The man considered the father of modern political Zionism, Benyamin Ze?ev (Theodor) Herzl, titled his 1902 novel describing the proposed Jewish state, ?Altneuland.? The name means ?Old-New Land? and can be understood to refer to a modern Jewish renewal in an ancient Jewish homeland. Israel is, indeed, at once very old and very new, but the name altneuland may also represent the persistent and unchanging nature of the challenges that Jews have had to face in their homeland in modern times.
The current terrorist offensive by the PLO and associates against Israel, the ?Oslo War?, is hardly a new phenomenon. Despite the surprise with which it was received among left-leaning, dovish Israelis, the Oslo War merely served to lend credence to an Israeli adage, coined by former Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir, ?The Arabs are the same Arabs, the Jews are the same Jews and the sea is the same sea.?
Approximately one year ago, towards the start of the Oslo War, former IDF Chief of Staff Rafael ?Raful? Eitan was interviewed on Israel Radio. Eitan said that the Arab violence Israel faces today reminded him of the situation the Jews faced in the 1930?s and 1940?s, when he himself was a teenage underground fighter in the Palmach.
The interviewer, apparently a bit taken aback by the old-timer?s comparison, said sarcastically, ?Still, there have been a few changes since then.?
?Like what?? asked Raful.
When the young interviewer explained that we now have an independent state, something we did not have then, Eitan replied, ?So what? So we declared a state for ourselves. Does that matter to anyone??
Apparently it does not.
The following describes the situation in the Land of Israel, circa 1947 (from www.etzel.org.il):
?The acts of hostility grew more frequent? On February 1, 1948, a car bomb exploded in Hasolel Street (present-day Hahavatzelet Street) [in Jerusalem] near the Palestine Post building. Three weeks later there was another catastrophe in Jerusalem. Three booby-trapped trucks positioned in Ben-Yehuda Street exploded, destroying four large buildings, killing 50 and injuring more than 100. On March 11, a car bomb exploded in the courtyard of the Jewish Agency building, killing 12 people, injuring 44, and causing great damage.?
The following is from Israeli news headlines of the past year (IsraelNationalNews.com):
Over the course of two months in Jerusalem: ?A car bomb explodes in the Russian Compound shortly after midnight? A car bomb explodes on Shlomtzion HaMalka Street? Bombing attack in Sbarro Restaurant at 1:45pm, located at the intersection of King George & Jaffe Streets? A car bomb exploded at 2:00pm on Horkonous Street [between Helena HaMalka and Hahavatzelet Streets]... A blast at about 8:00am on HaNeve?im Street? A triple bombing attack on the Ben-Yehuda Pedestrian Mall and Jaffe St., corner of Rabbi Kook? A shooting attack on Jaffe Street at 4:20pm left two persons dead and 51 wounded.?
?Two buses traveling from N?vei Sha?anan traveling down towards the Hadar section of Haifa were hit in the bomb attack that took place shortly after noon Sunday.?
?A suicide car bomb was detonated at the intersection of Rambam & Herbert Samuel Streets, adjacent to Central Bus Station.?
Then: ??November 29, 1947, seven Jews were killed, including four passengers on a bus attacked by Arabs on the road to Jerusalem? Arabs now controlled all the inter-urban routes. The road to Jerusalem was blocked, settlements in the Galilee and the Negev were also cut off and daily attacks were perpetrated on convoys.?
Now: ?The army has closed the Minharot road connecting southern Jerusalem to the Gush Etzion communities as a result of terrorist gunfire from the PA area of Beit Jala.?
?Route 34, the area?s main vehicular route, has been closed by police following the Monday night mortar rocket attack in the Negev community of Sderot.?
?A bus was attacked by gunfire or an explosive device in the Shomron a short time ago near the entrance to the community of Emanuel.?
?A vehicular convoy was targeted by terrorist gunfire earlier tonight on the Karnei-Netzarim road in northern Gaza.?
Then: ?On April 2, 1948, the inhabitants of Deir Yassin began sniping at the Jewish Quarters of Bet Hakerem and Yefe Nof. According to reports by the Shai (Haganah Intelligence), fortifications were being constructed in the village and a large quantity of arms being stockpiled. Several days before the attack on Deir Yassin, the presence of foreign fighters was reported, including Iraqi soldiers and irregular forces.?
?Jaffa? had a long and twisting border with its neighbor, Tel Aviv? Arab snipers fired repeatedly at the Jewish quarters along the border, and succeeded in immobilizing considerable sections of the Jewish city.?
Now: ?The southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo was targeted by terrorist gunfire a short time ago.?
?Terrorist gunfire was directed at homes in the community of Psagot during the night.?
?Border police on Thursday night were targeted by terrorist gunfire in the capital near Armon HaNatziv??
??a Palestinian terrorist attack in Jerusalem this afternoon, in which one or more Arabs opened fire at a public bus near the French Hill junction.?
The truth of Rafael Eitan?s blunt comments is driven home with every Tanzim sniping attack on a Jewish community, with every Hamas car bomb attack in an Israeli city and with every barbaric hands-on murder of Jews by incited Arab mobs. On the whole, Jews have always faced murderous opposition to Jewish sovereignty on the part of the Arabs. What does our declaration of an independent Jewish state amount to if Arab terrorists can still target the citizens of that state at will and with virtual impunity? Is it really true that ?there have been a few changes since then??
