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To: Arutz-7 List <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>, Israel News List
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Subject: Op-Ed: The NRP and Chanan Porat / PLO Incitement
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 16:32:10 -0800
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Subject: Arutz-7 Op-Ed: The NRP and Chanan Porat
THE NRP AND CHANAN PORAT
by Haggai Huberman and Elyakim Haetzni
Arutz Sheva Israel National Radio
Feb. 24, 1999 - Adar 8, 5759
In This Article:
1. A Bad Feeling
2. Waving All Three Flags
3. Learning From History: Left- Down; Right - Up
4. Chanan Porat the Man
1. A BAD FEELING
Like thousands of other National Religious Party voters, including many,
many NRP supporters in Yesha, I have been walking around for the past
couple of days with this feeling that the party's Central Committee - a
body that was chosen five years ago and has not been refreshed since - has,
with brute strength, forced me to go and find myself another political home
- if such a thing exists. By electing four "centrist" candidates to the
top five spots, and by sending Chanan Porat home, the Committee is sending
me a message that I cannot mistake.
I had many dozens of conversations soon after the NRP vote earlier this
week with personal friends, all of whom were ardent supporters of the NRP -
until this week. Now they all have this sensation that their hand will
tremble terribly when - and if - they decide, for lack of a better
alternative, to vote for the NRP.
2. WAVING ALL THREE FLAGS
True, the NRP must not wave only one banner, that of Eretz Yisrael. The
NRP must wave, as it always has, a social banner and a religious banner as
well, according to the classical three-pronged religious-Zionist program:
The People of Israel in the Land of Israel according to the Torah of
Israel. But the Committee has voted for a Knesset list that symbolizes the
laying aside of the flag of Eretz Yisrael. If the first eight spots of the
NRP list would have been comprised of the exact same names, but simply in a
different order - hawk, dove, hawk, dove, etc. - it would have been much
easier for the supporters of the hawkish line to identify with the list,
and even to somehow accept the elimination of Chanan Porat from the next
Knesset. But the Committee did something else: it chose a list that, in
addition to excluding Porat, also gave most of the top spots to doves. Of
the top five, only Rabbi Yitzchak Levy gives full priority to the Eretz
Yisrael issue. The next two real Eretz Yisrael-nikim are in places number
6 and 7, which, under the present circumstances, are far from certain to
get elected to the next Knesset.
3. LEARNING FROM HISTORY: LEFT - DOWN; RIGHT - UP
The NRP's Central Committee has pushed the party onto a path that is not in
its best interests - as the following brief history shows.
On the eve of the 1977 elections, the NRP announced that it was "tying its
future" with the Likud. One of the founders of Gush Emunim, Rabbi Chaim
Druckman, was given the second spot on the party list, between Yosef Burg
and Zevulun Hammer. The NRP took on a hawkish tint, and the result was a
gain of two Knesset seats, from 10 to 12.
During the 9th Knesset, the NRP supported the Camp David accords, supported
the uprooting of the Yamit settlements in Sinai, and supported the plan
calling for autonomy for the Palestinians. Several NRP members quit the
party, and helped found the new Techiyah party. The consequences, as
manifest in the 1981 elections: a resounding thud, as the NRP dropped to
six seats.
The pattern continued in the next Knesset, where the NRP was a partner to a
government that uprooted the Yamit communities. The last of the party
hawks, Rabbi Druckman, left the party, and helped found Morasha. The 1984
elections saw the party lose another two seats, receiving only four.
A turn-around began shortly before the elections for the 11th Knesset. The
NRP started turning right again when Chanan Porat and others returned to
the party and captured key leadership positions. The change began to
manifest itself in the party's more hawkish positions, and the NRP gained a
seat in 1988, giving it five.
During the 12th Knesset, the NRP was a loyal partner in the Shamir
government - the most nationalist government in the history of the State of
Israel. The party's motto in the 1992 elections was "The NRP is on your
right," and another seat was gained, giving the party six Knesset mandates.
The NRP found itself in the opposition after Rabin and Meretz formed the
next government, and expressed clearly right-wing positions. As an
opposition party with no real influence, it could have been expected that
its voters would punish it for giving up a chance to participate in
"doing." Instead, the voters rewarded it with a 50% increase, giving it
nine seats.
