Architect of Peace
Or Catalyst for War?
An Open Letter to the American Jewish Community
Ani All Fri'nf
People around the world have hailed the recent
Rabin-Arafat agreements as marking the end of
the Arab-Israeli conflict. Is this conclusion valid?
Is Prime Minister Rabin really bringing peace, as
he claims, or is he seriously weakening Israel's
ability to defend itself and encouraging greater
Arab violence, bloodshed and war?
.
ifI•1 .ni Mil 1. E
A PLAN FOR DISASTER
To advance his plan, Rabin and his associates now routinely
minimize PLO threats and terrorist acts — or deny them
altogether. Under slogans like "taking risks for peace,"
they have embarked on a campaign of mass
deception. aimed at selling a plan to Israelis.
world Jewry and others that could mean disaster
for the Jewish state.
RABIN'S BROKEN PLEDGES
Before and since his election in June 1992, Yitzhak Rabin
repeatedly pledged to the people of Israel:
•
He would not negotiate with the PLO.
In fact, Rabin began secret talks with the PLO
in late 1992.
•
He would never allow the creation of a Palestinian state.
In fact, Rabin has agreed to turn over to the
PLO, in stages, Israel's heartland — Judea
and Samaria (the "West Bank") — and Gaza.
While he claims that he is only allowing the
PLO to establish self-government and not a
state, his recognition of the PLO, his
agreement to allow the PLO to set up
legislative councils, and his pledge to assist
the PLO in raising funds, all indicate that he
is deliberately promoting the establishment of
a Palestinian state.
•
He would preserve a united Jerusalem under Israeli
sovereignty as Israel's capital.
In fact, Rabin has agreed to negotiations over
Jerusalem. His Deputy Foreign Minister now
talks about turning over eastern Jerusalem —
the City of David with the Western Wall — to
the PLO.
•
Furthermore, a weakened Jewish state, reduced to nine
miles wide near its major cities, would make an inviting
target for its homicidal neighbors.
Violent Arab attacks have already increased greatly. Chaos
is quickly developing as Rabin attempts to carry out his
plan. jsrael is now like a bus going downhill with
no one in the driver's seat.
He would never surrender the Golan Heights to Syria.
In fact, Rabin has agreed to negotiations that
could lead to such an outcome.
•
Were a PLO state to gain control of Judea, Samaria and
Gaza, more than 35% of Israel's limited water reserves
could be cut off. Another 30% could be lost if the Golan
Heights are turned over to Syria. In addition, the PLO
would be able to bring into the area under its control
advanced weapons, including Katyusha rockets, which
could rain death on Israeli cities. Terrorists would also feel
free to attack Jews, knowing that PLO "police" would not
interfere. It is no wonder that Israel's top military
commanders, who were not consulted before the
agreements were announced, expressed concern that Israel's
ability to prevent terrorism would he undermined.
He would protect the 136.000 residents of the Jewish
"settlements" (cities, towns and villages) in the territories of
Judea, Samaria and Gaza and not uproot their communities.
In fact, since his election in 1992, he has
instituted a housing freeze and cut off
government funding to these communities,
apparently to force their residents to abandon
their homes and communities to the Arabs.
Under his plan, Jewish residents of the
territories, now being killed in increasing
numbers by Arabs, would be living in isolated
ghettos facing the ominous added threat of a
"strong police force" that he has agreed to
assist the PLO in creating.
A BLIND LEADERSHIP
Before and since the agreements with Israel, Arafat and
other PLO leaders have openly and repeatedly declared that
the PLO's strategy remains its 1974 "phased plan" — to
acquire territory and then use it as a base for attacking and
eliminating the rest of Israel. (Examples: Arafat, Radio
Monte Carlo, Sept. 1, 1993; and Arafat, Jordanian TV,
Sept. 13, 1993 — the day he shook hands with Rabin.)
Similarly, Arafat has failed to keep his promise to seek
revocation of the PLO covenant provisions calling for
Israel's destruction. He also urges Arab countries to
continue their economic boycott of the Jewish state. In
addition, PLO terrorist gangs — including Arafat's own
faction, Al Fatah — continue to murder Jews.
Despite all this, Rabin and his associates continue to place
their trust in Arafat and refuse to accept the reality that he
remains determined to wipe out the Jewish state.
Recent polls in Israel, however, show that Israelis are not as
blind as their leaders and that the initial euphoria over the
Rabin plan has largely passed. One recent poll shows that
Israelis now oppose the plan by 47% to 43% with 10%
undecided (Ma'ariv, 12/3/93).
