Subject: R&B Editorial: "How Bibi Grew Strong To Withstand US Pressure
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 00:35:10 +0000
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
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Subject: R&B INFORMATION SERVICES: "How Bibi Grew Strong To Withstand
US Pressure" by Susan Rosenbluth
R&B INFORMATION SERVICES: "How Bibi Grew Strong To Withstand US Pressure"
by Susan Rosenbluth
by Susan Rosenbluth
ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, April 2, 1998, Root & Branch: During the few weeks
between his December meeting in Paris with Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright and his January meeting in Washington with President Bill Clinton,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu prepared by strengthening his policies, his coalition, and
himself.
Although he did try to reschedule his appointment with the President for
late January or early February, once Washington rejected the delay, the
Prime Minister seemed determined to present himself to the President as a
leader firmly in control of his government and his positions.
Events in Israel conspired to solidify his intentions not to surrender the
entire area of Judea and Samaria, as demanded by the Palestinian Authority.
For example, in order to acquire sufficient Knesset votes to pass his
national budget, Mr. Netanyahu made sweeping agreements regarding YESHA
with several of his most nationalist coalition
partners.
The Moledet Party, which votes with the government even though it is not an
official member of the coalition, was promised the establishment of an
educational seminar in the YESHA community of Rechelim, near Shiloh; the
paving of a new highway to connect Jerusalem and Rachels Tomb via the
Tunnels Highway; the granting of 100,000-shekel
mortgage loans to residents of Maaleh Ephraim, Kiryat Arba, Netzarim, Kfar
Darom, and Morag; the opening of Avner ben Ners Tomb in Hebron to Jewish
worshippers; and the paving of a by-pass road from Talmon and Nachaliel to
Kiryat Sefer.
The National Religious Party in its budgetary negotiations achieved
promises of more by-pass roads in Judea and northern Samaria; additional
construction in isolated YESHA communities; and a separation of the YESHA
communities water networks from those used
and currently polluted by the Arabs.
Conditional Support
Further, the NRP warned Mr. Netanyahu that the party's support for him was
conditioned on his support for YESHA. MK Nissan Shlomiansky warned that
the NRP would topple the Prime Minister if he tried to carry out a major
withdrawal. He echoed Mr. Netanyahus demand for reciprocity. The
sentiments were also approved by Likud MKs Benny Begin, Ruby Rivlin, and
Uzi Landau.
Many of these achievements were attributed to the efforts of the YESHA
Council, which, last month went on the offensive to explain why giving away
territory to the PA is unwise. The council printed more than one million
pamphlets in Hebrew to detail its position, and made plans to have the
pamphlet translated into English for distribution to US officials. The
pamphlet points out that while the NRP plans to resign only
if a withdrawal is effected before the PA fulfills the reciprocity demand,
it is delusional to expect that position to hold.
Abdul Rauf el-Codba el-Husseini ("Yasser Arafat") will simply pass another
bluff of a resolution repealing the charter, and a joint
Israeli-Palestinian-American committee will rule that he has, in fact,
fulfilled his commitment to fight terror, said the pamphlet, counseling
that the process to decide which land to give away be stopped
immediately. We are in danger of finding all of YESHA in a very precarious
and dangerous position, said the pamphlet.
Why Not Wait?
A reporter for Arutz-7 asked Kedumim Mayor Daniella Weiss, a leader of the
YESHA Communities Action Committee and a signator of the pamphlet, why her
group was not content to allow the government to make ceremonious decisions
regarding its intent to withdraw, which, because of the reciprocity
demands, will never be implemented.
Mrs. Weiss explained that any decision concerning a withdrawal carried with
it a measure of operative value. Once the ball starts rolling, it will not
be able to be stopped, she said, adding that her group had no interest in
bringing down the government. On the contrary, she said, but the
government cant be babied along. The Prime Minister is constantly checking
to see who is pressuring him the most, the Israeli Left, Americans and
Palestinians, or the right-wing nationalist camp. We simply have to show
that we are the more determined and the stronger side, and he will act
accordingly.
