aDM Editorials are posted and archived on JN Online: www.detroitjewishnews.com When Arafat's Away Dry Bones ME DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TODAY'S NEO-NAZIS IN EUROPE AND THE ORIGINAL NAZIS IN THE 1930'S IS THAT... on't get your hopes up that Yasser Arafat's ill- ness will trigger some sort of rapid break- through toward a real reduction of tension between Israel and the Palestinians. Instead, expect a lot of jousting for power among the Palestine Liberation Organization and the terrorist and fundamentalist groups and, sadly, a lot of inappropriate pressure on Israel to make concessions in the name of helping Palestinian centrists to come out on top. Israel may very well choose actions that would assist a more moderate leadership in Ramallah and Gaza City. But the challenge for American Jews will be to work to make sure that this country doesn't fall into the trap of trying to make Israel's decisions for it. The post-election period and Arafat's absence might seem like an ideal time for Colin Powell's State Department to renew pressure to return to the road map that it laid out with Russia, the United Nations and the European Union. But the stubborn fact remains that any solution has to come from Israel and the Palestinians themselves; nothing imposed from the outside has a chance of proving permanent and could even turn out to be harmful. Monday's homicidal bombing at Tel Aviv's Carmel Market shows that the terrorists are perfectly willing to continue their madness, presumably in hopes of keep- ing the door of negotiations shut between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Qurei or the PLO second-in-command Mahmoud Abbas. Groups like Hamas or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the radical faction that claimed responsibility for the Tel Aviv murders, fear that Arafat's absence removes Sharon's long-stand- ing justification for refusing to talk. Arafat may be hospitalized in France, but as long as he continues to show any signs of lucidity and a possible return to the Mukata, his chancellery in Ramallah, talking formally with Qurei or Abbas would be just the same as talking with him. Israel doesn't really have the option of refusing to let the 75-year-old dicta- tor come back if he recovers because he remains so firmly embedded as the symbol of the drive for Palestinian independence. Israel's stance on resuming talks never became an issue in the U.S. presidential cam- paign, with both George W. Bush and John E Kerry endorsing Sharon's position, so overt pressure from Washington would, in effect, be a betrayal of campaign promises. The White House figures to be most immediately occupied with Iraq, Afghanistan and possibly an Iran that seems intent on having nuclear weapons. Initiating action between Israel and the Palestinians is unlikely, even though the stand- off is a central issue in the Arab and Muslim rejection of America. The U.N. and the E.U. can be counted on to renew their demands that Israel now make concessions as a way to help the moderates — despite the evidence that past concessions have generally simply led to the deaths of more Israelis. It seems not to occur to the U.N. and the E.U. that the responsibility for meaningful steps rests first and foremost on the people who rejected Camp David and launched the Palestinian intifada four years and 4,000 deaths ago. Arafat's absence is an opportunity for the Palestinians Our Evangelical Friends tion of anti-Semitism." It describes Israel as our beliefs, I do not detect much reciprocity. "one of the most decent societies and one of It should also be pointed out that while the strongest democracies in the world. We Jewish tourism to Israel dropped off to a do NOT support Islamic fascists who praise trickle during the latest round -of violence, the Holocaust and publicly call for the anni- Evangelical visits remained strong. hilation of Jews." I'm not crazy about their desire to convert It calls upon the General Assembly to me. On the other hand, those parents who "rescind this offensive, illogical and mean- can't make the effort to give their kids a GEO RGE spirited" attack on Israel. Jewish foundation really have no reason to CAN TOR Maybe I'm tone deaf, but that doesn't complain when other religions find a likely Rea lity sound like equivocal support to me. recruiting ground. A statement by Presbyterians Concerned Ch eck What did they expect? Synagogue twice a About Jewish Christian Relations cjcr.org year and latkes at Chanukah would be enough? also reaffirmed that God has a "primary, Why blame the Evangelicals? vital and continuing covenant with the Jewish peo- I bring this up as part of the ongoing problem ple." Moreover, the Novi-based National Christian with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Leadership Conference for Israel ncici.org is doing Church (USA), which voted to explore the possibili- its best to publicize the ongoing persecution of ty of divesting itself from companies doing business Christians in areas controlled by the Palestinian with Israel. Authority. The mainstream churches prefer to look That is well known. What hasn't been publicized the other way on that hornet's nest. is the revulsion with which that proposal has been It really does no good to mourn the passing of old met by many Presbyterian laypersons and individual alliances with other religious groups. Here are our churches. Especially in the sect's Evangelic wing, or allies now and we should not dismiss them out of the Confessing Church Movement, the anti-Israel hand. We should, instead, be learning more about campaign has caused a deep split. who they are and what they have to say. These churches have posted a petition on their Web site to denounce the proposal as "a manifesta- EDIT ORIAL M ost American Jews do not feel comfort- able with Evangelical Christians, even though that religious group is our staunchest ally in support of Israel. It is an anomaly — and one that deserves much closer examination than it gets from Jewish organi- zations. Many Jews buy into the notorious description of Evangelicals that appeared in the Washington Post a few years ago — "poorly educated and easily led." If such crude stereotyping were applied to any other group in this country, the outcry would have been immediate. But Jews bridle at the conservative politics embraced by Evangelicals. They also believe their support for Israel is based only on millennial prophecies that promised establishment of a home- land for the Jews would lead to their conversion. I suspect that most Jews are ill informed about Evangelical theology. While we are quick to demand that Christians attempt to understand and respect George Cantor's e mail address is - gcantor@thejewishnews.com THE NEO-NAZIS DON'T HAVE A LEADER TO DIRECT THEIR FURY! to decide what they want — more of the same vio- lence, more of the IDF responses, more of the closed crossings and daily hopelessness, or a brighter future. But it is not up to Israel to make that decision for them, and those who will pressure Sharon for conces- sions now are simply wrong. to ut 1 1 / 5 2004 37