PRO ISRAEL is an independent, non-profit, tax-exempt
[Section 501 (c) (3)] organization whose mandate is:
•
To promote an understanding of the historical, social,
economic and political realities of Israel and the Middle East.
•
To support community development throughout the Land of
Israel.
•
To maintain an information and research center on Israel and
the Middle East, with particular emphasis on current
developments.
P
THE FAILURE OF
AMERICAN JEWISH LEADERSHIP
Over the years there has been a progressive erosion in
support for Israel by many Jewish leaders. Jewish
leadership reached a low point when the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations voted to
admit Americans for Peace Now, a small extremist group
with an anti-Israel and pro-PLO agenda.
Many of these same leaders now suppon the Rabin-Arafat
agreements. Because of this, Rabin has apparently
concluded that he can count on American Jews. He has
only to continue sending over Foreign Ministry officials to
speak at synagogues and elsewhere and American Jews will
accept the line that Arafat is now a moderate who only
wants peace with Israel.
The failure of American Jewish leaders to speak out on
behalf of Israel has also made it easier for President Clinton,
who publicly maintains a friendly tone towards Israel, to
pressure the Jewish state to accede to Arab demands.
Clinton has kept almost all of Bush's and Baker's anti-Israel
advisors and added others, including a few from Americans
for Peace Now. On all this, the American Jewish leadership
has remained silent.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
American Jews and other friends of Israel are now
confronted with a dilemma. In the past, they have
supported the government of Israel, even when disagreeing
with some of its policies. They never anticipated that a
government would arise in Israel that would be ready to lead
the people of Israel over a cliff by giving away to Israel's
enemies portions of the Land of Israel vital to Israel's
defense and part of the national and religious heritage of the
Jewish people since Biblical times.
For American Jews to support such a government — a
government of national suicide — would be to actually
work against the people of Israel. With Israel's survival at
stake, Jews and others are morally obligated to speak out
and demand that their leaders tell Rabin that his policies are
endangering Israel's existence.
American Jews must also tell Clinton and other American
leaders that they must not pressure Israel, nor encourage
Rabin in his suicidal policies, nor provide financial aid to the
PLO.
Finally, American Jews must reach out to help the gallant
and courageous pioneers of Israel's heartland — Judea and
Samaria — and Gaza and the Golan Heights, who are trying
desperately to hold on to their homes and communities.
Over the years, the major Jewish fundraising
organizations have refused to provide financial
help to these communities. PRO ISRAEL does
provide such help. At this time of mortal peril for
the iewish state. we call on all friends of Israel to
act now and join PRO ISRAEL'S efforts to help
save the Land of Israel.
YES! You can count me in! I want to show my steadfast support for Israel by joining with
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PRO ISRAEL: Dr. Ernest Bloch, President; Dr. Donald Miller, Vice President; Rusty Moslow, Executive Director. This message is supported by: Rabbi David Algaze, Chairman,
Coalition For Israel; Jerold S. Auerbach, Professor of History, Wellesley College; Ronald A. Bergrin; Steven A. Eisenberg; Dr. Joseph Frager; Alex Friedman; Dr. Jack E. Friedman, Professor
Emeritus, CUNY; Beth Gilinsky, Jewish Action Alliance; N. R. Greenfield; Rabbi Abraham B. Hecht, President, Rabbinical Alliance of America; Richard A. Hellman, President, Christians' Israel
Public Action Campaign; Bunny Horowitz, Coconut Grove, FL; Bernard Kaplan; Jeremiah Kaplan, Attorney at Law; Irving Katz; Dr. Manfred R. Lehmann, World Committee For Israel; Sol
Margolis; Taffy Gould McCallum, Miami, FL; Avi Moskowitz; Michael J. Orbach; Rabbi Hershel Reichman, Yeshiva University; Prof. Leonard Rosenbaum; Prof. William Rosenbaum; Leo Sametz,
Esq.; Sam Schachter, President, American Friends of Likud; Rabbi Max N. Schreier, Avenue N Jewish Center, Richard H. Shulman; Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik, Dean of Yeshivas Brisk, Chicago, IL;
Chaim Stern; Howard B. Weber, Esq., President, Coalition For Israel; Herbert Zweibon, Chairman, Americans For A Safc Israel.
(Organizations arc listed for identification purposes only.)
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