Is the pattern clear?
4. CHANAN PORAT THE MAN
---Elyakim Haetzni, broadcasting on Arutz-7 in English on Feb. 24, adds:
..Let us consider the personality and biography of Chanan Porat. His
father was killed in battle defending Kfar Etzion in 1948. Chanan was
raised together with the other orphans of the Arab massacre which
accompanied the capture and destruction of the Etzion bloc, halfway between
Jerusalem and Hevron, during the War of Independence. In the '67 war,
Chanan fought as a paratrooper in the liberation of Jerusalem. Half a year
later, he led the group that re-settled the ruins of his father's village.
He has been a member of Kibbutz Kfar Etzion ever since. In the Yom Kippur
War, he was severely wounded near the Suez Canal. Shortly afterwards, he
was one of the leaders of the breakthrough to Samaria - the showdown with
the government at Sebastia which cleared the way for the settlements in
Samaria.
Since then, the footsteps and fingerprints of Porat are to be found in
innumerable efforts and achievements in Yesha. He has been involved in the
new Maoz Tzur neighborhood in Beit El, the Beit Orot yeshiva on the Mt. of
Olives, the City of David in Jerusalem, Efrat, Rachel's Tomb, Avnei
Cheifetz in Samaria, Jericho - and this is only a very partial list.
Chanan Porat is a living refutation of the demagogic presentation of the
settler community as symbolizing "land vs. nation, territory vs. culture."
Chanan Porat was one of the prime movers for the aliyah from Ethiopia,
especially the Falashmura - those who had converted to Christianity during
times of persecution. He brought about the construction of a whole
neighborhood - Ma'aleh Adumim - for new immigrants from the former USSR.
Bridging the gap between the religious and the secular, Porat wrote a
best-seller, "My Brothers I Seek - Letters to a Non-religious Girl." He
was instrumental in founding the Beit El Publishing House, and in
sustaining the very popular children's magazine, Otiot. In the Knesset, he
is very active and successful as Chairman of the Knesset Law Committee. He
is responsible for social legislation, such as making it a criminal offense
to stand idly by and not offer assistance to one who is in danger. So much
for the false stereotype regarding the Yesha settlers...
* * * * * * *
Haggai Huberman, a resident of Elkanah, is a columnist for Hatzofeh, where
his above article originally appeared, and a correspondent for Arutz-7.
Atty. Elyakim Haetzni, a former Techiyah MK and a resident of Kiryat Arba,
is a columnist for Yediot Acharonot, and broadcasts weekly on Arutz-7.
************************************************************************
The Jerusalem Post - Internet Edition
Friday, March 5, 1999 17 Adar 5759
Porat, Hendel leave NRP; likely to join Tekuma
By NINA GILBERT and HEIDI GLEIT
JERUSALEM (March 5) - The departure of MKs Hanan
Porat and Zvi Hendel from the National Religious
Party yesterday is expected to hasten efforts among
parties on the far Right to reach an agreement on a
unified list next week.
Porat and Hendel announced they would likely be
joining Tekuma, a religious settlement party. Tekuma
is in advanced stages of negotiations with Herut and
Moledet on forming a joint list. Since work on the
joint platform is nearly complete, the main remaining
item of business is to form the list, and Porat is
expected to be offered as high as the No. 3 slot.
However, Tsomet leader Rafael Eitan has now reentered
the fray, and has invited the three other parties to
meet with him on Sunday in an attempt to reach unity.
Sources on the far Right are skeptical whether Herut,
Moledet, and Tekuma will find common ground with
Eitan, and see his move more as way to pressure Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for more concessions on
rejoining the Likud list. Tsomet broke away from the
Likud faction yesterday.
Herut said last night it was not sure it would be
able to attend Eitan's meeting.
Netanyahu has offered Eitan the fifth Likud slot and
promised him a ministry. However, Tsomet is also
demanding another slot, either for Haim Dayan or
another candidate.
Hendel and Porat formed a separate Knesset faction
yesterday called Emunim.
Hendel said he was impelled to leave the NRP since it
"had deviated from its path at a difficult time in
the face of negotiations with the PLO. In a time like
this, people must lead this struggle with all of
their soul. The moment we felt that the party we are
in cannot lead this struggle we decided to leave."