Mr. Netanyahu rejected the notion that the demand for reciprocity is an
ultimatum or a play to avoid the withdrawal. This is not make-believe, he
said. If they fulfill their commitments, then we will definitely fulfill
ours.
He dismissed PA leader Abdul Rauf el-Codba el-Husseini's contention that a
letter from him stating the charter's offensive articles had been annulled was
sufficient. Relying on the charters own 33rd article, Mr. Netanyahu
insisted the Palestinian National Congress had to be summoned so that the
articles calling for Israel's destruction could be publicly nullified
according to the PLOs own procedure.
Claiming that the PA was already in complete compliance, Abdul Rauf
el-Codba el-Husseini refused to call for a meeting of the PNC. He also
reiterated that the PA would never extradite wanted murderers to Israel.
Even according to their interpretation that they should try the terrorists
in the Palestinian Autonomy areas and need not transfer them to us, the
fact is they have not done so for four years. Their interpretation has
proven itself to be ineffectual, and they must, therefore, transfer the
murderers to us, said MK Tzvi Hendel (NRP).
Defense Minister Explains
Even Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai, now considered the most dovish
member of Mr. Netanyahu's cabinet after the departure of former Foreign
Minister David Levy, took pains to visit YESHA communities to explain his
position. While he had publicly endorsed a pull-back from YESHA within
three months, he told YESHA residents he would insist that the communities
in Judea and Samaria remain under Israeli control in any
future permanent arrangement with the Palestinians, and not merely as
enclaves within the Palestinian area. The Palestinians have already said
they would not tolerate any Jewish settlers in YESHA in the permanent
agreement.
On Arutz-7, Mr. Mordechai's spokesman, Eli Cohen, explained that the map
presented by the Defense Minister to the government in early December was
not designed to delineate a permanent-status proposal, as was the map
worked out by Infrastructure Minister Ariel Sharon. Mr. Mordechai's map,
he said, displays areas of national interest and security
importance only. Minister Mordechai feels that some of the YESHA
communities, including the areas surrounding them, are of even greater
importance than the areas delineated as security interests, said Mr. Cohen.
On a subsequent visit to the western Benjamin Region community of Beit
Aryeh, Mr. Mordechai repeated his claim that all the Jewish communities in
YESHA are located in places of national, if not strategic importance. Is
it conceivable that we would agree to cede the Cave of the Machpela in
Hebron merely because it has no security value? The Cave of the Patriarchs
is of first-degree national importance, he said.
Yankee, Go Home
With this backdrop, it was not surprising that Dennis Ross, special
mediator for the Israeli-Palestinian talks, was greeted in Israel on Jan. 6
by rallies and demonstrations calling on him to relax American pressure on
Israel and to demand full compliance by the Palestinians. Led by the YESHA
Action Committee and the Women in Green, demonstrators held vigils outside
the Laromme Hotel, where Mr. Ross stayed. The protesters held placards
reading: Dennis Ross, you are a guest here, not the landlord.
Minister of Transportation, Rabbi Yitzchak Levy (NRP) told one such rally
that his party wants the government to regard as its goal not the
implementation of the Oslo process, but, rather, the attainment of peace
with security, the preservation of the YESHA communities, and the
fulfillment of previous Palestinian obligations.
Many Israelis pointed out to Mr. Ross that although the Hebron Accords were
signed on January 15, 1997, the PA still had not complied with its
obligations as stipulated in the Note for the Record, which was signed by
Mr. Ross as spokesman for the US. Israel, on the other hand, has complied
by withdrawing from 80 percent of Hebron, releasing
Palestinian women prisoners, and beginning discussions on further
withdrawals and other issues.
