This Tuesday, April 24th, we will celebrate Israel's 59th Independence Day.
A journalist called us, asking: "How do you, Women in Green, and the national camp plan on celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut?" And he added: "How do you relate to the concept of the State of Israel after the expulsion from Gush Katif and northern Samaria?"
The answer of Women in Green and of many other people in Israel's national camp is as follows. We make a great distinction between the concept of the State of Israel and the concept of the government of Israel.
In the Bible, we learn that the People of Israel often had very bad kings as leaders. In those times, there were always some righteous people, such as the Jewish prophets, who tried to replace these kings. However, there never was an attempt to abolish the very concept of kingdom.
Just a few examples: Jeroboam - 1 Kings, 11:26-12:20, 12:25-13:10, 13:33-14:19; Ahab
We make a great distinction between the State of Israel and the government of Israel.
- 1 Kings 16:29-34, 18:17-19:2, 20-22:40, 2 Chronicles 18; Omri - 1 Kings 16:16-28; Rehoboam - 1 Kings 12:1-24, 14:21-31, 2 Chronicles 10-12; Athaliah - 2 Kings 11:1-16, 2 Chronicles 22:10-15; Ahaz - 2 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 28; Menasseh - 2 Kings 21:1-18, 2 Chronicles 33:1-20; Hoshea - 2 Kings 17:1-6; Zedekiah - 2 Kings 24:18-25:7, 2 Chronicles 11-16. (All this via Google search alone!)
Thus, the Women in Green and many like-minded people celebrate the miracle of the creation of the State of Israel, but fiercely oppose the present Ehud Olmert-Tzipi Livni-Amir Peretz government. In fact, we have a most ludicrous situation, in which the government of Israel is a direct threat to the survival of Israel as a Jewish state.
By agreeing to give away even more of our Biblical homeland to the Arab enemy, our very existence is endangered. Enemies, internal and external, are seeking to undermine the Jewish People's very right to its G-d-given Biblical homeland. Therefore, Women in Green feel that the best way to celebrate Israel's Independence Day is by strengthening the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria. This will pass on a clear message to the world: the entire Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel, based on the Torah of Israel; and no one, not even the Prime Minister, or a majority in the government or in the Knesset, is allowed to give it away.
Coincidentally, on a recent morning, we received a letter from a gentleman in Honolulu, Hawaii, who sent us a generous donation for the work of Women in Green.
I am not going to mention the gentleman's name without his permission, nor the size of his donation. However, the text of the letter is too meaningful to keep to ourselves: "Here is a donation for your work for Israel's inheritance. Love you."
We think this letter from Honolulu was min hashamayim (from Heaven), to give us renewed strength.
Our own government is continually trying to decimate our inheritance for a non-existent peace. Our new friend from Hawaii, on the other hand, understands the basis of our rights to the Holy Land as an everlasting inheritance.
Our friend is, no doubt, referring to G-d's Biblical promise (Genesis 17:8): "And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojourns - the whole of the land of Canaan - as an everlasting inheritance and I shall be G-d to them."
A journalist called us, asking: "How do you, Women in Green, and the national camp plan on celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut?" And he added: "How do you relate to the concept of the State of Israel after the expulsion from Gush Katif and northern Samaria?"
The answer of Women in Green and of many other people in Israel's national camp is as follows. We make a great distinction between the concept of the State of Israel and the concept of the government of Israel.
In the Bible, we learn that the People of Israel often had very bad kings as leaders. In those times, there were always some righteous people, such as the Jewish prophets, who tried to replace these kings. However, there never was an attempt to abolish the very concept of kingdom.
Just a few examples: Jeroboam - 1 Kings, 11:26-12:20, 12:25-13:10, 13:33-14:19; Ahab
We make a great distinction between the State of Israel and the government of Israel.
- 1 Kings 16:29-34, 18:17-19:2, 20-22:40, 2 Chronicles 18; Omri - 1 Kings 16:16-28; Rehoboam - 1 Kings 12:1-24, 14:21-31, 2 Chronicles 10-12; Athaliah - 2 Kings 11:1-16, 2 Chronicles 22:10-15; Ahaz - 2 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 28; Menasseh - 2 Kings 21:1-18, 2 Chronicles 33:1-20; Hoshea - 2 Kings 17:1-6; Zedekiah - 2 Kings 24:18-25:7, 2 Chronicles 11-16. (All this via Google search alone!) Thus, the Women in Green and many like-minded people celebrate the miracle of the creation of the State of Israel, but fiercely oppose the present Ehud Olmert-Tzipi Livni-Amir Peretz government. In fact, we have a most ludicrous situation, in which the government of Israel is a direct threat to the survival of Israel as a Jewish state.
By agreeing to give away even more of our Biblical homeland to the Arab enemy, our very existence is endangered. Enemies, internal and external, are seeking to undermine the Jewish People's very right to its G-d-given Biblical homeland. Therefore, Women in Green feel that the best way to celebrate Israel's Independence Day is by strengthening the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria. This will pass on a clear message to the world: the entire Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel, based on the Torah of Israel; and no one, not even the Prime Minister, or a majority in the government or in the Knesset, is allowed to give it away.
Coincidentally, on a recent morning, we received a letter from a gentleman in Honolulu, Hawaii, who sent us a generous donation for the work of Women in Green.
I am not going to mention the gentleman's name without his permission, nor the size of his donation. However, the text of the letter is too meaningful to keep to ourselves: "Here is a donation for your work for Israel's inheritance. Love you."
We think this letter from Honolulu was min hashamayim (from Heaven), to give us renewed strength.
Our own government is continually trying to decimate our inheritance for a non-existent peace. Our new friend from Hawaii, on the other hand, understands the basis of our rights to the Holy Land as an everlasting inheritance.
Our friend is, no doubt, referring to G-d's Biblical promise (Genesis 17:8): "And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojourns - the whole of the land of Canaan - as an everlasting inheritance and I shall be G-d to them."