The chain of news reports in these days of war, require a few quick responses to some events, statements and headlines.
Jewish labor
In recent weeks, since the black Shabbat, we have learned that we must go back to Jewish labor. It will fortify us, keep us safe in the villages and cities and reduce our terrible dependence on hostile, foreign hands.
It has been proven beyond any doubt that the Arabs who worked in the Gaza envelope acquired and transferred such precise military and civilian information that the despicable murderers came with accurate lists of the members of every family and after breaking into their homes, if they knew that there was another child, they demanded to know where he was.
It is inconceivable for us to put ourselves into such a situation again. We must protect our people and our Land and keep this danger far from us. We should begin by training our sons and daughters for work in the fields, in construction, driving, medicine, pharmacy, cleaning, gardening, etc. For this, we must even now establish vocational colleges to train the youth for this work.
But primarily, we must instill in the young generation the great honor that has fallen to them to be those who build this Land with their own hands, we must make clear to them the value and importance of Jewish labor as it was since the early days of Zionism.
And now, in wartime, we must act to mobilize all yeshiva students and students in colleges and pre-military academies that are not already mobilized for military service, for the holy work of strengthening the Land and the state.
Zionism always championed Jewish labor, for paving roads and work in the orchards. It was and still is pure patriotism. Now, it is also the order of the hour!
Danino
Ariel Danino is held in administrative detention. Why? What is his sin? It is difficult to know.
As we know, there is no legal process for administrative detention, there is no need to present evidence or witnesses. The reasonable person is most likely convinced that of course, it is done to a person who was a danger to the state, and his sin is more severe because it was done during wartime, but it is we should all know the truth:
Ariel Danino works for news site Hakol HaYehudi -“The Jewish Voice”; he collects information on dangerous activities of Arabs, conducts investigations to help the system take care of failures. Ariel warns of the enemy’s activity in sabotage, which is sometimes carried out disguised as civil activity. He makes his voice heard every way he can and his cry is the painful cry of the entire people. Now, it is our turn to cry out for him. Release Ariel immediately! Those who arrested him are confused!
Shaul Mofaz
Former Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz “is proud of the expulsion from Gush Katif”, so he says, and even adds an explanation. Mofaz is convinced that if the expulsion had not been carried out, the residents of Gush Katif would have been slaughtered like those in the Gaza Envelope. And because he indeed cares for them so much, he mobilized himself for the task of expelling them from their homes. So very touching.
Let’s take another small logical step. According to the Mofaz school of thought, all of the kibbutzim and farming communities of the Gaza Envelope should also be expelled, since if only they had not been there, they would not have been slaughtered in the Hamas terror attack on Simhat Torah. But this is not enough. Why stop with the communities of the Envelope? If we expel all the Jews from Jerusalem, there would not be any terror attacks in Jerusalem and maybe we should adopt the slogan, “No Jews, no terror attacks” according to this logic, where would Mr. Shaul Mofaz go?
Mr. Mofaz, as a security person who worked many years alongside the pioneers in Judea and Samaria, you should know exactly why Jews settled precisely in Gush Katif. Out of a pioneering spirit and willingness to serve as a security belt for the entire country, just as the residents of the Gaza Envelope do, who defend Jewish villages with their presence.
Even the ordinary citizen without a high military rank understands quite well that without holding onto the land, our security is abandoned, and the deeper and stronger this hold is, the stronger and more stable is our security. Since the Six Day War, Israel has been pursued a policy of withdrawals and uprooting again and again and the longer Israel behaves this way, the more she loses the safety and security of her citizens.
Here is inevitable conclusion: Abandoning parts of the Land of Israel to foreigners brings disasters upon us. The correction is to restore Israel’s control over Gaza first. And afterward, over all of Judea and Samaria.
Thanks to the Security Forces
We must give many thanks to the soldiers and all members of the security forces for endangering their lives for the survival of the People and the Land in all of its parts, in the North, the South and the Center.
In Judea and Samaria as well, they are doing wonderful and vigorous work that is so effective that until now, more than a thousand terrorists have been caught and arrested and about a hundred have been eliminated. Good job! To our fighters, our soldiers and commanders. May G-d bless you and bring you success.
Haim Ramon
Haim Ramon spoke out vigorously in an interview that he gave to Maariv, which was published last Sabbath eve: “A Covenant with Satan. On the altar of the dream to annex Judea and Samaria Netanyahu and the Right sold their souls to Hamas when they stopped all attempts to topple the terror regime in the Gaza Strip”.
Let's clarify things: The Right, which desires sovereignty, does not want the same terror authority in power that the Left brought from Tunisia to rule over Judea, Samaria and Gaza. The wise and alert Right knows well that there is no fundamental difference between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. They both desire to destroy Israel. One does it with clear language and hate-filled, murderous eyes and the other does it with a suit and tie and polished English, which deceives the entire world and even some of us, and because of this he is even more dangerous.
The fact that until now, the government of Israel has not found within itself the strength to apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria is what brought about the endless disasters culminating in the events of Simhat Torah.
Let’s, just for a moment, imagine where road of terror ultimately leads. Let’s imagine giving up, G-d forbid, Judea and Samaria and going back to the 67 lines (Auschwitz borders, as the late Abba Evan called them). Is there any reasonable person who thinks that our security situation would have been better? Will the Palestinian covenant, which calls for the destruction of Israel and establishing a Palestinian state from the River to the Sea, ever change? Would they give up Jaffa, Acre, Ramla and Lod?
Enough of this delusion! If we do not open our eyes now, we will very quickly find that the next murderous pogroms are already on the way G-d forbid.
Concluding Words
Thank G-d, most of the people in Israel are mentally and emotionally healthy, our soldiers are healthy in mind and spirit. They understand well the overt tendency of the Arabs, they see what they are capable of inflicting upon us. We have already learned that in the Middle East, it is dangerous to speak “European”. We must speak the language of the Bible. “To you I will give this Land!”