Where are the Israelis?

We are dismayed and distressed that the people of Israel have acquiesced to the path being taken - the "disastrous experiments" as Mattot Arim, Professors for a Strong Israel and Women in Green recently called them - by the current government; indeed, by all governments since 1993. This is a path that, we believe, if followed, will lead to the termination of the third Jewish commonwealth.

It took 1,875 years to reestablish a Jewish state. If it vanishes now, only God knows if and when another will ever reappear. Should such an event take place, the status of Diaspora Jews would quickly take a turn for the worse.

The key issue is, however: Where are the Israelis? Where are Israeli citizens out demonstrating en masse - tens of thousands in every city - banging pots and pans, shouting, "The government must go"? Where is a nationwide strike to force the government to step down? Where are the massive calls for reforms to be made, for a sound policy voiced, and for Israel to return to the image, status and power it had at the conclusion of the Six Day War?

Today, Israel projects not strength, but weakness to the entire world, and especially to its enemies. They, like sharks smelling the blood in the water, are circling ever closer for the kill.

It is the Israelis themselves who must save their own nation. When the Israelis take such action, they will gain more backing from their supporters.

Excuses of United States "pressure" on Israel have been made and will be made again. But Israel itself is doing the work of the Arabists in the US State Department. The US need not pressure Israel anymore when the Israeli government voluntarily takes the steps that will ensure the state's demise.

The reality is that the Israeli people themselves must exhibit the will to take harsh, perhaps unpleasant actions to correct their course. Israel should not commit politicide for the sake of "world opinion." It should not continually weaken itself with unilateral territorial retreats, such as from southern Lebanon in 2000 and from Gaza in 2005. Israel's mortal foes have become more emboldened and demand even more.

Now, Israeli Arabs openly consort with the enemy, make demands for changes in the Israeli flag, anthem and structure, and are calling for a bi-national state. Even Egypt, which has had a "cold war" - not a "cold peace" - with Israel for some 28 years, now demands Eilat and portions of the Western Negev. Syria demands not only the Golan Heights, but the eastern shorefront of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret).

It is the people of Israel who must take the lead in reversing the present course. It is the Israelis themselves who must save their own nation. When the Israelis take such action, they will gain more backing from their supporters, more respect from those "disinterested" parties, and they will be feared by their enemies. That is the reality of the world. Unless and until this occurs, the relatively few voices supporting Israel will shrink to fewer still, as Israel vanishes.

It is up to the Israelis to save their own nation. Taking the necessary steps to reverse course, and showing firmness and determination, will find many supporting the Jewish state.