Hebron Violence
Hebron's Jewish residents pointed out to Mr. Ross that, despite the PA's
agreement to enforce security in the city, during the past year, there have
been dozens of massive rock attacks, hundreds of firebomb attacks, 35
actual bomb attacks, and six shooting incidents. Twenty-eight Jewish
residents were injured in these attacks, several of which have been
directed against children. On December 21, 1997, a huge rock was
hurled into the children's playground in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood,
and, on Jan. 2, two bombs were thrown into the same playground, exploding
minutes before kindergarten children were scheduled to play there.
Miraculously, no one was hurt, said David Wilder, spokesman for the Jewish
community of Hebron.
During Mr. Ross visit, Mr. Netanyahu made clear that the government's
decision on any withdrawal would be divided into two parts. First, there
would be a decision on the extent of the withdrawal, which, in no way,
would be as massive as the 30 percent demanded by the PA. The second part
would come five months later when the government would decide, based on the
degree of Palestinian fulfillment of their commitments, whether actually to
execute the withdrawal.
The Prime Minister laid out his position which he reiterated frequently for
any audience which would listen: The government was elected in order to
move forward the process of achieving real peace, a peace with substance
and reciprocity. Reciprocity means a meticulous fulfillment to the US and
Israel of the Palestinian commitments in the Oslo and Hebron Accords. This
is the basis that makes the continued advance of peace possible, and we
will move forward with it.
Holding the Coalition
Mr. Netanyahu called on the right-wing members of his coalition to help him
advance the diplomatic process, explaining that a freeze in the process
would cause the government to fall, perhaps bringing the Left to power.
Whoever agrees to proceed responsibly and carefully in the peace process
can remain in the government, and the others can leave, he said. The
apparent reference was to Mr. Mordechai, who had threatened to resign from
the government if a withdrawal were not effected in 90 days.
Responding to Mr. Mordechai's threat, MK (NRP) Chanan Porat said that
telling Abdul Rauf el-Codba el-Husseini that he can receive territory from
us even if he does not fulfill his commitments is a tremendous error.
The next day, Aaron Lerner of Independent Media Review and Analysis asked
the Defense Minister if his demand for an Israeli withdrawal within three
months was conditional on various Palestinian actions. Yes, said Mr.
Mordechai. It is incumbent upon the Palestinians to fight terror and
fulfill the obligations to which they committed,
including those in the Hebron Agreement.
The Americans seemed unimpressed, leading one French publication to note
that the US had attached far greater importance to progress with the peace
negotiations that to the survival of the Likud government. Some observers
wondered if toppling Mr. Netanyahu's government had been Mr. Clinton's plan
for months. In May 1996, Mr. Clinton had all but campaigned for Shimon
Peres, Mr. Netanyahu's Labor opponent for Prime Minister.
Ross Failure
By January 11, the PA and Israel finally had something on which they could
agree: Mr. Ross mission ended in failure. The PA continued to accuse
Israel of violating the accords by demanding reciprocity; the US continued
to press Israel for a time out on building in YESHA, even as the Netanyahu
government issued permits for more construction; and Israeli leaders
continued to speak of PA failures to curtail terror,
extradite wanted terrorists, and reign in incitement.
One week before he left for Israel, close to 50,000 Israelis gathered in
Rabin Square to call on Mr. Netanyahu to resist American pressure to
withdraw from YESHA. They distributed pamphlets, viewed video clips of
incitement that had been broadcast on PA television the week before, and
heard speeches from religious and political leaders who
blessed the Prime Minister and asked for unity among Jews. The
demonstrators, who were careful to explain they were opposing any
withdrawal, but not the government, carried signs reading: You were
elected to protect the country.
>From the PA, Mr. Netanyahu heard threats, especially of a renewed intifada
if the Palestinian demands were not met in Washington. We will not alter
our positions as a result of threatened violence, said Mr. Netanyahu.
His remarks coincided with a nation-wide alert in Israel against new terror
attacks. Police set up road-blocks at the entrances to major cities and
beefed up their presence in places where people tend to gather.
