After the Inevitable
David Wilder / 05 December 2001
Unfortunately, the events of the past few days, as sad as they are, as horrific as they are,
do not come as any surprise. In truth, the surprise is that we are not burying
50 people a day, G-d forbid, due to such terror attacks. From the very
beginning it was clear that the ceremonies on the White House lawn would lead
to one thing, and one thing alone – war.
It’s not nice to say “I told you so.” However much politeness may be valued on
a personal level, on a public stage, nothing could be worse. It is not saying
“I told you so” haughtily, for personal gain, but rather in order to learn from
the mistakes, correct them, and not err again.
Time and time again, in reply to correspondent’s questions, I answered, as did
many others in various organizations, “the Oslo process can and will lead to
inevitable war. It is only a question of time.” Why? The answer I gave is
identical to that given by Charles Krauthammer in his latest Jerusalem Post
column called “They Just Don’t Get It”. Krauthammer quotes the editor of the
Middle East Quarterly, Martin Kramer, speaking less than a month ago about
American actions against the Taliban: “The way to tame the Arab streets is not
with appeasement and sweet sensitivity but with raw power and victory, ” and
concludes that the question is “whether America commands respect or contempt.”
So it is with the Arab leadership – if you show strength, they may not like
you, but they will surely respect you. If, on the other hand, you show
weakness, their reaction is one of total contempt. This is the reason that Olso
inevitably leads to war, because Oslo is the preeminent example of weakness,
continued acquiescence and total concession, giving and receiving nothing in
return, leading to Arab derision and mockery, as Arafat has made so clear over
the past years, months and days.
So today, what is the solution?
First of all Israel’s leadership must recognize the current fighting, not as
combat, rather as war. This military conflict is the Oslo War, nothing less. So
far, Israeli politicians have refused to define the conflict and this is a
major error. The enemy has declared war on us and as long as we ignore their
declaration we are continuing on the path of weakness, thereby attracting
continued scorn and hatred, leading to further acts of war and killing, as we
have witnessed over the past week.
Once the war is recognized and declared, our leadership must act responsibly.
That means that the Defense Minister does not publicly confirm that “we don’t
want to kill Arafat and destroy the Palestinian Authority.” Whether or not
these are goals of the war is irrelevant. Much of war is psychological – why
not let Arafat and his cronies think that we are after their necks? As long as
Israel declares that the Arab leadership is not the target and that the PA is
safe from destruction, they will easily absorb whatever Israel does have in
mind for them. However, if they have reason to suspect that their own lives are
on the line and that the so-called ‘Palestinian state’ is in jeopardy, it is an
entirely different story. So Israel’s Defense Minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer,
would be much better shutting up, rather than revealing all his cards to the
enemy.
What next? In war, as in war. The object must be to totally defeat the enemy –
starting with Arafat, continuing with his thugs, including Rajoub, Dachlan,
Abu-this and Abu-that, leading to the downfall of the largest terrorist
framework in the world, the Palestinian Authority. Those leaders who are not
eliminated must be evicted, as far from here as possible. They must know that
should they decide to return, even to Lebanon or Jordan, their lives will be in
jeopardy.
The Israeli left, in its obtrusive manner, then asks, “but what of the Palestinian
people, what will happen to them?” The time has come to formally recognize that
there is no “Palestinian people”, they have never existed, they are a figment
of our imagination, the fruit of years of Arafat deceit. The so-called
“Palestinians” are Arabs, who have nothing more in common than their language
and religion. They have never had a homeland, certainly not one in Eretz
Yisrael (the Land of Israel). Search in history books from the 1940s, 50s, 60s,
even 70s and find references to the “Palestinian people”. They will not be
found, because they do not exist.
Arabs who are willing to live peacefully with us, in the State of Israel, who
recognize Israel as a Jewish state, should be allowed to stay. They are
entitled to human rights, just as any other human being. However, they should
not be allowed to serve in our Knesset or vote in our elections. This is a
prerequisite for their residency here. Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, today
has members who literally belong to enemy forces. Israel is probably the only
country in the world who allows the enemy to function, with immunity, in its
supreme law-making body. This must come to an end.
Any Arab who is incapable of accepting Israeli rule in the Jewish state must be
forced to leave. Israel is the only Jewish state on earth, composed of just
over 10,000 square miles. All Arab states surrounding Israel, 23 in number,
consist of almost 2,300,000 square miles. Israel, smaller than the state of New
Jersey, could fit into Lake Ontario. Arabs who do not want to live here have
where to go. We don’t. Any Arab who is unwilling to live peacefully with us and
who does not leave must know that he will be treated accordingly.
Last, but surely not least – perhaps most importantly - the people of Israel,
the Jewish people, both those living in the State of Israel and around the
world, must recognize that the Land of Israel belongs to us, it is our home, it
is our legitimate right to be here, in all our land. Not only doesn’t anyone
have the right to take it away from us, but neither do we have the right to
relinquish it to anyone. Having so declared, we will not need to fight a war,
because our enemies, realizing our convictions, realizing our strength, will
pick up and leave.
With blessings from Hebron.
David Wilder is a spokesman for the Jewish community of
Hebron. He presents a weekly commentary for Arutz Sheva - Israel National Radio
on Monday at 22:00 (Israel time).