On May 23rd, Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel, at the request of the United States government, declared a unilateral cease-fire. The Palestinians refused this request but the Sharon Unity government decided to give the Palestinians a ?cooling off period,? instituting a policy of ?restraint,? for a brief time. What followed were many acts of violence on the part of the Palestinians against Israeli soldiers and civilians with no strong retaliation by the Israelis.
On May 29th, Gilad Zar z"l, age forty one, father of eight, was ambushed and shot to death near his home. His father is Moshe Zar, one of the earliest pioneers who came to live in the empty, stony hills of the now beautiful, thriving community of Karnei Shomron, where one of my daughters-in-law grew up and her mother still lives.
On May 29th, Sara Blaustein z"l , an American woman who had recently realized her dream of making Aliyah to Israel and a young girl, Esther Alwan ?"? , left the city of Efrat in the Judean Hills to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. On the road they were brutally shot and murdered.
On June 2nd, Palestinian terrorists killed twenty Israeli teenagers and wounded at least one hundred in a horrifying attack outside a popular disco in Tel Aviv. Pressured by the Europeans, Yassar Arafat, leader of the Palestinians, called on both sides to stop the violence.
On June 5th, Batsheva and Benny Shoham, a young couple driving to their home in Shiloh, were attacked by Arabs from a nearby village. They bombarded the car with stones. Chaim Yehuda, five months old, asleep in his car seat, was hit in the head. He lies in a coma, with doctors laboring to save his life. His mother, Batsheva, works as a kindergarten teacher in Bet El, a town in YESHA, thirty minutes from Jerusalem, where my son and daughter-in-law and their family live. One of my grandchildren is in the kindergarten class next door to Batsheva. Benny, the infant?s father, was on Israeli radio, not crying out for revenge, but pleading for all who believe in the ALMIGHTY, to read Tehillim (the Psalms), to pray for his baby?s recovery.
So many more innocent Israeli families have suffered terrible losses. Yesterday alone, there were thirty violent incidents, including mortar shellings, shootings, and stonings, seriously injuring several Israeli civilians.
Has anyone ever before heard of a one-sided cease-fire? This is a cease-fire that gives the other side time to ?decide,? while they continue to kill and maim? I am distraught and unable to understand how the Western world can equate building houses in the towns of YESHA that are suburban communities of Israel?s cities, with terrorist attacks against civilians, especially children. How can people believe that a solution will be found for this conflict by calling for the removal of Jews from their homes, to appease murderers who are still being taught to hate and to pray for the death of all Jews?
This is not a war over the area called YESHA. This is a conflict over the entire land of Israel, a tiny country, smaller than the state of New Jersey.
When will those not now directly connected to the issues in this war against terrorists and terrorism, wake up and realize that the Jews are only the first targets? Rewarding violence encourages more of the same.
Notwithstanding the reality of the situation in Israel, the world is rejoicing about a cease-fire. They look forward to the end of this ?messy? conflict in the Middle East.
I am reminded of the story of the Emperor?s New Clothes. Where are the clothes? Where is the cease-fire? When will I sleep soundly again?
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The writer is a past National President of Emunah of America. Currently Vice-President for Projects-In-Israel, is Emunah´s representative to the Actions Committees of the World Zionist Organization and serves on the committee of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Professionally, she is a certified speech-language pathologist.
On May 29th, Gilad Zar z"l, age forty one, father of eight, was ambushed and shot to death near his home. His father is Moshe Zar, one of the earliest pioneers who came to live in the empty, stony hills of the now beautiful, thriving community of Karnei Shomron, where one of my daughters-in-law grew up and her mother still lives.
On May 29th, Sara Blaustein z"l , an American woman who had recently realized her dream of making Aliyah to Israel and a young girl, Esther Alwan ?"? , left the city of Efrat in the Judean Hills to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. On the road they were brutally shot and murdered.
On June 2nd, Palestinian terrorists killed twenty Israeli teenagers and wounded at least one hundred in a horrifying attack outside a popular disco in Tel Aviv. Pressured by the Europeans, Yassar Arafat, leader of the Palestinians, called on both sides to stop the violence.
On June 5th, Batsheva and Benny Shoham, a young couple driving to their home in Shiloh, were attacked by Arabs from a nearby village. They bombarded the car with stones. Chaim Yehuda, five months old, asleep in his car seat, was hit in the head. He lies in a coma, with doctors laboring to save his life. His mother, Batsheva, works as a kindergarten teacher in Bet El, a town in YESHA, thirty minutes from Jerusalem, where my son and daughter-in-law and their family live. One of my grandchildren is in the kindergarten class next door to Batsheva. Benny, the infant?s father, was on Israeli radio, not crying out for revenge, but pleading for all who believe in the ALMIGHTY, to read Tehillim (the Psalms), to pray for his baby?s recovery.
So many more innocent Israeli families have suffered terrible losses. Yesterday alone, there were thirty violent incidents, including mortar shellings, shootings, and stonings, seriously injuring several Israeli civilians.
Has anyone ever before heard of a one-sided cease-fire? This is a cease-fire that gives the other side time to ?decide,? while they continue to kill and maim? I am distraught and unable to understand how the Western world can equate building houses in the towns of YESHA that are suburban communities of Israel?s cities, with terrorist attacks against civilians, especially children. How can people believe that a solution will be found for this conflict by calling for the removal of Jews from their homes, to appease murderers who are still being taught to hate and to pray for the death of all Jews?
This is not a war over the area called YESHA. This is a conflict over the entire land of Israel, a tiny country, smaller than the state of New Jersey.
When will those not now directly connected to the issues in this war against terrorists and terrorism, wake up and realize that the Jews are only the first targets? Rewarding violence encourages more of the same.
Notwithstanding the reality of the situation in Israel, the world is rejoicing about a cease-fire. They look forward to the end of this ?messy? conflict in the Middle East.
I am reminded of the story of the Emperor?s New Clothes. Where are the clothes? Where is the cease-fire? When will I sleep soundly again?
------------------------------------------
The writer is a past National President of Emunah of America. Currently Vice-President for Projects-In-Israel, is Emunah´s representative to the Actions Committees of the World Zionist Organization and serves on the committee of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Professionally, she is a certified speech-language pathologist.