History repeats itself in the most amazing ways. In these very difficult times, we must not fail to learn from Jewish history, because, as the saying goes, "Those who will not learn from history are bound to repeat it."
Do you remember the story in the Bible about King Ahab? This famous story is found in the First Book of Kings, Chapter 21. There is a chilling resemblance between this story and the events in the Holy Land today.
There was a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite in Jezreel that was adjacent to the palace of Ahab, King of Samaria. Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it as an herb garden, it is close by my house; in its place I will give you a better vineyard, or if you prefer I will give you its price in money." (1 Kings, 1-2)
(Isn't this exactly what Sharon is offering to the Gush Katif Jews?)
But Naboth said to Ahab, "Far be it for me before HaShem that I should give you my ancestors' heritage." (1 Kings, verse 3)
This is exactly how the Gush Katif Jews replied to Sharon. They refused to give Sharon their ancestors' heritage, as HaShem had given Gaza to the tribe of Judah as their eternal inheritance.
Do you see the incredible resemblance between the Biblical story and what is happening in the Holy Land in the Jewish Year of 5765 (2005 CE)?
In the "good old days", when Ariel Sharon went through his Zionist phase, he criticized the Shimon Peres-Yitzchak Rabin government for acting as if Israel was their "private real estate." Now, Ariel Sharon himself treats our Biblical inheritance of Samaria, Judea and Gaza as his own personal real estate. Sharon is working non-stop to give our covenant land to the Arab enemy, who have murdered us non-stop since long before the state's rebirth.
Sharon needed to shore up his tottering government. He therefore joined forces with the leftist Labor party and its leader, Shimon Peres. Peres is now the Vice Prime Minister, and is contributing his proven extraordinary talents to the project of helping Sharon deport the Jews in Gaza from their homes in their G-d-given homeland.
Let us not forget that Oslo architect Shimon Peres negotiated the Oslo Accords with the Arabs when it was totally forbidden under Israeli law to have any dealings whatsoever with Arab enemies. The agreement he signed with the Arabs was "retroactively" and illegally approved by the Knesset.
Dear friends, let me tell you, the Sharon-Peres combination is even worse than the Rabin-Peres combination was. Peres, the architect of the disastrous Oslo Accords, is, in the opinion of many Jews, the personification of evil. He gave the Arab enemy ammunition and guns, and shares responsibility with them in the murder of more than a thousand innocent civilians.
Now, let's get to the practical aspects of the Disengagement (Deportation) Plan. Those Jewish "extremists" had actually been encouraged to build their homes in Gaza by Sharon, as "governor" of Gaza, and by various previous Israeli governments. Sharon, who is often called, not affectionately, the "bulldozer", thought at first that the transfer of Jews was a simple problem. Just bring in the mechanical bulldozers and level the Gush Katif homes.
But then another problem arose: "We are going to lose the international goodwill of the world, which we gained by agreeing to transfer the Jews. The world will think that we are leveling these houses in order to deprive these poor, long-suffering Arabs of shelter, purely out of spite." (Our dictator, Sharon, does not for one moment care what the Jewish people will think of his scheme.)
An additional problem arose. The environmentalists started a hue and cry. Not about what will happen to those poor Jewish families, but about what will happen to the environment.
Environment Minister Shalom Simhon warned of unprecedented environmental damage to the country. "The demolition of homes in Gush Katif under the Disengagement Plan will cause severe damage to the environment, and unprecedented damage to Israel's economy and public image", Simhon warned. "Israel is not sufficiently prepared to properly dispense all the refuse that would be created if the homes are demolished. The demolition of the standing structures in Gush Katif would create some 1.5 million cubic meters of garbage. The demolition and the removal of the refuse would cost the state over NIS 80 million. The State of Israel is not prepared to absorb all the refuse, even if new garbage sites are created for that purpose. We will still not be able to recycle the materials until 2010. Also, the homes and the underground infrastructure may be made of asbestos and those exposed to the refuse will be at risk of getting sick with cancer, in addition to other illnesses."
To the rescue comes an Arab billionaire, Mohammed Al-Abar, from Dubai. One of those romantic oil sheikhs, you know.
To make a meeting between Mohammed Al-Abar and Sharon possible, Labor Knesset Member Ephraim Sneh and Prime Minister Sharon's Office Director-General, Ilan Cohen, arranged a clandestine meeting.
The Jerusalem Post assured us gullible little readers that the sheikh only stayed in Sharon's office for 180 seconds. I guess the Jerusalem Post reporter thought that this sounded like less than three minutes. In any case, the reporter tells us that all they did was shake hands. But what did they shake hands on?
Well, it develops that sheikh Mohammed Al-Abar has offered to buy the Jewish Gaza settlements for $56 million. What an incredible bargain! For Mahmoud Al-Abar, that is. Who will be the beneficiaries of this real estate transaction? For sure not the Jews of Gush Katif, who will most likely be in prison for not leaving their homes voluntarily. Neither do we know what is going to be left of this $56 million purchase price after Sharon's sons Gilad and Omri, and Knesset Member Ephraim Sneh, get their cut. And how about the Prime Minister's Office Director-General, Ilan Cohen, who helped to set up this deal, doesn't he deserve something for his efforts?
