"Face-to-Face, Part Two" is underway. Following the success, on several levels, of last month's campaign in which thousands of Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza) residents visited tens of thousands of Likud members, a "new, improved and more concentrated" version of the program has now taken off.
In the framework of the grassroots struggle to ensure that the Likud membership turned down Prime Minister Sharon's "disengagement/eviction/retreat" plan earlier this month, thousands of people visited the homes of most of the 200,000 Likud members, explaining to them the physical and ideological dangers of the withdrawal. In addition to the many who were persuaded to see the wisdom of retaining a Jewish presence in Gaza, many people also said they were happy to have the chance to meet and exchange ideas with other Jews whom they generally do not encounter.
Some of the points that were raised in the face-to-face discussions included:
* the display of national despair and lack of faith involved in retreating from our homeland in the face of the threat of violence
* the "ethical crime" involved in throwing out from their homes the thousands of people who for decades have braved the inconvenience and dangers of living on the frontlines
* the dangerous precedent of running away in the face of terrorism
* the lack of control that Israel will have over terrorist activities in Gaza
* the increased dangers of terrorists acting in the Erez Crossing, which will remain under Israeli control
* the unilateral nature of the withdrawal leaves the Arabs of Gaza with no obligations
* the verbal guarantees from the United States that do not bind the Congress or future American Presidents
* the economic costs of the evacuation and expulsion
* the national disgrace of giving over the homes and synagogues of the victims to those who shot at and killed them.
Part Two of the program began last Thursday, when hundreds of people from Gush Katif and many other towns in Yesha visited the homes of some of the 3,000 Likud Central Committee members. As opposed to the earlier version, when people would try to visit 10-15 homes in an evening, the visitors set off this time - as well as last night and the night before - with only six names and addresses to visit.
"The goal now," explained one organizer, "is to build not only short-range relationships, but also long-lasting ones. We want to discuss with them the immediate dangers of the evacuation of outposts and full-fledged communities - but we also want to go way beyond that. We want to say that the problem of the Arabs and terrorism is a long-standing one that will not be solved in one day, and that meanwhile we have many other fronts on which to work. We must not let this one issue stand in the way of advancing ourselves in many other areas, such as education, and economics, and Aliyah (immigration to Israel). We must - all of us, together - begin to look at issues not just from one-day-to-the-next, but how we want our society to look in a decade from now. We have to restore vision, faith and our links with our Jewish roots to the way in which we plan our future."
The Likud Central Committee comprises some 3,000 party stalwarts who determine the Likud's list of Knesset candidates and, indirectly, those who will become Cabinet ministers. In the framework of the "shorter-range" goals of the current campaign, they are being asked to "use their influence." One of the visitors explained, "We ask them to sign a petition against the uprooting of outposts and the unilateral withdrawal, and to send faxes to the ministers and MKs. These faxes either say straight out, or merely imply - depending on each person's style - that they will not support those who vote against the party platform..."
"I came with my wife and baby," said one visitor, "and happened to meet 'our man' as he was about to set off on a walk with his dog. When he saw my wife and baby, and realized why we had come, he immediately turned around and invited us in. We stayed for an hour... We invited him to visit us in our home - either on a personal visit, or on an organized bus tour together with others. I'll call him back in a week or two to finalize the details."
Face-to-Face, Part Two, will continue on Thursday night.
In the framework of the grassroots struggle to ensure that the Likud membership turned down Prime Minister Sharon's "disengagement/eviction/retreat" plan earlier this month, thousands of people visited the homes of most of the 200,000 Likud members, explaining to them the physical and ideological dangers of the withdrawal. In addition to the many who were persuaded to see the wisdom of retaining a Jewish presence in Gaza, many people also said they were happy to have the chance to meet and exchange ideas with other Jews whom they generally do not encounter.
Some of the points that were raised in the face-to-face discussions included:
* the display of national despair and lack of faith involved in retreating from our homeland in the face of the threat of violence
* the "ethical crime" involved in throwing out from their homes the thousands of people who for decades have braved the inconvenience and dangers of living on the frontlines
* the dangerous precedent of running away in the face of terrorism
* the lack of control that Israel will have over terrorist activities in Gaza
* the increased dangers of terrorists acting in the Erez Crossing, which will remain under Israeli control
* the unilateral nature of the withdrawal leaves the Arabs of Gaza with no obligations
* the verbal guarantees from the United States that do not bind the Congress or future American Presidents
* the economic costs of the evacuation and expulsion
* the national disgrace of giving over the homes and synagogues of the victims to those who shot at and killed them.
Part Two of the program began last Thursday, when hundreds of people from Gush Katif and many other towns in Yesha visited the homes of some of the 3,000 Likud Central Committee members. As opposed to the earlier version, when people would try to visit 10-15 homes in an evening, the visitors set off this time - as well as last night and the night before - with only six names and addresses to visit.
"The goal now," explained one organizer, "is to build not only short-range relationships, but also long-lasting ones. We want to discuss with them the immediate dangers of the evacuation of outposts and full-fledged communities - but we also want to go way beyond that. We want to say that the problem of the Arabs and terrorism is a long-standing one that will not be solved in one day, and that meanwhile we have many other fronts on which to work. We must not let this one issue stand in the way of advancing ourselves in many other areas, such as education, and economics, and Aliyah (immigration to Israel). We must - all of us, together - begin to look at issues not just from one-day-to-the-next, but how we want our society to look in a decade from now. We have to restore vision, faith and our links with our Jewish roots to the way in which we plan our future."
The Likud Central Committee comprises some 3,000 party stalwarts who determine the Likud's list of Knesset candidates and, indirectly, those who will become Cabinet ministers. In the framework of the "shorter-range" goals of the current campaign, they are being asked to "use their influence." One of the visitors explained, "We ask them to sign a petition against the uprooting of outposts and the unilateral withdrawal, and to send faxes to the ministers and MKs. These faxes either say straight out, or merely imply - depending on each person's style - that they will not support those who vote against the party platform..."
"I came with my wife and baby," said one visitor, "and happened to meet 'our man' as he was about to set off on a walk with his dog. When he saw my wife and baby, and realized why we had come, he immediately turned around and invited us in. We stayed for an hour... We invited him to visit us in our home - either on a personal visit, or on an organized bus tour together with others. I'll call him back in a week or two to finalize the details."
Face-to-Face, Part Two, will continue on Thursday night.