englewood, New Jersey
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-- SUSAN ROSENBLUTH is Editor and Publisher of "The Jewish Voice &
Opinion, Inc."
------------------------------------------------------------
ISRAEL
Aryeh Yosef Gallin
President
Root & Branch Association, Ltd. (USA)
Root & Branch Association, A.R. (Israel)
P.O.B. 8672, German Colony, 91086 Jerusalem, Israel
Tel: 972-2-673-9013, Fax: 972-2-673-9012
Email: rb@rb.org.il
UNITED STATES
Lt. Col. Martin Gallin, Esq., A.U.S.A. (ret.)
Chairman of the Board,
Root & Branch Association, Ltd. (USA)
Root & Branch Association, A.R. (Israel)
Attorney-at-Law
860 Grand Concourse, Bronx, N.Y. 10451
Tel: 718-585-3512, Fax: 718-993-3712
The Root & Branch Association, founded by Torah-observant Jews,
represents Jews and Non-Jews who work together on behalf of the Jewish
People and the State of Israel and who promote the study and practice
of universal Jewish teachings.
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