It’s election season again in Israel, and the various parties are gearing up for the balloting, which is now less than 4 months away.

With each passing day, it seems, confusion mounts, as the Right finds itself in disarray, the Left is in turmoil, and Ariel Sharon’s new party continues to lead in the polls.

So what is a clear-headed Israeli voter to do? The answer, I think, may be to try and draft a surprise candidate into the race.

And who might that be, you are wondering – well, perhaps the answer is none other than US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

In a speech last week, Cheney laid out a clear philosophy for how not to deal with terrorists: “It is a dangerous illusion,” he said, “to suppose that another retreat by the civilized world would satisfy the appetite of the terrorists and get them to leave us alone.”

In fact, Cheney noted, “such a retreat would convince the terrorists that free nations will change our policies, forsake our friends, abandon our interests whenever we are confronted with murder and blackmail.”

At a time when Prime Minister Sharon is said to be considering major withdrawals from Judea and Samaria, it is a shame that more Israeli politicians don't share the Vice President’s clearheaded thinking.

So that’s why I think it is time to launch a write-in campaign here in Israel, if only to send a message to our leaders that we want someone who will stand firm in the face of Palestinian terror rather than withdraw.

Dick Cheney for Prime Minister!

It is an issue that has been hushed up, ignored and overlooked as much as possible.

Over 50 American citizens have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists since the signing of the Oslo Accords, but you would hardly know it from the manner in which the Clinton and Bush Administrations have related to the issue.

Indeed, for over a decade, Washington together with the mainstream media have done their utmost not to tell this ongoing story, undoubtedly because of the damage it would generate to the Palestinian cause.

It is time to end this conspiracy of silence.

This past Monday, the influential Washington Times devoted an editorial to the subject, citing a recent column of mine in the Jerusalem Post. The Times’ editorial appears below. I would urge you to copy it and then forward it on to your elected representatives, along with a simple request: what are you doing to bring Palestinian killers of Americans to justice?

It is time for the Palestinians to be brought to account for their actions. Justice demands no less.

The Washington Times, October 24, 2005

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AMERICAN BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS
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Late last week, as the U.S. media ran story after story describing the relatively upbeat tone of Thursday's meeting between President Bush and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, an Op-Ed ran in the Jerusalem Post which provides a sobering postscript to the White House talks.

The article, written by columnist Michael Freund, broached a disturbing topic that has been largely ignored by the mainstream media in the United States: the reality that since the Oslo peace process began 12 years ago, more than 50 American citizens have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists in suicide bombings, shootings and other attacks. But none of the killers, according to Mr. Freund, have been brought to justice.

Three of these Americans -- John Branchizio, 37, of Texas, John Linde Jr., 30, of Missouri; and Mark Parsons, 31, of New Jersey -- died in an Oct. 15, 2003 bombing of a U.S. diplomatic convoy travelling in Gaza. The perpetrators used a remote-controlled explosive device which they activated once the Americans were in range. The vehicles, all of which had diplomatic license plates, were traveling on a road that had been closed to Israeli traffic. In other words, this was no case of mistaken identity; the killers knew that they were targeting Americans and they killed them. Moreover, in the weeks leading up to that attack, the Palestinian media intensified anti-American incitement, which included calls for the destruction of the United States and denunciations of this country as Palestinians' "No. 1 enemy."

The organization believed responsible for the Oct. 15, 2003 attack calls itself the Popular Resistance Committees -- in reality, it is a mix of terrorists affiliated with Hamas, the Syrian-backed and Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Mr. Abbas's own Fatah organization. After intense pressure from Washington, PA security forces arrested several PRC members but eventually released them. Asked about the slayings last week, PRC spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Al denied that his group had been involved in targeting Americans. But Mr. Abdel-Al (speaking five weeks after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's withdrawal of Israeli soldiers and civilians had been completed) took "credit" for firing rockets from Gaza into Israel in an interview on the John Batchelor Show. Mr. Abdel-Al said his goal was to kill Mr. Sharon and that the PRC had already smuggled rocket technology into the West Bank in order to target Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Eight days ago, Israelis once again witnessed the results of Mr. Abbas's refusal to cooperate with Israel in preventing the West Bank and Gaza from becoming havens of anarchoterrorism, as three Israelis were gunned down while waiting for rides. The Palestinian media referred to the three as "settlers," presumably justifying their deaths. With as many as 50-60,000 men in uniform, Mr. Abbas has more than ample firepower to move against the gangsters who have brought so much suffering to the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. But he lacks the political will. His continued political paralysis augurs poorly for the future.