PA Commitments
The Israeli cabinet approved a document drafted by Attorney General Elyakim
Rubinstein and Cabinet Secretary Dan Naveh in which the PA's commitments
regarding the maintenance of security were spelled out. The document cites
the four PA commitments embodied in the Hebron Note for the Record: To
complete the process of revising the Palestinian
National Covenant to excise articles inimical to Israels existence; to
fight terrorism and prevent violence (by transferring the 34 terrorists who
have found refuge within the Palestinian Autonomy, confiscating illegal
weapons, and curtailing incitement to violence on PA broadcasting
channels); to reduce the size of the Palestinian police force, whose
current strength is double the number permitted in the Oslo Accords; and
to restrict Palestinian governmental activities to areas under the PA's
jurisdiction, and, thus, remove any PA security agents from Jerusalem.
According to a report released in Norway, the number of Palestinian
policemen per citizen is the highest in the world - one policeman for every
75 citizens.
Mr. Sharon said the IDF would not redeploy in Judea and Samaria as long as
the Palestinians fail to fulfill their commitments. Justice Minister Tzachi
Hanegbi (Likud) said Israel would fulfill its obligations only if the PA
extradites the 34 terrorists in its custody who are wanted by Israel for
murder.
Just as Abdul Rauf el-Codba el-Husseini is finding it hard to hand over
terrorists, we are finding it hard to hand over territory to the
Palestinians, said Transport Minister Levy.
Consensus
A government official told the press there is a wall-to-wall consensus in
the cabinet against any further redeployment in Judea and Samaria unless
the PA honors all its commitments.
On Arutz-7, MK Roman Bronfman (Yisrael BAliyah) said that although he and
his colleagues were known as supporters of a withdrawal, he had told the
Prime Minister that most of the Israeli public wants peace, but not at any
price and that he must proceed with wisdom and caution in the process.
The government's decision making the withdrawal conditional on Palestinian
fulfillment of its obligations is acceptable to me, as long as it is not an
excuse to push off the implementation of the Oslo Accords, he said.
US Tax Dollars at Work
Some observers pointed out that the Palestinian violations affect not only
Israel, but also American taxpayers, who are footing the bill for alleged
Palestinian embezzlement of US dollars. While several investigative
reports have pointed to millions of dollars which are unaccounted for, the
Clinton Administration has refused to release the
documents which would either corroborate the charges or prove them false.
In 1995, Sen. Jesse Helms and Rep. Ben Gilman asked the US General
Accounting Office for a complete audit, but the portions dealing with Abdul
Rauf el-Codba el-Husseini were turned over to the CIA and promptly
classified as secret. Most observers believe if the CIA report exonerated
Abdul Rauf el-Codba el-Husseini, Mr. Clinton would have released the report
by now.
Last month, Abdul Rauf el-Codba el-Husseini announced he was building
another palatial mansion, this time in Hebron. There are many photographs
of multi-million dollar homes owned by high-ranking PA officials. Some
observers believe US tax-dollars may be traced to such building rather than
the special projects for which they were designated.
Last fall, the US Congress responded to Palestinian excesses by refusing to
reactivate the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act (MEPFA), which allowed
the President to certify PA compliance in order for the Palestinians to
receive US funding.
Vital Interests
In preparation for Mr. Netanyahu's trip, his government established Israels
vital and national interests in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley,
areas which Mr. Netanyahu would be forbidden to relinquish during his talks
with Mr. Clinton in Washington. According to a government press release,
these vital-interest areas would constitute
the basis of the interim and final-status agreements with the Palestinians.
The vital interests include the following components, which the government
noted partly overlap: the eastern security zone; the western security
zone; the area surrounding the Jerusalem region; the areas of the Israeli
communities; infrastructure interests including water, electricity, and
transportation; military-security sites of strategic
importance or of pertinence to Israels deterrence capability; the areas
around longitudinal and lateral transportation routes vital to general
security and to the security of the Israeli communities; historic sites
sacred to the Jewish people.
