HELEN FREEDMAN, 30 W. 63rd Street, New York, NY 10023; ghfree@aol.com; 917-886-0729; March 24, 2007
SILENCE SURROUNDS THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE '67 ISRAELI VICTORIES
Helen Freedman
Will there be any official government celebrations planned in Israel to recognize the 40th Anniversary of the re-unification of Jerusalem, the return to Hebron, and the restoration of Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan to the Jews of Israel – and the world? If so, we haven't heard of any. The reason for the silence from Israel is that the Olmert government is planning the reversal of the amazing 1967 victory by the Israeli army over the attacking Egyptians, Lebanese, Syrians, Iraqis, Saudis, and Jordanians, betraying all those who dreamt for centuries of the return to Zion. It is also, of course, a betrayal of the many thousands who gave their lives in order to create a whole Israel.
Americans – ask your mainstream Jewish organizations, the UJA, UJC, JNF, what celebrations are planned for the 40th Anniversary in America. You'll probably elicit a stony silence, or response about "disputed territories" from those who endorse the give-away plan and refuse to recognize the existence of a whole Israel.
The give-away program was actually begun with the treacherous Oslo Accords of 1993, but swung into full force in August, 2005 when Gaza was emptied of its Jews by order of then PM Ariel Sharon. Wishing to distract the public from his pending indictment for a variety of criminal activities, Sharon pushed forward the expulsion of 10,000 Jews from the 21 communities of Gush Katif and Sanur and Homesh in Samaria. The area, as predicted by the opponents of expulsion, has now become a Hamas terrorist stronghold, threatening the Negev communities.
Now we hear that Israel must talk to Syria. There are "diplomats" who insist that Israel's refusal to do so is stubborn intransigence. What could these talks possibly mean? Only the giveaway of the Golan Heights, Israel's absolutely necessary security position against the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah. Anyone who has been to the Golan, and seen Damascus from the Israeli heights, can appreciate how dangerous it would be for Israel to give away this natural protection. And that goes without mentioning the vineyards, farms, homes, schools, cities and lives of the Jews of the Golan. And yet, the "diplomats" urge talk and "painful concessions."
The Olmert government has been building a wall through Judea and Samaria that is cutting off Jewish communities from other Jews, placing them in what would be the "Palestinian" state, if that disaster should come to pass. The "Saudi initiative", from our "good friends" the Saudi Arabians, who were well represented in the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, and who sponsor Wahabiism, the most virulent of the Islamic jihadist religions, requires Israel to return to its "Auschwitz" 1967 borders and requires the right of return for Arabs who fled in 1948. Although the number of Arabs was about 500,000 at the time, their descendants now claim to number in the millions, thanks to the careful protection of UNWRA, and it is these millions who are demanding the right to flood Israel with their return. All of this seems quite reasonable to Ehud Olmert, who is ready to empty out many of the 250,000 Jews of Judea and Samaria, in order to replace them with "Palestinian"/Hamas Arabs who are dedicated to Israel's destruction.
And the jewel in the crown is Jerusalem - Yerushalayim – the holy city over which the Jews have cried for centuries. Jews continue to mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples, and look forward to the day when the Third Temple will be rebuilt on the Temple Mount. Unfortunately, the Israeli government doesn't reflect these yearnings.
In 1967, when Matti Gur ascended the Temple Mount with the victorious Israeli army, and planted the Israeli flag there, proclaiming "The Temple Mount is in our hands," he was ordered to take down the flag. Moshe Dayan gave the keys to the Temple Mount to the Arab Waqf, and since then, Israelis have been fighting to assert their rights to this holiest of places.
And now, we hear that Olmert is considering re-dividing Jerusalem. The "Saudi" plan calls for the surrender of half of Jerusalem to the Arabs. Of course we know that surrendering part is in effect surrendering all. That is what the Arabs continue to tell us. They want to drive the Jews into the sea. They refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist, refuse to stop their terrorist activities, and expect to succeed in their goal to Islamize the world. Israel and Jerusalem are only the first step. Tomorrow, the world.
So that is why we do not hear talk of celebrations, parades and special events to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the restoration of the state of Israel to its immediate post-1967 state of wholeness. When the government of Israel is prepared to give away everything that was achieved in the miraculous 1967 victory, how can they celebrate the gains of that six-day war? What is clear is that what the Arabs lost militarily, they understand they can gain diplomatically. They merely have to use the language of "peace" and the western world becomes hostage to them.
But there are those who will not accept the delusions, deceptions and betrayals of the "diplomats" and "leaders" who are only concerned with their personal power positions and are willing to sacrifice the welfare of the country for their own good. There are many remarkably brave and heroic Israelis who will fight against the perfidious ones. We Americans, who understand the nature of the fight, must join with them.
Helen Freedman is the former Executive Director of Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI; 212-828-2424; afsi@rcn.com; ghfree@aol.com