Anyone who bought into the media's speculation that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was giving up Gaza in order "to strengthen Israel's hold on the West Bank" will be in for a rude surprise.

Just the other day, in a televised interview, Sharon said explicitly that not all of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria will eventually remain under Israeli control.

In other words - he is already beginning to plan another round of expulsions, exile, and bulldozing.

As I suggest in the article below that I wrote for the Jerusalem Post, it is essential that the Right muster its energies, as well as some foresight, and begin to plan its strategy now for the struggles that lie ahead.

Only if we move assertively and confidently forward, following a clear game-plan and with faith in the justness of our cause, can we prevent the next round of retreat, withdrawals and defeat.

The Jerusalem Post, August 31, 2005

A Roadmap for the Right

By Michael Freund

Hardly a week has passed since Gush Katif was emptied of its Jewish residents, and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is already promising more expulsions of Jews.

In a televised interview with Channel 10 broadcast Monday, Sharon made clear that he plans to uproot additional Jewish communities in the future. "Not all the settlements presently in Judea and Samaria will remain there," he said, adding that "the final map will be presented only at the last stage of negotiations."

So there you have it. Talks with the Palestinians have not even resumed and Sharon is already busy making concessions, effectively promising to dismantle further, as yet unnamed communities as part of a final deal.

As if this wasn't bad enough, Sharon has also done virtually nothing to counter the renewed terrorist onslaught launched by the Palestinians of late.

In just the past few days a Palestinian terrorist stabbed and killed a young Israeli yeshiva student in Jerusalem; an Israeli border policeman was stabbed in the throat in Hebron by a Palestinian attacker; two Kassam rockets were fired from northern Gaza at Sderot; firebombs were thrown at Israeli vehicles in Gush Etzion, and a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up at Beersheba's bus station.

Thus far the government's response to this renewed wave of violence has been limited to verbal denunciations and a bit of finger-wagging, which are hardly likely to be taken very seriously by the gunmen of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

So not only is Sharon demonstrating weakness at the bargaining table, he is also projecting frailty on the military front, inviting still more violence and pressure in its wake.

This combination of weak knees and feeble muscle poses a grave danger to the country and to its national interests.

As Haifa University Professor Dan Schueftan recently pointed out to The New York Times, the way things are looking now, "The next stage of disengagement is inevitable... We are basically retreating slowly toward the fence."

More than ever, then, it is essential that the Right get its act together and find a way to save the country from the desperate, devious and dithering man who now runs it.

To be sure, the retreat from Gaza and northern Samaria was a terrible blow, but the perils that lie ahead may prove even more ominous. Israel is essentially slouching its way back to the pre-1967 Armistice Lines, which would endanger the state and its interests.

In order to prevent this, the Right must lick its wounds from the Gaza debacle and formulate a strategy aimed at forestalling any future retreats. The time to do so is now because, with a little foresight, we can and will prevent more Jews from losing their homes.

SUCH A strategy should encompass a number of key spheres: political, practical and ideological, and it should not be left in the hands of any one organization to implement. Rather, the various forces must combine their efforts and work in tandem to bring it about.

In the political realm, the number-one priority at this stage should be to remove Sharon from power. It is critical that he be punished politically for the Gaza retreat so other politicians will see there is a heavy price to be paid in terms of their careers for daring to expel Jews from their homes.

It is not enough merely to bring down the government. Rather, Sharon must be seen to suffer a stinging political rebuke, such that it will be obvious to all that the withdrawal led directly to his downfall.

Similarly, it is time for Israel's Right to adopt a modified form of one of the most successful tactics used to date by American Conservatives – the taxpayer protection pledge, which has been championed for some two decades by Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington-based lobbying group.

In the US, the idea is simple: force politicians to live up to their pre-election rhetoric by asking them to sign a short document in which they promise not to support new taxes once they are in office. This effectively binds the signatory, in writing, to live up to his word to the voters.