The Clinton administration expressed its distress over the announcement of
Israel's vital areas by announcing that Mr. Netanyahu would not be hosted
in Blair House, the official guest residence for visiting heads of state,
and that there would be no luncheon or joint press conference in the White
House after the meeting.
The announcement from Washington did not disturb Communications Minister
(Likud) Limor Livnat. The land of Israel is more important than lunch, she
told the press. But Transportation Minister Levy said, "The way the
American government is treating Israel is a disgrace. We must be strong to
stand up for what is good for the State of Israel."
Rabbi Aaron Soloveitchik sent a message to Mr. Netanyahu exhorting him to
show strength in the face of the unfair American pressures. The rabbi said
that after his meeting in Israel with the Prime Minister in November, he
was confident that Mr. Netanyahu would be able to stand firm. American
Jewry stands behind Netanyahu, and Congress, too,
will support Israel, he said.
Pre-Guessing Clinton
Speculating on how the President would react during his meeting with Mr.
Netanyahu, Mr. Lerner of IMRA said, "He can be angry with Netanyahu for
refusing to continue with this farce, or he can finally show that he takes
the agreements seriously. If he opts to reward Arafat [Abdul Rauf el-Codba
el-Husseini] by insisting that Israel ignore reality, he can be certain the
Palestinians will take the message and continue with business as usual.
But since the Israeli public and the American public and their Congress
won't accept business as usual, Clinton's present to Arafat will quickly
become the greatest disservice and punishment he could possibly mete out to
the Palestinians."
Kiryat Arba activist and former MK Elyakim Haetzni pointed out that one can
say no to the US President and live. He recalled that in 1948, when the US
reneged on its support for the establishment of a Jewish state and proposed
forming a protectorate in Palestine instead, David Ben-Gurion defied the
State Department's stand, and President Harry Truman hastened to recognize
the State of Israel. Further, he said, for
many years, US ambassadors to Israel refused to attend working sessions in
Jerusalem, but today, the US Congress recognizes the whole indivisible
Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Challenging US pressure, Menachem Begin once explained, Israel is not a
banana republic. History shows that out leader's relentlessness has never
caused any real complications in Israel-US relations. Strength and
backbone have always generated respect. Blind acquiescence is rewarded
with praise, but those who tend to compromise are not respected, he said.
Easing Off
By Sunday, Jan. 18, the day before Mr. Netanyahu was scheduled to leave for
Washington, pressure from the US seemed to be abating. Mr. Clinton's
personal problems with Paula Jones seemed to have distracted him, and, as
pointed out by former Israeli diplomat Yoram Ettinger, it was becoming
evident that Mr. Netanyahu was not in a political position to succumb to
pressure.
Besides, Congress will not allow Clinton to actualize any sanction threats
against Israel for standing firm against Palestinian violations of the Oslo
Accords, said Mr. Ettinger. The pressure that Netanyahu will face will be
more psychological than practical.
On Jan. 19, the entire cabinet as well as some 20 mayors were on hand at
Ben Gurion Airport to participate in an unusual farewell ceremony for Mr.
Netanyahu. The rare show of unity was seen as an effort to encourage him
to stand firm knowing that he enjoyed overwhelming support in the coalition.
Susan Rosenbluth
Englewood, New Jersey
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A journalist for many years with various secular Jewish and general
publications, Susan L. Rosenbluth began the Jewish Voice and Opinion in
1987 as a vehicle for the Orthodox-Jewish community, primarily in northern
NJ and Rockland County and Riverdale, NY. The monthly news-magazine, which
now reaches over 15,000 families, speaks out forcefully and unashamedly for
the unique concerns of "classical Judaism." The publication's principal
focus is the political scene in Israel and the US, and current events which
affect the Jewish community.
"With few exceptions, editorial policies in Jewish publications throughout
the country reflect the interests and morality of the secular world. The
Jewish Voice and Opinion is dedicated to disproving the perception that it
is the non-observant Jews who speak for the Jewish community as a whole.
What the observant community lacks in numbers is
more than counterbalanced by its intellectual, economic, and moral power,"
she says.