"Why negotiate with people, and I mean my neighbor
Yasser Arafat, who don't intend for one moment to
make peace," said Hendel, who lives in Moshav Ganei
Tal in the Gush Katif area of the Gaza Strip.
Porat termed Hendel's decision to join him in leaving
the NRP "a covenant between brothers." Porat had won
an unrealistic 11th slot on the NRP slate and said he
would leave politics unless Hendel, who came in
seventh, joined him in moving to Tekuma. The two said
they would work toward unity of the rightist camp,
and would lead its religious component.
"The great test is ahead," said Porat. "There are
those who have accepted the fact and say that the
struggle is a lost cause. But we have not given up."
Porat, who joined the Knesset as a Tehiya MK in 1981
to lead the struggle against the evacuation of Yamit
(and returned to the Knesset in 1988 with the NRP),
said "there is again a danger" of the uprooting of
settlements.
"We are taking about the heart of the Land of Israel.
And in Judea and Samaria, there are hundreds of
thousands of people. In Yamit, it was seen by the
public as an issue of giving a plot of land in return
for peace, and the public was ecstatic. However, no
one now believes we are headed for peace."
In an attempt at damage control, NRP ministers
Yitzhak Levy and Shaul Yahalom told a news conference
in Tel Aviv Porat and Hendel had left the NRP because
they could not accept their poor showing in the
party's primaries and this is not an indication of an
ideological split.
The NRP is the only party that truly represents all
religious Zionists, Levy said, adding he had invited
Meimad and Tekuma to join it but was turned down.
Meanwhile, Levy unveiled the NRP's new slogan
yesterday, Kippa sruga berosh ehad, which may be
translated as "Unity under a knitted kippa." Even if
the two MKs decide to join the right-wing parties to
form one party, Yahalom added, they would not
represent religious interests, but would focus on a
political viewpoint. "What is more important, unity
in the religious-Zionist camp or that Hanan has a
seat?" Levy asked.
If Hendel and Porat had left before the primaries,
Levy and Yahalom said, their claims about leaving for
ideological reasons would have more weight. Instead,
their move is just an immoral attempt to evade the
results of the primaries and steal campaign funds
from the NRP.
************************************************************************
From: Voices united for Israel
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Palestinian Incitement Addressed by Congress
For Immediate Release Contact: Esther Levens
- February 26, 1999 -
National Unity Coalition Press Conference Exposes
Continued Incitement by Palestinian Officials in Media
U.S. Congressmen Detail PA's Lies and Distortions
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yassar Arafat's
on-going incitement to violence and his failure to abide by the series
of agreements sign ed with Israel, guaranteed by the United States,
was the subject of a press conf erence sponsored by the National Unity
Coalition for Israel, February 24 on Capi tol Hill. Thirty pages of
precise translations of examples of incitement were pr esented as
documentation at this event, where leading congressmen spoke out vehe
mently against these infractions of the Wye Accords.
Congressman Jim Saxton (R-NJ), a principal sponsor of the press
conference, call ed the Palestinian incitement since the Wye Accords
"unacceptable," an action th at would "violate every agreement between
Israel and the Palestinian Authority."
The press conference, held the day preceding the meeting of the
Trilateral Commi ttee to Prevent Incitement, featured two reports:
Promoting Hatred: The Systemat ic Use of Lies in the Palestinian Media
and Palestinian Media Incitement Since W ye. Both reports are English
translations of Arabic Palestinian quotes in its of ficial newspaper
and from Palestinian radio and TV programs.
Itamar Marcus, an Israeli media specialist and one of the official
Israel delega tes to theTrilateral Committee, authored both reports.
The translations by Marcu s were from the work he does for his private
company, Palestinian Media Watch, w hich is based in Israel. Marcus
also serves as research director for the New Yor k-based Center for
Monitoring the Impact of Peace. His reports were presented at
the conference by JoAnn Magnuson of the Jerusalem-based Bridges for
Peace organ
ization.
Congressman Saxton at the bi-partisan press conference called on the
United Stat es Government to support the concept of shared
responsibility by Israel and Jord an for the Palestinian population
currently under Chairman Yassar Arafat's rule.