In America it has come to be known as the "No New Taxes" pledge, and it has proven immensely effective in compelling politicians to take a stand and stick with it. Over 1,200 state officeholders, and nearly 50% of the US Senate and House have signed on, and their adherence to the pledge is duly monitored and reported to the public.

HERE IN Israel, the Right could initiate a "No New Withdrawals" oath which would require politicians to solemnly declare that they will never agree to yield territory or uproot Jewish communities. Anyone refusing to sign, or violating the pledge, would then lose the support of right-wing voters, and would be branded a "pledge-breaker" for all to see.

On the practical front a major push must be made to get more people to settle in Jewish communities that could potentially be on the chopping block should Sharon have his way. Bolstering towns such as Shavei Shomron in Samaria, or Tekoa in Judea will make it harder for any future government to part with them, just as Ariel and Ma'aleh Adumim have been taken off the table thanks to their sizable population growth.

Whether this means encouraging more Israelis to move there, or persuading American Jews to purchase homes in these places, it is crucial to shore up these communities and reinforce their numbers as soon as possible.

Finally, on the ideological front, the Right must not allow its failure to prevent the Gaza withdrawal to lead to despondency or despair. The protests on behalf of Gush Katif may not have achieved their ultimate aim of preventing the pullout, but they did tap into a strong and dynamic undercurrent of enthusiasm and love for the Land of Israel.

That energy must not be allowed to dissipate. It should be marshalled to prepare for the next stage of the struggle, before Israel's dangerous slide toward retreat truly does become a reality.

The people of Israel owe a debt of gratitude to Meretz party Chairman Yossi Beilin.

With a single remark, the dovish Beilin provided a telling reminder of just how far the Israeli left has strayed from the basic principles of justice and morality.

After Marwan Barghouti, the imprisoned head of the Fatah Tanzim terrorist group, won a decisive victory in the Palestinian Authority’s electoral primaries over the weekend, Beilin wasted little time in calling for the terror-master’s quick release from prison.

“Barghouti heads one of the Palestinian camps that do want peace and so this is the moment to end his sentence and allow him to lead the Palestinian nation,” Beilin said.

Right there, encapsulated in that one remark, is everything that is wrong with the Left and its approach.

After all, Barghouti is currently serving 5 life terms for his involvement in terror attacks and the murder of Israelis.

But as far as Yossi Beilin is concerned, why should that get in the way of Barghouti’s promising political career?

So instead of standing on principle and insisting that all those who murder Jews be brought to justice and made to pay a price for their actions, people such as Beilin would prefer to look the other way, appeasing terrorists, accommodating them, and ultimately capitulating in the face of their ongoing dedication to violence.

That is neither moral nor ethical. And if that is the basis upon which Beilin wishes to make peace, then it is shaky, indeed.

I recently returned from a moving and emotional visit to Krakow, Poland, a city rich in Jewish history as well as tragedy.

Jews have lived in Krakow for over seven centuries, but the Germans nearly succeeded sixty years ago in wiping out any Jewish presence in the area.

Now, after Nazi persecution and Communist oppression, a miraculous rebirth of Judaism is slowly, tentatively taking place there.

As I note in the article below, it is just one more reminder that the Jewish people are eternal and indestructible.

The Jerusalem Post, November 16, 2005

A Tearful Rebirth in Krakow

By Michael Freund

This past Shabbat in Krakow, Poland, Benjamin Klein had every reason to let the tears flow freely.

The scene was the city's famed Rema synagogue, where the great 16th century scholar Rabbi Moses Isserles once presided. The small sanctuary was filled to capacity, as the melodies of Friday evening hymns and supplications filled the room.

It had been 66 years since Klein had last prayed here when, as a Jewish youth growing up in Poland, he was forced to flee in the face of the Nazi onslaught.

At the time, he no doubt thought he might never see his birthplace again, let alone experience a traditional Shabbat service in the synagogue of his childhood.

Indeed, on the eve of the Holocaust, Krakow was home to some 68,000 Jews, who constituted 25% of the city's population. Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter, where the Rema synagogue is located, was a bustling center of Jewish religious, cultural and intellectual life.

But the Germans and their allies murdered 90% of Krakow's Jews, striking a nearly fatal blow to the city's centuries-old Jewish presence.