Mrs. Rosenbluth, a graduate of New York University, is a former teacher,
most recently at the Yeshiva of North Jersey. Residents of Englewood, NJ,
she and her husband, Dr. Richard Rosenbluth, the head of Oncology at
Hackensack University Medical Center, are the parents of two sons,
Jonathan, a medical student, and his wife, Chaviva; and Benjamin, also a
medical student, and his wife, Elana; and a daughter in college, Rachel.
They are the grandparents of newborn Miriam Faygie.
------------------------------------------------------------
R&B EDITOR'S NOTE:
Root & Branch Information Services are a forum for the expression of
different points of view. The views expressed in articles that we
distribute are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official
positions of the Root & Branch Association.
************************************************************************
From: Ron Frierdich
To: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Subject: In Support of Israel
NATIONAL UNITY COALITION
The Largest Coalition of Pro-lsrael
Jewish and Christian Organizations in the USA
Convened by Voices United for Israel
3965 W. 83rd Street #292, Shawnee Mission, KS 66208
Phone: 913-432-7900 Fax: 913-432-7997
PRESS RELEASE April 2, 1998 Contact: Esther Levens
913-432-7900
Clinton "Appeasement Now!"
What are the real consequences of making Israel indefensible?
Chamberlain could not see himself as selling out the Czechoslovakians.
He only wanted peace, and sought it by appeasing Hitler. Why can't
President Clinton see himself as a force undermining Israel? He says
he wants peace, and seeks it by appeasing Chairman Arafat. Let us all
beware of what it means to give up land for peace without reciprocity.
Reciprocity cannot just be words; the outcome of the peace process
must be a defensible Israel, surrounded by Arab states whose
historical and current stated desire is to annihilate Israel.
The National Unity Coalition believes that Israel must be permitted to
determine the size of withdrawals from the West Bank. As long as the
Palestinians fail to amend the PLO charter calling for Israel's
destruction and fail to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure or
extradite killers of Americans and Israelis as required by the Oslo
Accords, why should Israelis concede land that threatens their safety?
The National Unity Coalition supports the letters written by the
Senate and the House of Representatives to President Clinton, dated
April 1, 1998. The following points are of special interest. The
Senate letter stated that "it would be a serious mistake for the
United States to change from its traditional role as facilitator of
the peace process to using public pressure against Israel" to induce
progress in the peace process.
The House of Representatives letter states that Israel has already
ceded land and political authority to the Palestinians so that
"Virtually all of the Gaza strip and 27% of the West Bank - where 98%
of the Palestinians live - are now under the full civil administration
of the Palestinian Authority. Chairman Arafat, however, repeatedly
threatens renewal of widespread violence and continues to use terror
and violence as a political tool. Despite that Israel has announced
its readiness to withdraw from yet more territory of the West Bank -
even before final status negotiations immediately and on an
accelerated basis."
Chairman Arafat has refused to conclude negotiations for the remaining
interim status issues. Rather than pressuring Israel to withdraw from
the West Bank, the Senate letter urges that President Clinton pressure
the "Palestinians to accept Israel's latest offer and move to final
status negotiations." The letter also underscores that President
Clinton's plan for West Bank Israeli removal violates a written
commitment made by Secretary Christopher "that it would be up to
Israel to decide the size and scope of further redeployment of Israeli
forces on the West Bank. [Clinton's Plan to remove Israeli forces from
13% of the West Bank] runs counter to Secretary Christopher's
commitment." The Senate letter urges the President only to facilitate
direct negotiations by the relevant parties themselves.
We, the National Unity Coalition for Israel, respectfully submit that
Israel would be foolhardy to comply with President Clinton's pressure
to withdraw from 13% of the West Bank without complete compliance by
the Palestinians with the Oslo Accords. We believe that any solution
that overrides Israel's security determinations means that Washington
becomes morally responsible to insure Israel's security. Is the United
States prepared for that?
***********************************************************************