Recently, I wrote a column that said I was going to be nice and more subdued. I lied. I have tried.



It is not nice to shout at the television station when I see anti-Semites like Pat Buchanan 'debate' men like Natan Sharansky on Meet the Press, and listen to him rant on about the "settlers", who have caused, by his accounts, everything that is wrong with the Middle East. In addition, Pat said as soon as they do the 'right thing' - leave the country preferably - there will be peace and tranquility in the world. When does the thought of a transfer of the so-called Palestinian Arabs into one of their twenty-two nations, instead of throwing Jews out of their own land, become viable?



Actually, it looks as though those leading Israel down the Road to Hell are holding to the philosophy that people are actually really, really nice. Why else would they be announcing to the world that they no longer plan to be mean to the Palestinians and will no longer demolish the family homes of suicide bombers? Nor, will they harm a hair or piece of property of any other 'attackers'. How nice! I wonder how soon Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is going to set up a fund to rebuild the homes of the terrorists.



The "no terrorists with blood on their hands" release theory is getting vague. Lately, it seems, anything goes. I even heard a ludicrous rumor that this 'peace-keeper' Abu Mazen released frozen funds to terror organizations, with Hamas at the head of the list. And could the rumor be true that he's now killing any Palestinian found 'guilty' of fighting terrorism within Palestinian society? And 350 more of these released terrorists are now being trained in his "security" forces to "fight terrorism". Hey, maybe you believe that. If so, I've got some land here in LA I'd like to sell you.



It is not easy staying calm and benevolent when I watch the jails being opened and the streets once again flooded with yet more terrorists. Whose idea was that? I remember when Peres armed 40,000 of these "Palestinians", who were inducted into the PLO "army", and I wrote that they would be deployed against the Jews before the year was out. I was right, but, hey, it was long enough for Nobel Peace Prizes to be passed out.



The way it's looking from here, it seems that after the last massive release of terrorists it would be safer for the people in Israel to just lock themselves up in those same prisons.



Hey, but living across the world, what do I know (although I did spend five weeks in Beirut in June of 1982 and again in 1993, with many visits to Israel). I now waste most of my energy complaining about the stupid decisions of my own president. Moreover, probably, had John Kerry gotten in, I would have been deploring his lack of leadership just as loudly. So, what can I say about men who, from this distance, look as thought they have either lost it or are being 'blackmailed' by someone to give in to their demands?



I am just an American. Actually, I am not even a very religious one. (Now, that is something that is in the eye of the beholder. I remember when I was living in Israel and the Israelis would tell me, "I'm not religious." I even think that they thought they meant it. Yet, they would always know when the Sabbath was. Most times, the streets would be empty by two o'clock on Friday, so everyone could prepare to travel to their mom's house for dinner. The flower stores would be doing a brisk business and the challahs in the bakeries were sold out if you did not pick one up early enough. It was unheard-of not to light the candles at sundown. Anyway, you get the idea. What is not very religious to a Jew living in Israel is a lot more religious than what I see here in Los Angeles. When they say it here, the Jews of Beverly Hills really mean it.) And I learned valuable lessons during my twenty-six trips and spans of time when I lived in Israel.



No matter what our varied backgrounds, when we spoke of "them vs. us", we would be talking about the Muslims who were out to kill everyone in their wake. I remember being on the beach in Tel Aviv during an Independence Day celebration. A half-million of us were watching in awe as jet planes flew above. That in itself could have been enough, but it was the unity of standing there, on the beach - along with the religious, the young soldiers, girls in bikinis, tourists, a hodgepodge of people - we all had one thing in common: our Jewishness. And the pride that we felt in that.



Today, I am confused. When did the word "settler" become a negative? Then, they were the heroes. And, folks, that was not so long ago. What changed everything? I was not religious, but I liked the fact that there was an independent national radio station that was - Arutz-7. I even went on as a guest of a few of the "religious" stations. In retrospect, even though I am not too religious myself, it was a nice experience.



I am pretty much of a novice, but what is wrong with Zionism in a Jewish state being high on the agenda?



Honestly, as someone living in a far away land, fifteen minutes from Beverly Hills, I don't understand the mentality of not only opening the jails, but then training 350 of them to become more of those same kind of 'policemen' that Shimon Peres did - 'policemen' who killed so many hundreds of Jews under Peres' misguided and dangerous leadership. The same week's news brought the revelation that Israel has now agreed to no longer destroy the homes of the terrorists, in their efforts to "make nice" with the new Abbas (a.k.a. what's-his-name) administration.



From this distance, and I'm sure there will be many of you to correct me if I'm wrong, it looks like Sharon has not only lost it, but is determined to destroy even the illusion of Israel being a democracy. As a 'tourist', I'm just asking, "How is it possible for him to split the country in two, with the Jews in 'my' Israel being on the verge of a 'civil war'?"



As inconceivable as it sounds to me, living all the way across the ocean, I'm at a loss as to why Sharon desires to transfer all the settlers' property to Arab Muslim Palestinians, in addition to supplying them with water, electricity, etc., without getting anything in return. Am I missing something?



On the other hand, maybe the stupid men who are leading Israel now are so old that they have forgotten. They no longer remember the chaos that was caused by the Arab Muslim Palestinian 'workers' who used their 'worker' status to come in and rampage through the cities, murdering every innocent Israeli civilian in their way. As foolish as it sounds, I have even heard rumor that releasing such 'workers' is next on the agenda. Gawd, why bother to catch them?



Of course, being a columnist myself, I know how little of the real news is actually read by the masses. So, maybe I am mistaken in my perception that Sharon is working as a puppet for President George Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Maybe he is just getting himself in line for the Nobel Prize; after Suha?