I am sure you are aware that both of Sharon's sons, Gilad and Omri, have been investigated for financial wrongdoings, both in the Greek Island Affair and for facilitating illegal contributions to their father's election campaign. All this was supposedly done with filial devotion to their father. The new Attorney General, Menachem Mazuz, appointed by Ariel Sharon, has found the evidence insufficient to indict Gilad, but has just indicted Omri. But both sons claim that their father knew absolutely nothing of their trying to help him. Also, the Brooklyn Bridge is still for sale.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak has just told a committee of Labor Knesset members that they should not support the prime minister, because the whole Sharon family is riddled with corruption. Is this a case of the pot calling the kettle black?
Shimon Peres does not want to stay out of the debate about Disengagement. Vice Prime Minister Peres is preparing a plan to sell and transfer Jewish-owned businesses, green houses, farms and factories to the Arabs, in order to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. "We are interested in economic peace in addition to political peace," Peres said. "The Palestinians residing in Gaza must not find themselves disappointed the day after we disengage. If unemployment and poverty increase, hatred and bitterness will increase as well. I see this scenario as a danger."
Peres, as always, is loyal to the enemy rather than to his own Jewish brethren. What about the difficulty of the dispossessed Jews to find employment, to start new farms, to feed their families? Yes, hatred and bitterness will increase among those poor people who were subject to the crime of being expelled from their homes by Ariel Sharon, their own Jewish prime minister.
Isn't this the story of King Ahab and Naboth, multiplied 9,000 times over?
Has the Sharon Government lost it completely? Even if the buildings are given over to deserving terrorists, government officials say that the synagogues of Gush Katif and northern Samaria will not be left standing, for fear that Arabs will defile them. It is unclear how the Israeli Defense Forces' destruction of the synagogues in Gush Katif and northern Samaria would take place in a manner that would not constitute "defilement".
Dear friends, I have completely abandoned the idea that Sharon and his leftist coterie will ever abandon the evil and immoral plan of deporting the Jews from Gush Katif and northern Samaria. However, American support is vital for Sharon's political survival. I don't think he can carry out his plan without American complicity.
We must convince the Bush Administration that the goal of bringing democracy to the Middle East is not served by making parts of the Holy Land Judenrein. Such a plan is completely against the promises given to the Jewish People by the G-d of the Judeo-Christian Bible.
Time is short.
Do you remember the story in the Bible about King Ahab? This famous story is found in the First Book of Kings, Chapter 21. There is a chilling resemblance between this story and the events in the Holy Land today.
There was a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite in Jezreel that was adjacent to the palace of Ahab, King of Samaria. Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it as an herb garden, it is close by my house; in its place I will give you a better vineyard, or if you prefer I will give you its price in money." (1 Kings, 1-2)
(Isn't this exactly what Sharon is offering to the Gush Katif Jews?)
But Naboth said to Ahab, "Far be it for me before HaShem that I should give you my ancestors' heritage." (1 Kings, verse 3)
This is exactly how the Gush Katif Jews replied to Sharon. They refused to give Sharon their ancestors' heritage, as HaShem had given Gaza to the tribe of Judah as their eternal inheritance.
Do you see the incredible resemblance between the Biblical story and what is happening in the Holy Land in the Jewish Year of 5765 (2005 CE)?
In the "good old days", when Ariel Sharon went through his Zionist phase, he criticized the Shimon Peres-Yitzchak Rabin government for acting as if Israel was their "private real estate." Now, Ariel Sharon himself treats our Biblical inheritance of Samaria, Judea and Gaza as his own personal real estate. Sharon is working non-stop to give our covenant land to the Arab enemy, who have murdered us non-stop since long before the state's rebirth.
Sharon needed to shore up his tottering government. He therefore joined forces with the leftist Labor party and its leader, Shimon Peres. Peres is now the Vice Prime Minister, and is contributing his proven extraordinary talents to the project of helping Sharon deport the Jews in Gaza from their homes in their G-d-given homeland.
Let us not forget that Oslo architect Shimon Peres negotiated the Oslo Accords with the Arabs when it was totally forbidden under Israeli law to have any dealings whatsoever with Arab enemies. The agreement he signed with the Arabs was "retroactively" and illegally approved by the Knesset.
Dear friends, let me tell you, the Sharon-Peres combination is even worse than the Rabin-Peres combination was. Peres, the architect of the disastrous Oslo Accords, is, in the opinion of many Jews, the personification of evil. He gave the Arab enemy ammunition and guns, and shares responsibility with them in the murder of more than a thousand innocent civilians.
