When settlers are slaughtered on a lonely road by a sniper, or in their homes by a terrorist infiltrator, many opponents of our presence in Judea, Samaria and Gaza proclaim: "They shouldn't have been there; they don't belong there; they're not wanted there."
Likewise, I can't get terribly upset about the hostile receptions in Jerusalem endured by Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the Great Synagogue or by Major General Eliezer Stern at the Kotel: they shouldn't have been there; they don't belong there; they're not wanted there.
Mr. Olmert, there were plenty of people that Kol Nidre night at the Great Synagogue that have a long list of accounts to settle with you. Many of them were regular listeners of Arutz Sheva radio. Do you remember Arutz Sheva, Mr. Olmert? Back in 1993, when you were waging an uphill battle to unseat Mayor Teddy Kollek, you promised to make a united Jerusalem stronger and more Jewish. Arutz Sheva mobilized thousands of volunteers many of them Judea, Samaria and Gaza settlers to get out the vote for you. This was a major factor in your stunning victory.
Ten years later, you closed down Arutz Sheva. Although officially, someone else presented the measure that cut the station off from its sources of income, it was you that pushed it through the cabinet. As the minister responsible for communications, you made sure the measure would be enforced. As a sop, you promised that you would find a way to allow a similar station to get back on the air. Two years later, we're still waiting, and it appears we'll go on waiting, as long as you have your way.
By the way, your ingratitude towards Arutz Sheva goes hand-in-hand with your lackluster performance as mayor. Under your administration, Jerusalem suffered a sharp economic decline. There was an unprecedented outflow of Jewish residents. Arabs moved into the city in massive numbers, aided by your permissive attitude towards their illegal building. But you never saw the mayor's office as anything more than a stepping-stone to greater things. When queried about Jerusalem's ongoing decline, you merely whined that your hands were tied and then you returned to the smoke-filled rooms you favored over City Hall.
Some of the worshippers promote and sell abroad products made by Jews in Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan. Under pressure from the European Union and various left-wing groups, you, as minister of industry and trade, stuck a label on exports from "over the Green Line". The label fairly cried out: "Attention, don't buy from settlers!" It sounds better in Arabic. Or German.
Some of the worshippers were among the 250,000 national-religious Jews who believed Ariel Sharon's lie - "The fate of Netzarim is like the fate of Tel-Aviv" - and voted for the Likud instead of for the religious Zionist parties. Without their votes, you would not have made it back into the Knesset, for you were buried in the 32nd spot on the Likud list. As in the case of Arutz Sheva, you were not ashamed to bite the hand that fed you. You concocted the Disengagement program that threw some of these 250,000 voters from their homes.
Some of these worshippers have family who, under your plan, were expelled from Gush Katif and northern Samaria. Some have family who live in settlements that you intend to evacuate in future expulsions. It's no surprise that they vocally objected to your getting the honor of opening the Aron HaKodesh.
Some of these worshippers were active in the resistance to your expulsion plan. Do you remember how you threatened to break their bones? Maybe now you understand why they might object to your presence in the Great Synagogue?
Thousands have been left homeless by your plan. Yet, terrorism has not abated and the world is demanding even more concessions than before the plan was executed. But Mr. Olmert, sir, you have no shame. You say tens of thousands more must be expelled. That Jerusalem must be divided. And that Sharon's pre-expulsion promises to strengthen and expand the settlement blocs must be delayed for an indefinite period of time sort of like your promise to resurrect Arutz Sheva.
There must not be many Orthodox synagogues whose congregants would roll out the red carpet for you.
Regarding you, General Stern. Throwing stones at you was wrong, since that could cause serious injuries. But I stand by those who heckled you. The Kotel stands in the shadow of a Hesder yeshiva part of a system you have vowed to break up. No secular leftist politician has been as insistent as you in this matter. Many at the Kotel boiled with rage when you spoke about revered and saintly rabbis as if they were common criminals.
Did you expect your hecklers to forget how you mobilized, threatened, intimidated and brainwashed 60,000 young men and women into participating in an operation of repression and expulsion. Did you think they could erase from their minds the pictures of you strutting about N'vei Dekalim on E-Day with a smile of smug satisfaction?
Those who frequent places such as the Great Synagogue and the Kotel are boiling with rage and frustration, and not only because of the expulsion. You, Mr. Olmert and General Stern, symbolize so many things about the Sharon regime that make it difficult for us to control our anger: repression; intimidation; dishonesty; corruption; greed; incitement to violence and hatred; and kowtowing to the leftist elite to gain their favor.
