January 2, 2004

"Civil War?"

Civil war looms over Israel, the Jewish State. I know it’s merely a threat uttered by a few but their words resonate in a way that is totally non-Jewish. Jews must never threaten other Jews. An armed insurrection against the government of Israel if it should determine to remove outposts and settlements in Gaza, Samaria and Judea could only end in tragedy and disgrace regardless of the motives and righteousness of the cause. A Jew must never lift a hand to another Jew.

Moses witnessed a Jew merely raising his hand to another and cried out, "Wicked one, why do you strike your fellow" (Shemot II:13). A blow was not yet delivered but only a hand was raised and Moses determined that the threat is in itself wicked.

It's many years now since Israel’s supporters began complaining about the news coming from Israel which continues more often to be biased in favor of Arabs. "If only Israel’s public relations were better." Imagine an armed conflict between Jews and other Jews. It would be disastrous; Some defend the threat of an internal war as propaganda designed to demonstrate what difficulty Israel would face by dismantling settlements. Assuming this were true, its negative reflection on those who claim that they would fight fellow Jews for land is counter-productive and self-defeating.

The overwhelming majority of settlers are religiously observant. They are beautiful people who represent the noblest ideals of Zionism and Torah. Among the many virtues of those who live at the risk of their lives facing the horrors of terror and suicide bombings is their love of the land of Israel and the people whom G-d endowed with Eretz Israel. The strongest argument these people can make would emanate from their passion and love of their fellow Jew. Demonstrating this love would elicit love and support for their ideology.

But the campaign to keep Samaria, Judea and Gaza began on a day I happened to be in Israel. President Clinton and Ehud Barak, Israel’s Prime Minister were in intense negotiations for peace. Representatives of the settlers protesting this meeting intentionally stopped the traffic in a small country for more that four hours in many different parts of Israel. It was late in the day during the rush hour when hundreds of thousands who were anxious to return home were delayed. Cries of anger and shouting could be heard throughout the country. It was a hostile act.

Jews are very prone to being sympathetic and compassionate but threats of a civil war are provocative and once again can cause a loss of support and worse, respect. If there is a case to be made against the removing or dismantling of settlement, it comes neither from Torah nor Zionist ideology but from a question that gnaws at the mind of every friend of Israel. Do the Arabs really want peace? Will the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank put an end to terrorism and the Arab hatred of Jews? Could children imbued from their first day in school with the terrible notion that Jews are monsters and worthy of death now be taught to respect Jews and live in peace with them? The answer to all these questions is quite obvious, the Arabs will want more land and will continue to stoke the fires of hate.

Who knows with any degree of certainty what Israel’s next move should be. Perhaps Sharon and Olmert know or Natanyahu and Shalom have the answer. There seems to be very little difference between Likud and Labor, between Sharon and Peres, Geneva and Oslo and whatever the current Likud government has in mind. The fact remains that Labor and Likud have a democratic right to speak and act on behalf of all of Israel. Like it or not, Israel must live by the rules of democracy and majority. Claims that the Torah represents a higher authority are correct but whose interpretation of Torah is the right one. Does land supercede the importance of life and matters of national security? Does the practice and learning or Torah and mitzvot increase in the light of a civil conflict? Can Israel’s image remain strong in the eyes of world opinion? Will not our enemies dance in the streets knowing that Jews as well as terrorists can kill Jews? "Torah’s ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace" (Mishlei 3:17) "The wise are careful with their words…" (Avot 1:11)

Shabbat Shalom