The magic solution of a referendum frightens the settlers. Ariel Sharon is preparing this Doomsday weapon in order to remove the opposition of the ideological Right in general, and of his own party in particular. "If there is no progress within six months we will have elections," Sharon added, hinting to the rebellious Members of Knesset in the Likud that it is not certain which of them will be re-elected.



On the face of it, what could be more democratic than a referendum? Who can continue to oppose the uprooting of settlements after the nation has expressed its will so clearly?



In the past, some settlers demanded a referendum when it seemed that Yitzhak Rabin was bringing back Yasser Arafat contrary to public opinion. Hanan Porat declared at that time: "Only the nation will decide." It is now the turn of Likud MK Gilad Erdan, one of the opponents of uprooting, to propose this idea.



"Why not?" Sharon is now saying to his opponents on the Right, "I think it's a good idea to hold a referendum."



However, the issue in question is neither democracy nor the wishes of the nation, but a corrupt kind of manipulation of public opinion. This has become a commonplace method of government, a kind of democracy based on media spins.



Democracy is just a method of government. It is not itself a value, and Winston Churchill once said that it was a very bad method, but all the others were even worse. Clearly democracy cannot come in place of leadership. It is simply intended to formalize the arrangements for changing the people ruling the country, and the relations between them and the citizen.



It would apparently be possible in the modern age to dispense with the government altogether and conduct Internet referendums. For each issue, the citizens could press a button in their homes and immediately decide how the state should act.



Obviously, such a method of government would lead to total chaos. If a kindergarten teacher were to hold a referendum amongst the children whether they want a piece of cake, obviously those in favor would form the majority. The same thing would happen if a referendum were to be held regarding the abolition of the speed limit on the roads.



So, what's the alternative - dictatorship? No, we want to democratically elect a leadership, not a PR agency. What will be the role of such leadership - to act against the public's wishes?



Here we must clarify the meaning of the term "the public's wishes". There are apparently two kinds of wishes: The foam on the waves, and the deep currents. When the nation has proper leadership, it expresses its deep, collective wishes, the Divine Presence within it. When the nation lacks such leadership, it becomes a rabble. Real leadership expresses the real wishes of the nation, while worthless leadership smothers its internal nature and turns it into a rabble.



In the issue facing us, those who propose abandoning Eretz Israel, the rock on which the nations' existence is founded, and replacing it by illusory tranquility, do not intend to express the deep wishes of the nation, but are relying on it becoming a rabble.



Churchill promised the British nation only blood, sweat and tears. He kept his word.



At times, Britain's defeat by Nazi Germany seemed certain. The US refused to send Britain even a single rifle, which they feared would in the end fall into the hands of the Germans. While London burned, Churchill received peace offers from Hitler. What would have happened if the British leader had brought those offers for a referendum?



The answer is obvious: The waitresses in the Champs Elysees would today be serving the croissants in German. No-one would have halted Rommel on his way to Eretz Israel, and we leave the rest to the reader's imagination. Churchill addressed the nation's values, called on its real internal wishes, and saved the Free World.



Democracy is not, therefore, populist abandonment of values in the guise of carrying out the nation's wishes. On the contrary, real democracy creates a leadership that expresses the nation's values and realizes its internal wishes - even if this is not always popular.



Perhaps you don't agree with the definition of democracy presented above, and you still think a referendum should be held. Clearly, for this purpose, the facts must be presented to the public. The question is whether this is actually possible. The answer is that the only people currently capable of presenting reality to the public are the Arabs. As far as it depends on the Jews, the Israeli media will continue to dazzle the public with a blaze of false facts and unceasing deceitful propaganda. Even if the opponents of uprooting settlements are given the opportunity to express their views, this will be just a drop in the ocean of daily brainwashing absorbed by the average Israeli through all the media channels. The Israeli educational system has caused the average Israeli to be unaware of who he is and what he is doing here.



Obviously, he has no answer to the question what is the Gaza Strip and why we need to fight for it. At the same time, the Israeli media have caused delegitimization of the pioneering settlers. This is an ongoing process that began more than twenty years ago. The majority of middle-aged Israelis (and certainly not younger people) do not know any other reality. Does anyone really think that a few minutes of TV time will change anything?



The celebrated female terrorist, who stars in the artistic presentation in Sweden, and who blew herself up in the Maxim Restaurant in Haifa, possessed an Israeli ID card. Obviously, no-one would suggest that her brothers be prevented from taking part in the referendum. Every intelligent Israeli understands that 20% of the Israelis have no connection with the nation. On the contrary, they blatantly identify themselves with its enemies.



To sum up, this is neither a referendum, nor democracy. We are, at most, witnessing an example of corrupt manipulation. But don't worry. The defeatist voices amongst the Jews have always produced amongst the Arabs a desire that cannot be overcome. All the withdrawals have always been accompanied by waves of terror. The Arabs will explode for the Jews the false bubble that the Left has blown up around them. They have the most effective methods of propaganda to return the Jews to reality.



But what a terrible price we will have to pay for this despicable populism.