This policy shift was recommended because "the PA and Yassar Arafat
are subvert
ing the signed peace agreements and perpetuating hostile feelings
toward Israel,
and ultimately brain-washing Palestinian children. For more than five
years we'
ve been repeating warnings about Arafat's failure to abide by the
series of agre ements signed by Israel, some of which have been
guaranteed by the United States ''
In another statement presented at the conference, U.S. House of
Representatives Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX) said, "Arafat and other
Palestinian officials con tinue to threaten to unilaterally declare an
independent Palestinian State on or
after May 4, when the Oslo accords expire. Such a threat is itself
inflammatory and detrimental to the peace process. Anti-Jewish
statements by both official a
nd unofficial sources and other propaganda directed by Palestinians
merely serve
to inculcate another generation with hatred toward Israel. The United
States ha
s provided the Palestinians with tens of millions of dollars in the
hopes of fos tering peace. In exchange for such massive funding,
Congress and the American pe ople have a right to expect that the
Palestinians in both rhetoric and deed will not act to undermine the
chances for peace."
U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NY) said the cases of Palestinian
incitement "make me
and other supporters of the peace process question just what the true
intention
s of the PA are." U.S. Rep. Mike Forbes (R-NY) told the conference
that PA "inci tement against Israel has taken place in every form
possible since the signing o f the Oslo Accords in September 1993.
Although explicitly prohibited by Oslo and
subsequent Israel-PA agreements, the PA and its leadership have been
responsibl
e for calling for the destruction of Israel, mass death for its
citizens, labeli ng Jews as Nazis, calling the Holocaust a hoax
perpetrated by Jews to generate i nternational sympathy, and claiming
that the Old Testament, including the five b ooks of Moses
(Pentateuch), do not refer to the Jewish people or substantiate a
claim by them to Israel."
U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), said the PA-controlled media has
reported that corruption is the nature of the Jews,' and Jews are the
descendants of Satan, ' and Zionism is a racist Jewish movement,'
among other outlandish statements " Salmon said "the United States,
which has provided the Palestinians with hund reds of millions of
dollars in aid, including aid that has helped finance the me dia
organizations that spread anti-Jewish propaganda, should not tolerate
statem ents of hate any longer."
Other speakers expressed outrage at the profound routine message of
hatred and v ilification which the report documented. Morton Klein,
President of the Zionist Organization of America, returned from Israel
hours before with Senator Connie M ack (R-FL) in order to speak at the
press conference. He expressed their horror at the barrage of virulent
anti-semitism, libelous rhetoric documented in the Ma rcus report.
Congressman Jim Ryun (R-KS) joined the chorus of congressional prot
est in a strongly-worded statement as did conference moderator, Frank
Gaffney, D irector of the Center for Security Policy, a prominent
Washington think tank.
National Unity Coaltion Founder and President Esther Levens said "I
was pleased that these courageous Congressmen have joined forces in a
bipartisan event to pr otest the blatent continuing incitement which
is common knowledge in the Middle East, a story which is not being
told in America. Our Israel Campaign 1997 The Battle for Truth" is
committed to getting this information in the hands of our decision
makers and the American public. The National Unity Coalition, with its
200-member organizations representing 40 million Americans, is very
concerned a bout the continual slow-drip' effect of these various
forms of incitement. The Palestinian people are saturated on a daily
basis with vicious lies and brain- washed by daily doses of propaganda
and historic revisionism. This is not merely
an occasional phenomenon. It is a systematic on-going occurrence.
There is no h
ope for peace until the Palestinian leadership decides to give their
people fact ual information upon which to build a positive view of
their Israeli neighbors."
###
To receive a copy of this comprehensive report on incitement, contact
1-800-688-2204.
******************************************************************
FROM: Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., International Director - Jerusalem
Bridges for Peace
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: BFP-UPDATE: News Update with Prayer Focus from Jerusalem
1) ARAFAT AND THE POPE DISCUSS MILLENIUM VISIT
Pope John Paul II has officially agreed to join the PLO
Authority's (PA) Bethlehem 2000 project, aimed at attracting
Christians from around the world wishing to celebrate the millennium
in the city, now under PA control.
The PA leader was in Rome where he met with the Pope to
discuss plans for the millennium and the Church. PA officials are
working to prepare for the anticipated large influx of Christian
pilgrims in the coming year and are also trying to construct an
airport to service arriving persons wishing to fly from Gaza to
Bethlehem, both under PA control. (IsraelWire, February 21,1999)
2) US LIABLE TO POSTPONE ISRAELI AID UNDER WYE ACCORD
The US administration is examining the possibility of
dissociating the aid to Israel from the aid to the Palestinians and
Jordan under the Wye accord.
