-Caveat Lector-
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Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War!
Tzemach News Service
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A weekly update of news and events regarding the nation and the people of
Israel
Week Ending: 30 June 2001/9 Tamuz 5761
"Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;
Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish." Isaiah 41.11
Highlights Of This Week:
:: SHARON MEETS WITH BUSH; POWELL CALLS FOR OBSERVERS
:: EU DEEP IN ISRAELI POLITICS
:: U.S. HOUSE TIGHTENS RULES FOR PA/PLO AID
:: REMEMBER THE BIBLE [Editorial] Excellent!
:: HASMONEAN TOWN DISCOVERED
:: SUGGESTED WEB SITES
:: A NEW ANTI-SEMITISM
:: NATIONAL PROJECT LAUNCHED FOR ETHIOPIAN JEWRY ABSORPTION
:: UN REFUSAL LEAVES PA/PLO WITHOUT MEDICINES
:: SHARON MEETS WITH BUSH; POWELL IN THE MIDDLE EAST: While media around
the world are reporting on the "disagreements" between Prime Minister
Sharon and President Bush, both sides are attempting to downplay their
significance. The disagreements center around the question of whether the
Palestinian violence must stop totally or only "significantly." Before the
meeting, Bush emphasized the progress made in stopping the violence and the
need to begin "at some stage" implementing the Mitchell Report. Sharon,
however, emphasized the continuing Palestinian violence and Israel's
insistence on a complete end to terrorism and incitement. He called for 10
days of total calm on the Palestinian side before moving ahead with the
cooling off period stated in the cease-fire framework put together by
Central Intelligence Agency Chief George Tenet.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Colin Powell met Thursday with PLO leader
Yassir Arafat in Ram'Allah. Powell demanded that Arafat take stronger
measures to "stabilize the ceasefire," and said that Israeli declarations
condemning Arafat are "damaging and unnecessary." Taking a position
diametrically opposed to that of Israel, Powell said, "I think that if we
reach the confidence-building measures stage, we will need international
observers to come to the flashpoints to give us an independent view of the
situation." Many members of the UN have been calling for international
observers in Yesha [Judea, Samaria, and Gaza]. Israel -- and the US up
until now -- has been against it. [For a better idea of what "international
observers" could lead to read Ezekiel 38 and 39; also Zechariah--ed]
............................
:: EU DEEP IN ISRAELI POLITICS: MK Benny Elon disclosed additional details
Tuesday of the European Union's financial intervention in Israel's
electoral affairs. It was learned last week that the EU had given to the
Four Mothers, Peace Now, and other left-wing groups, and now Elon reveals
that the list is much longer: "This is unbelievable. There is a whole
network that looked for the weak links in Israeli society, and then started
bankrolling them. They began with a woman named Tzviya Greenfeld, whose job
was to take hareidi women and try to get them to move left in their
politics. Then MK Roman Bronfman would take care of the Russian immigrants
and try to get them to vote for the left. And so on and so forth, official
nations -- not some private millionaire -- were directly involved in
Israeli politics."
............................
:: U.S. HOUSE TIGHTENS RULES FOR PA/PLO AID: The subcommittee on Foreign
Relations of the US House of Representatives passed an additional
requirement for approving foreign aid to the PA/PLO, on Wednesday:
President Bush will now be asked to confirm that the Palestinians are
acting against terrorism, and if it is deemed that the PA/PLO is not doing
enough, sanctions may be imposed. [IMRA note: Unfortunately, if past
experience is any indication of the future as long as the determination of
compliance remains in the hands of the executive branch WITHOUT effective
congressional oversight, President Bush can be counted on to sign whatever
declarations will be required to release the money.] The subcommittee also
authorized the transfer of the annual aid package to Israel of $2.04
billion in military assistance and $720 million in civilian aid. The bill
must still be approved by the House Committee on Foreign Relations, the
House of Representatives and the Senate, making it uncertain whether the
new requirements will remain unchanged by the time the lengthy legislative
process is completed.
............................
:: REMEMBER THE BIBLE: By Michael Freund
It seems almost axiomatic that regardless of whether the current cease-fire
takes hold, the propaganda war between Israel and the Palestinians will
continue. Even if the Bush administration succeeds in silencing the guns on
the ground, the battle for public opinion will endure on our television
screens, with each side trying to paint the other as the primary culprit.
As in any conflict, Israel's defenders will have to consider the tools at
their disposal and use them as wisely and judiciously as possible. It is,
therefore, perhaps time for advocates of Israel to reconsider an
unfortunate taboo that has taken hold in recent years, one that has
weakened Israel's position and requires a thorough reassessment: "Thou
shalt not mention in public the biblical right of the Jewish people to the
Land of Israel."
Afraid of turning off various audiences, those entrusted with explaining
Israel's position focus their energies entirely on the diplomatic, military
and security realms. They spell out why Israel is a bulwark against
militant Islamic fundamentalism and explain the need for the West to
support the only democracy in the Middle East. They rightfully point out
that the responsibility for the outbreak of the current unrest lies
squarely on Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's shoulders.
These points are important, and they need to be reinforced as much as
possible. But at the same time, Israel is making a grave tactical error by
failing to address the underlying question behind the Israeli-Palestinian
dispute: Whose land is it anyway?
By turning down the previous government's unprecedented proposals, Arafat
made it clear that, in his view, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not
about boundaries and normalization, but about "us or them." It is a
struggle between two entities, the Jews and the Arabs, over one piece of
territory, the Land of Israel, and it behooves Israel's defenders and
supporters to begin focusing on this point.