Now, decades later, Klein had come back to visit, having survived war, persecution and calamity. And what he found was simply overwhelming, even for a man with considerable resources of inner strength and fortitude.

In the heart of this blood-soaked land, where Jews had been so ruthlessly hunted down and killed by their former neighbors and friends, the melody of Lecha Dodi ("Let us go and greet the Sabbath bride") was once again being recited in all its power and glory.

And, just three weeks ago, Krakow welcomed Rabbi Avraham Flaks, who was sent by Shavei Israel, the organization that I head, to serve as the city's first official Chief Rabbi since World War Two.

As he took in the scene around him, Klein's eyes began welling up. "Now, I know," he whispered to me, his voice breaking with emotion, "now, I know. We really are an eternal people."

Under the devoted leadership of Polish Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich and Jewish community president Tadeusz Jakubowicz, Krakow Jewry is slowly working to rebuild, renovating synagogues and cemeteries, reclaiming Jewish communal property and trying to reach out to the unaffiliated.

Only 157 people are officially registered as members of the community, but it is widely believed that over 1,000 additional Jews live in Krakow, many of whom have only recently discovered their Jewish roots. After the horrors of the Holocaust, which were followed by decades of communist oppression, many Jews sought to hide their ethnic and religious identity, even from their own offspring.

Now, however, many of these "hidden Jews" have begun to emerge, seeking to reclaim their heritage.

ON FRIDAY evening, I met several of these heroic returnees, three young women who have chosen to defy societal pressure along with deep-seated anti-Semitism in order to embrace Judaism and return to the faith of their forefathers.

It was nearing the end of the Sabbath meal when I went over to their table to introduce myself. Noticing that they were in the middle of saying the Grace After Meals, I sat down quietly and patiently waited for them to finish.

With deep concentration, they carefully recited each sentence, taking well over 10 minutes to complete the relatively short prayer, thanking the Creator for the food and nourishment that He provides. While doing so, they slowly rocked back and forth in their seats, as though their souls were dancing in tandem with the words.

"There were all kinds of hints in my family that we were Jewish, but everyone was afraid to talk about it," said one, whom we'll call Anna. "I have no proof, I have no papers. I always felt a pull to things Jewish, but I never understood why," she said. Until, that is, when she uncovered her family's most carefully-guarded secret.

"Immediately after the war, my great-grandfather changed his family name from a Jewish name to a Polish one. As soon as I discovered that," said Anna, "I knew I had to come back to my roots."

Asked where she sees herself in 10 years‚ time, Anna blushes before letting out a nervous chuckle. "Married, with children," she says, quickly adding, "Jewish children, of course. I want my kids to grow up as proud, halachic Jews."

After getting up from the table, I notice a young bearded man wearing a yarmulke, speaking in Polish with one of the waiters. Later, when I asked Rabbi Schudrich about him, he proceeded to tell me the young man's remarkable story.

As a youth, the boy had a girlfriend. Both were fervently anti-Semitic skinheads, who later married each other. Shortly thereafter, the wife discovered that she had paternal Jewish roots. Her interest in Judaism deepened, and she began making special meals to mark the Sabbath each week. Though shocked, the young man went along because he loved his wife.

But his parents were nonetheless upset, and insisted that he put an end to his wife's burgeoning interest in Judaism. When he confronted them about the intensity of their opposition, his parents broke down and revealed to him that they both, in fact, were Jews, and that for decades, they had sought to hide their identity for fear of the consequences.

Now, several years later, that young couple, who began their married life as anti-Jewish skinheads, are now living as Torah-observant Jews.

ON SHABBAT, as the Torah was being taken from the Ark during the morning service in the synagogue, the voices of the Israeli high-school students rose up in a crescendo, their crisp and clear Israeli-accented Hebrew echoing throughout the small sanctuary, and doubtless beyond to the heavens above.

"To You, O L-rd, is the greatness, the power and the glory..." all those present sang in unison.

I turned to see Benjamin Klein's reaction and to gauge whether he found the moment as moving as I.

When I did, I noticed that the tears in this holy place were once again flowing freely. Only this time, they were my own.

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The writer is Chairman of Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org), a Jerusalem-based group that reaches out and assists “lost Jews” seeking to return to the Jewish people.