[Part 1 of 2]
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Nissan Ratzlav-Katz is a Content Editor for Arutz Sheva Israel National News.com.
The current terrorist offensive by the PLO and associates against Israel, the ?Oslo War?, is hardly a new phenomenon. Despite the surprise with which it was received among left-leaning, dovish Israelis, the Oslo War merely served to lend credence to an Israeli adage, coined by former Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir, ?The Arabs are the same Arabs, the Jews are the same Jews and the sea is the same sea.?
Approximately one year ago, towards the start of the Oslo War, former IDF Chief of Staff Rafael ?Raful? Eitan was interviewed on Israel Radio. Eitan said that the Arab violence Israel faces today reminded him of the situation the Jews faced in the 1930?s and 1940?s, when he himself was a teenage underground fighter in the Palmach.
The interviewer, apparently a bit taken aback by the old-timer?s comparison, said sarcastically, ?Still, there have been a few changes since then.?
?Like what?? asked Raful.
When the young interviewer explained that we now have an independent state, something we did not have then, Eitan replied, ?So what? So we declared a state for ourselves. Does that matter to anyone??
Apparently it does not.
The following describes the situation in the Land of Israel, circa 1947 (from www.etzel.org.il):
?The acts of hostility grew more frequent? On February 1, 1948, a car bomb exploded in Hasolel Street (present-day Hahavatzelet Street) [in Jerusalem] near the Palestine Post building. Three weeks later there was another catastrophe in Jerusalem. Three booby-trapped trucks positioned in Ben-Yehuda Street exploded, destroying four large buildings, killing 50 and injuring more than 100. On March 11, a car bomb exploded in the courtyard of the Jewish Agency building, killing 12 people, injuring 44, and causing great damage.?
The following is from Israeli news headlines of the past year (IsraelNationalNews.com):
Over the course of two months in Jerusalem: ?A car bomb explodes in the Russian Compound shortly after midnight? A car bomb explodes on Shlomtzion HaMalka Street? Bombing attack in Sbarro Restaurant at 1:45pm, located at the intersection of King George & Jaffe Streets? A car bomb exploded at 2:00pm on Horkonous Street [between Helena HaMalka and Hahavatzelet Streets]... A blast at about 8:00am on HaNeve?im Street? A triple bombing attack on the Ben-Yehuda Pedestrian Mall and Jaffe St., corner of Rabbi Kook? A shooting attack on Jaffe Street at 4:20pm left two persons dead and 51 wounded.?
?Two buses traveling from N?vei Sha?anan traveling down towards the Hadar section of Haifa were hit in the bomb attack that took place shortly after noon Sunday.?
?A suicide car bomb was detonated at the intersection of Rambam & Herbert Samuel Streets, adjacent to Central Bus Station.?
Then: ??November 29, 1947, seven Jews were killed, including four passengers on a bus attacked by Arabs on the road to Jerusalem? Arabs now controlled all the inter-urban routes. The road to Jerusalem was blocked, settlements in the Galilee and the Negev were also cut off and daily attacks were perpetrated on convoys.?
Now: ?The army has closed the Minharot road connecting southern Jerusalem to the Gush Etzion communities as a result of terrorist gunfire from the PA area of Beit Jala.?
?Route 34, the area?s main vehicular route, has been closed by police following the Monday night mortar rocket attack in the Negev community of Sderot.?
?A bus was attacked by gunfire or an explosive device in the Shomron a short time ago near the entrance to the community of Emanuel.?
?A vehicular convoy was targeted by terrorist gunfire earlier tonight on the Karnei-Netzarim road in northern Gaza.?
Then: ?On April 2, 1948, the inhabitants of Deir Yassin began sniping at the Jewish Quarters of Bet Hakerem and Yefe Nof. According to reports by the Shai (Haganah Intelligence), fortifications were being constructed in the village and a large quantity of arms being stockpiled. Several days before the attack on Deir Yassin, the presence of foreign fighters was reported, including Iraqi soldiers and irregular forces.?
?Jaffa? had a long and twisting border with its neighbor, Tel Aviv? Arab snipers fired repeatedly at the Jewish quarters along the border, and succeeded in immobilizing considerable sections of the Jewish city.?
Now: ?The southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo was targeted by terrorist gunfire a short time ago.?
?Terrorist gunfire was directed at homes in the community of Psagot during the night.?
?Border police on Thursday night were targeted by terrorist gunfire in the capital near Armon HaNatziv??
??a Palestinian terrorist attack in Jerusalem this afternoon, in which one or more Arabs opened fire at a public bus near the French Hill junction.?
The truth of Rafael Eitan?s blunt comments is driven home with every Tanzim sniping attack on a Jewish community, with every Hamas car bomb attack in an Israeli city and with every barbaric hands-on murder of Jews by incited Arab mobs. On the whole, Jews have always faced murderous opposition to Jewish sovereignty on the part of the Arabs. What does our declaration of an independent Jewish state amount to if Arab terrorists can still target the citizens of that state at will and with virtual impunity? Is it really true that ?there have been a few changes since then??
[Part 1 of 2]
-------------------------------
Nissan Ratzlav-Katz is a Content Editor for Arutz Sheva Israel National News.com.