If it is decided, the $1.2 billion financing Israel was to
receive for re-deployment will be delayed, since Israel has not pulled
out of the Territories. On the other hand, the Palestinians will
receive the $300 million aid promised them, plus a promise to turn it
into long term aid, similar to the aid Israel has received annually
since the 70s.
The US administration's initiative will be combined with
political benefits the Palestinians will receive in exchange for
postponing the declaration of the establishment of an independent
Palestinian state, from May 4, 1999 to a later date. In negotiations
now taking place, agreement is being formed to postpone the
declaration, following an official approach by the "Oslo countries" to
Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat, asking him to postpone
the declaration by six months. The Oslo countries include those that
provided patronage of the agreement, including the US and the European
Union. (By Ora Coren, Globes, February 21, 1999)
PRAYER FOCUS: Pray that the United States will continue to
bless Israel. God is judging the nations by their treatment of His chosen
people. Pray that the US will continue to be a blessing and in turn
be blessed by God.
SCRIPTURE: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever
curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through
you" (Genesis 12:3).
***********************************************************************
The Jerusalem Post - Internet Edition
Thursday, March 4, 1999 16 Adar 5759
Shaath: Egypt, Jordan asked PA to postpone
statehood declaration
By BEN LYNFIELD
JERUSALEM (March 4) - Egypt and Jordan have asked the
Palestinian Authority to delay a declaration of
statehood by several months beyond May 4, said Nabil
Shaath, PA Minister of Planning and International
Cooperation.
The two countries "cite tactical reasons, that May 4
is a date that no longer serves the interest of the
Palestinians and a delay of a few months does,"
Shaath was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.
He was apparently referring to the May 17 Israeli
elections. The US, the European Union, Egypt, Jordan
and the Labor Party are all reportedly concerned that
a declaration of statehood on May 4 will boost Likud
in the polling.
May 4 is the date that interim self-rule arrangements
set out in the 1994 Israeli-Palestinian agreement
signed in Cairo are due to expire.
PA Chairman Yasser Arafat trumpeted May 4 last fall
as the date when independence would be declared.
But he has become ambiguous about it in recent
months, apparently due to foreign persuasion and the
elections.
Several PA ministers have openly expressed interest
in striking a deal with the US and other signatories
of the peace deals in which the PA would be
compensated in exchange for delaying the declaration.
Faisal Husseini, the PA minister for Jerusalem, has
said this might include pressure on Israel for a
settlement freeze.
But Shaath seems to have in mind guarantees of future
recognition. "Any delay will have to come with
guarantees," he said, according to AP.
Palestinian Authority Secretary-General Tayeb
Abdel-Rahim said Arafat would ask Clinton for
recognition of Palestinian self-determination and
right to a state during their meeting scheduled for
March 23 at the White House.
The US has traditionally opposed these nationalist
Palestinian aspirations, but Clinton used
unprecedentedly sympathetic language when he visited
the PA areas in December. "Americans have come to
appreciate the strength of your identity and the
depth of your aspirations and we have learned to
appreciate your grievances as well," he told
Palestinian leaders.
Clinton urged Arafat not to declare unilaterally a
Palestinian state during their last meeting on
February 4, US officials said at the time.
AP adds:
Police are training snipers and riot squads to
prepare for possible Palestinian unrest following a
unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood in
the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Ha'aretz said
yesterday.
Police officials did not confirm or deny that such
preparations were being made under the code name
"Operation Magic Melody." Police spokesman Uzi
Sanduri said the subject is sensitive and that police
are ready for "all kinds of situations."
Ha'aretz said the Israel Police plan describes
several scenarios in the wake of a declaration of
independence. One possibility is that Palestinian
police will open fire on Israelis from the borders,
another that riots will break out in Arab areas under
Israeli control.
Police have begun training snipers who would guard
Israel's borders against possible infiltration,
Ha'aretz said, adding that all Border Police units
are required to undergo a two-day training session on
dispersing crowds, shooting and combat in open
territory.
******************************************************************
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