That is where the Bible comes into play. Years ago, Israeli leaders,
whether religious or secular, would not hesitate to cite the Bible as the
source for the Jewish claim to the Land of Israel. In 1937, when David
Ben-Gurion appeared before the British Peel Commission, established to
investigate the situation in the British-controlled Mandate for Palestine,
he vigorously defended the Jewish people's right to the Land of Israel,
asserting that "The Mandate is not our Bible - the Bible is our mandate."
When was the last time you heard an Israeli official speak so forcefully
and, pray tell, so biblically?
Opponents of using this argument assert that it would be
counter-productive, because not everyone believes in the Bible. Ostensibly,
they would seem to have a point, because mention of the Bible can lead some
listeners to shift uncomfortably in their seats, worried they are about to
hear a mid-week sermon.
But, as any good salesman will tell you, effective public relations
requires a person to tailor his message to suit the audience that he is
addressing.
There are tens of millions of Jews and Christians across the globe who do
believe in the Bible and view it as the Divine instruction manual for the
world. By ignoring the Bible entirely, Israel's supporters are abandoning
one of their most powerful and effective arguments, one that much of the
Western world believes in and accepts.
The 20th century is replete with examples of the powerful impact that the
Bible has had on Western public opinion. Writing about the 1917 Balfour
Declaration, in which the British government reaffirmed the right of the
Jewish people to a homeland in Palestine, historian David Fromkin has
noted, "Lloyd George [Britain's Prime Minister] wanted his country to carry
out what he regarded as the Lord's work in the region. Biblical prophecy
was the first and most enduring of the many motives that led Britons to
want to restore the Jews to Zion" ("A Peace to End All Peace", pp. 274, 298).
American presidents throughout the 20th century have similarly been moved,
or at least influenced, by the Bible's vision. Indeed, it has become
standard fare in the United States for a president to finish his speeches
with the solemn intonation, "God bless you and God bless America." Democrat
or Republican, the leaders of the free world have not been ashamed to
invoke the Divine when addressing the public. Why, then, should we?
Israel's defenders must stop being embarrassed by the Bible, and start
using it to make Israel's case. Military and political arguments must also
be made, but in the final analysis, much of the Western world looks to the
Bible as its guide.
The time has come for us to do the same. The Jewish people need to state,
with unhesitating pride, in a voice that is both loud and clear, that the
Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel because the God of Israel
said so.
(The writer served as deputy director of Communications and Policy Planning
in the Prime Minister's Office from 1996 to 1999.)
............................
:: HASMONEAN TOWN DISCOVERED: Remnants of a Jewish town from the Hasmonean
period, well over 2,000 years ago, have been discovered at an
archaeological dig between Latrun and Modi'in. The town apparently
survived past the rebellion against the Syrian Greeks, but was destroyed by
the Romans in the second century C.E. Water cisterns, olive oil and
agriculture installations, and others findings have been discovered. The
Housing Ministry will divert the planned highway in the area around the site.
............................
:: SUGGESTED WEB SITES: The June 2001 edition of Middle East Intelligence
Bulletin is now online at:
http://www.meib.org/issues/0106.htm
IDF Spokesperson: Daily Casualties Statistics:
http://www.idf.il/english/news/jump_2_eng_300900.stm
............................
:: A NEW ANTI-SEMITISM: Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior is warning
of a new wave of anti-Semitism which, he says, "should have relevance for
every Jew." There is an increasing trend on the part of human rights
organizations in the West to delegitimize Zionism, the State of Israel, and
the Jewish people as a whole, Melchior told a workshop held within the
framework of the Jewish Agency Assembly in Jerusalem Monday. Melchior said
that much of this new anti-Semitism emanates from the Arab world, where it
has existed for a long time, but does not have the historic roots of
European anti-Semitism. He said that the new anti-Semitism was constantly
intensifying, and disseminated using new technology to an increasingly wide
public. To illustrate the pernicious effect, Melchior cited the Crimes
Against Humanity Conference to be held in Durban, South Africa at the end
of August. The Israel-bashing that is going on during the preparations is
worse than anything Israel has experienced at the United Nations, he
emphasized. "They have decided that settlements are genocide." Melchior was
careful to state that the whole world is not anti-Semitic, but that there
is a growing trend which must be fought jointly by Israel.
............................
:: NATIONAL PROJECT LAUNCHED FOR ETHIOPIAN JEWRY ABSORPTION: The Government
and the Jewish Agency announced on Sunday the launching of a national
project to aid Ethiopian Jews with their absorption process, HA'ARETZ
reported. The project will focus mainly on the integration of Ethiopian
Jews under the age of 35. In addition, the Jewish Agency emphasized plans
to absorb immigrants from other countries such as France, South Africa and
Argentina, due to the difficult situations the Jewish communities in those
countries have been exposed to in recent months.
............................
:: UN REFUSAL LEAVES PA/PLO WITHOUT MEDICINES: Regional Cooperation
Minister Tzippy Livni denies UN claims that Israel is blocking the
transport of medicines to the PA/PLO areas. Livni explained to UN
representatives that the medicines are not being transferred due to UN
refusal to allow their trucks to undergo security inspections -- while at
the same time insisting that UN trucks be used. Minister Livni expressed
the hope that instead of maintaining its stubborn stance, the UN will try
to advance a solution to the benefit of those who need the medicines.
[Sources: Arutz-7, Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz, Israel Line]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::
"For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace and for Jerusalem's sake I will not
rest." Isaiah 62.1
Lee Underwood
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