Now, let's get to the practical aspects of the Disengagement (Deportation) Plan. Those Jewish "extremists" had actually been encouraged to build their homes in Gaza by Sharon, as "governor" of Gaza, and by various previous Israeli governments. Sharon, who is often called, not affectionately, the "bulldozer", thought at first that the transfer of Jews was a simple problem. Just bring in the mechanical bulldozers and level the Gush Katif homes.
But then another problem arose: "We are going to lose the international goodwill of the world, which we gained by agreeing to transfer the Jews. The world will think that we are leveling these houses in order to deprive these poor, long-suffering Arabs of shelter, purely out of spite." (Our dictator, Sharon, does not for one moment care what the Jewish people will think of his scheme.)
An additional problem arose. The environmentalists started a hue and cry. Not about what will happen to those poor Jewish families, but about what will happen to the environment.
Environment Minister Shalom Simhon warned of unprecedented environmental damage to the country. "The demolition of homes in Gush Katif under the Disengagement Plan will cause severe damage to the environment, and unprecedented damage to Israel's economy and public image", Simhon warned. "Israel is not sufficiently prepared to properly dispense all the refuse that would be created if the homes are demolished. The demolition of the standing structures in Gush Katif would create some 1.5 million cubic meters of garbage. The demolition and the removal of the refuse would cost the state over NIS 80 million. The State of Israel is not prepared to absorb all the refuse, even if new garbage sites are created for that purpose. We will still not be able to recycle the materials until 2010. Also, the homes and the underground infrastructure may be made of asbestos and those exposed to the refuse will be at risk of getting sick with cancer, in addition to other illnesses."
To the rescue comes an Arab billionaire, Mohammed Al-Abar, from Dubai. One of those romantic oil sheikhs, you know.
To make a meeting between Mohammed Al-Abar and Sharon possible, Labor Knesset Member Ephraim Sneh and Prime Minister Sharon's Office Director-General, Ilan Cohen, arranged a clandestine meeting.
The Jerusalem Post assured us gullible little readers that the sheikh only stayed in Sharon's office for 180 seconds. I guess the Jerusalem Post reporter thought that this sounded like less than three minutes. In any case, the reporter tells us that all they did was shake hands. But what did they shake hands on?
Well, it develops that sheikh Mohammed Al-Abar has offered to buy the Jewish Gaza settlements for $56 million. What an incredible bargain! For Mahmoud Al-Abar, that is. Who will be the beneficiaries of this real estate transaction? For sure not the Jews of Gush Katif, who will most likely be in prison for not leaving their homes voluntarily. Neither do we know what is going to be left of this $56 million purchase price after Sharon's sons Gilad and Omri, and Knesset Member Ephraim Sneh, get their cut. And how about the Prime Minister's Office Director-General, Ilan Cohen, who helped to set up this deal, doesn't he deserve something for his efforts?
I am sure you are aware that both of Sharon's sons, Gilad and Omri, have been investigated for financial wrongdoings, both in the Greek Island Affair and for facilitating illegal contributions to their father's election campaign. All this was supposedly done with filial devotion to their father. The new Attorney General, Menachem Mazuz, appointed by Ariel Sharon, has found the evidence insufficient to indict Gilad, but has just indicted Omri. But both sons claim that their father knew absolutely nothing of their trying to help him. Also, the Brooklyn Bridge is still for sale.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak has just told a committee of Labor Knesset members that they should not support the prime minister, because the whole Sharon family is riddled with corruption. Is this a case of the pot calling the kettle black?
Shimon Peres does not want to stay out of the debate about Disengagement. Vice Prime Minister Peres is preparing a plan to sell and transfer Jewish-owned businesses, green houses, farms and factories to the Arabs, in order to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. "We are interested in economic peace in addition to political peace," Peres said. "The Palestinians residing in Gaza must not find themselves disappointed the day after we disengage. If unemployment and poverty increase, hatred and bitterness will increase as well. I see this scenario as a danger."
Peres, as always, is loyal to the enemy rather than to his own Jewish brethren. What about the difficulty of the dispossessed Jews to find employment, to start new farms, to feed their families? Yes, hatred and bitterness will increase among those poor people who were subject to the crime of being expelled from their homes by Ariel Sharon, their own Jewish prime minister.
Isn't this the story of King Ahab and Naboth, multiplied 9,000 times over?
Has the Sharon Government lost it completely? Even if the buildings are given over to deserving terrorists, government officials say that the synagogues of Gush Katif and northern Samaria will not be left standing, for fear that Arabs will defile them. It is unclear how the Israeli Defense Forces' destruction of the synagogues in Gush Katif and northern Samaria would take place in a manner that would not constitute "defilement".
Dear friends, I have completely abandoned the idea that Sharon and his leftist coterie will ever abandon the evil and immoral plan of deporting the Jews from Gush Katif and northern Samaria. However, American support is vital for Sharon's political survival. I don't think he can carry out his plan without American complicity.
We must convince the Bush Administration that the goal of bringing democracy to the Middle East is not served by making parts of the Holy Land Judenrein. Such a plan is completely against the promises given to the Jewish People by the G-d of the Judeo-Christian Bible.
Time is short.