If you don't want to confront this anger, this rage, then don't go where you're not wanted.
Likewise, I can't get terribly upset about the hostile receptions in Jerusalem endured by Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the Great Synagogue or by Major General Eliezer Stern at the Kotel: they shouldn't have been there; they don't belong there; they're not wanted there.
Mr. Olmert, there were plenty of people that Kol Nidre night at the Great Synagogue that have a long list of accounts to settle with you. Many of them were regular listeners of Arutz Sheva radio. Do you remember Arutz Sheva, Mr. Olmert? Back in 1993, when you were waging an uphill battle to unseat Mayor Teddy Kollek, you promised to make a united Jerusalem stronger and more Jewish. Arutz Sheva mobilized thousands of volunteers many of them Judea, Samaria and Gaza settlers to get out the vote for you. This was a major factor in your stunning victory.
Ten years later, you closed down Arutz Sheva. Although officially, someone else presented the measure that cut the station off from its sources of income, it was you that pushed it through the cabinet. As the minister responsible for communications, you made sure the measure would be enforced. As a sop, you promised that you would find a way to allow a similar station to get back on the air. Two years later, we're still waiting, and it appears we'll go on waiting, as long as you have your way.
By the way, your ingratitude towards Arutz Sheva goes hand-in-hand with your lackluster performance as mayor. Under your administration, Jerusalem suffered a sharp economic decline. There was an unprecedented outflow of Jewish residents. Arabs moved into the city in massive numbers, aided by your permissive attitude towards their illegal building. But you never saw the mayor's office as anything more than a stepping-stone to greater things. When queried about Jerusalem's ongoing decline, you merely whined that your hands were tied and then you returned to the smoke-filled rooms you favored over City Hall.
Some of the worshippers promote and sell abroad products made by Jews in Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan. Under pressure from the European Union and various left-wing groups, you, as minister of industry and trade, stuck a label on exports from "over the Green Line". The label fairly cried out: "Attention, don't buy from settlers!" It sounds better in Arabic. Or German.
Some of the worshippers were among the 250,000 national-religious Jews who believed Ariel Sharon's lie - "The fate of Netzarim is like the fate of Tel-Aviv" - and voted for the Likud instead of for the religious Zionist parties. Without their votes, you would not have made it back into the Knesset, for you were buried in the 32nd spot on the Likud list. As in the case of Arutz Sheva, you were not ashamed to bite the hand that fed you. You concocted the Disengagement program that threw some of these 250,000 voters from their homes.
Some of these worshippers have family who, under your plan, were expelled from Gush Katif and northern Samaria. Some have family who live in settlements that you intend to evacuate in future expulsions. It's no surprise that they vocally objected to your getting the honor of opening the Aron HaKodesh.
Some of these worshippers were active in the resistance to your expulsion plan. Do you remember how you threatened to break their bones? Maybe now you understand why they might object to your presence in the Great Synagogue?
Thousands have been left homeless by your plan. Yet, terrorism has not abated and the world is demanding even more concessions than before the plan was executed. But Mr. Olmert, sir, you have no shame. You say tens of thousands more must be expelled. That Jerusalem must be divided. And that Sharon's pre-expulsion promises to strengthen and expand the settlement blocs must be delayed for an indefinite period of time sort of like your promise to resurrect Arutz Sheva.
There must not be many Orthodox synagogues whose congregants would roll out the red carpet for you.
Regarding you, General Stern. Throwing stones at you was wrong, since that could cause serious injuries. But I stand by those who heckled you. The Kotel stands in the shadow of a Hesder yeshiva part of a system you have vowed to break up. No secular leftist politician has been as insistent as you in this matter. Many at the Kotel boiled with rage when you spoke about revered and saintly rabbis as if they were common criminals.
Did you expect your hecklers to forget how you mobilized, threatened, intimidated and brainwashed 60,000 young men and women into participating in an operation of repression and expulsion. Did you think they could erase from their minds the pictures of you strutting about N'vei Dekalim on E-Day with a smile of smug satisfaction?
Those who frequent places such as the Great Synagogue and the Kotel are boiling with rage and frustration, and not only because of the expulsion. You, Mr. Olmert and General Stern, symbolize so many things about the Sharon regime that make it difficult for us to control our anger: repression; intimidation; dishonesty; corruption; greed; incitement to violence and hatred; and kowtowing to the leftist elite to gain their favor.
If you don't want to confront this anger, this rage, then don't go where you're not wanted.