The Jewish Leadership Blog

Groundhog Day: Bibi's Implosion, redux

2009-07-12T12:34:00.011-04:00

By Jason Gold

I watched one of my favorite romantic comedies the other evening, Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. In the film, he plays a hedonistic weatherman sent to Pennsylvania to cover the Groundhog Day festivities. He ends up getting stuck there with his crew and reliving the same day over and over until he begins to clean up his act. Because he retains the memory of each day's events, this helps him evolve and eventually get things right.

More and more, the political comedy of current-day Israel reminds me of that movie with Bibi in the Bill Murray role. After all, the country, while desperate for change and real leadership, keeps returning to the same pathetic group of people that just keep digging the hole deeper and deeper and no one seems to be waking up and getting it right. Really now, did anyone truly believe that Bibi 2 was going to be any different than Bibi 1? Did anyone believe that the man who helped throw 10,000 Jews out of their homes in Gush Katif was suddenly going to toughen up on the issue of settlement building? Did anyone doubt that he and Ehud Barak would figure out a way to muzzle and neuter Avigdor Lieberman (not that Lieberman was going to be a figure of deliverance but at least he had the promise of some testosterone/backbone)? Did anyone believe that Bibi's speech at Bar Ilan was going to hold water? Menachem Begin may have started the recognition process of a mythical "palestinian" people by going to Camp David but Bibi seems hellbent on finishing it by openly proclaiming a two-state solution and naively expecting the world to buy into his fantasy of a demilitarized state. In the meantime of course, Ehud Barak meets with George Mitchell and then presto, hilltop communities, buildings, etc magically start coming down at the hands of a new elite unit being designed to take down Yesha.

And while all this is happening, good, misguided people like Ketzeleh, Michael Ben-Ari, Effie Eitam, and Aryeh Eldad stand yelling on the sidelines but are completely impotent to do anything. Why? Because instead of listening to what Feiglin was saying and joining the Likud, they took hundreds of thousands of good people into small, negligible sectoral parties that while comfortable in their internal sameness, would ultimately have no say in Bibi's plans. Just think what would have happened if these leaders and all their people joined Likud. Do you think Bibi could contemplate doing what he is doing now? Do you think that the settlement/settler hater Barak would even be in government? Imaging a top row leadership in Likud of Feiglin, Katz, Ben-Ari, Eitam, Eldad, etc. Right now, Bibi is both laughing at these people while grateful that they did not heed Feiglin's call. It just amazes me how often Feiglin is right about this and about Bibi's coming implosion. But you know, let me now quote a Manhigut supporter on Sarah Honig's latest column in the Jerusalem Post (which I highly recommend) that sums it up quite nicely:

"Reading Sarah Honig's insightful articles pushes the reader into a steep decline of despondency. Week after week her brilliant insights into the workings of the government puts the spotlight on the inadequacies of the Israeli Leadership. It only seems to be getting worse. Our Jewish Leadership is totally devoid of Jewish pride I thought that the bottom had been reached when not long ago a senior member of the government and entourage were forced to enter the meeting room through a kitchen door as the other party refused to sit with The Israeli contingent unless they complied with this outrageous request. Honig's article, IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF SAM LEWIS'S SUCK-UPS-JULY 10, recalling Prime Minister Begin's attitude toward the then US Ambassador Sam Lewis should (but won't) serve as an example to today's politicos. The more Israel acts like a powerless beggar, that's the way it will be treated. Before the elections, voters hoped that Netanyahu would have changed his stripes. Now, the electorate has seen him in action...no backbone, no Jewish pride and he FOLDED LIKE A FAN, in dealing with the American government.

Until we have a Faith-Based Government who believes in The People of Israel, The Land of Israel and Yes, The Torah of Israel, we will be the whipping boy of the world. Until we have a Prime Minister that speaks and believes in the value of Jewish Pride our country will go deeper and deeper into a culture that is valueless. There is a person who can bear the mantle of Begin; who can help Israel become a light unto itself, as well as the rest of the world. Moshe Feiglin can and will be a great leader. His values are |Jewish values and Jewish Pride is of paramount importance. Feiglin walks the walk and talks the talk...He has answers to many of our burning questions...With the hopes that The Israeli voters will recognize the uniqueness and abilities of this man, I remain yours, RUBY RAY KARZEN-JERUSALEM"

'Nuff said.

Property Rights and Jewish Economics

2009-07-12T11:49:00.003-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

'Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. To the more thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance.' (From this week's Torah portion, Pinchas; Number 26: 53-54).

Property rights are a basic value in the Torah. Our Forefathers were all wealthy men. Jacob even endangers himself and re-crosses the Yabok stream to retrieve some small belongings. Our Sages teach us that righteous people hold their money as dear as their bodies. An entire Talmudic tractate deals with the minute details of a "strange" law that does not exist in any other legal system; the laws of returning lost property. While non-Jews may turn in items they have found to their local police station, they do it out of a healthy sense of ethicality - not because it is the law. For Jews, though, the connection between a person and his property is holy. Returning lost items rectifies the world and is a Torah obligation.

The Land of Israel is also considered the private property of the Children of Israel. It is divided equally on a sliding scale to every person aged 20 and up. That is the directive of the Creator of the world. Land is personal property. It is so linked to its owner that even if he loses it in a bad business deal, the land will be returned to him in the Jubilee year. Land and personal property are meant to help the Nation of Israel fulfill its lofty purpose. The Jew who uses his personal property according to the Torah's instructions, elevates the land and his belongings to a state of holiness. Even small items forgotten on the other side of the Yabok cliff are worth the effort and danger involved in retrieving them.

It is a pity that there are leaders in the faith based public who do not understand this fundamental principle. It is a pity that certain rabbis are captivated by populist socialist cliches that theorize that property and economic success necessarily testify to a low ethical standard.

"The Land of Israel belongs to G-d," a well-known spiritual leader explains, "and so we must oppose privatization of land." People speak in the name of Judaism while they actually promote state-supremacist, paternalistic values at the expense of personal liberty. It is a soft form of fascism - diametrically opposed to Jewish values. Afterwards, these same people cannot explain what the problem is with destroying settlements. After all, if the State built them, it can also destroy them.

The foundations of socialism can be found in Christianity; the Christian deity kicks over the table of the money changer near the Temple in Jerusalem. Communism is a distilled form of socialism. Without "God", Communism descends into the murderous atheism of Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot. Those who nullify the sanctity of property ultimately nullify the sanctity of life. Capitalism tempered by the Jewish cultural values of faith and loving kindness is the Jewish economic method.

We must be on guard to ensure that Netanyahu does not use his privatization plan to privatize national property to monopolies and to power/wealth clans in Israel. Manhigut Yehudit is currently preparing a legal proposal for the Knesset that will reserve plots of land for young couples who have completed their army and national service. The guiding principle is the Torah, "Unto these the land shall be divided."

Why is Manhigut Yehudit Still in the Likud?

2009-07-09T23:45:00.000-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

Editor's note: In last week's Hebrew B'sheva newspaper, right wing activist Baruch Marzel wrote an article in which he criticized Moshe Feiglin and Manhigut Yehudit. The main points of Marzel's article were:

1. By remaining in the Likud despite Netanyahu's leftist policies, Manhigut Yehudit is bolstering a party that does not deserve rightist support.
2. Moshe Feiglin should take the widespread support that he enjoys and join up with like-minded rightist parties, such as the National Union, instead of attracting right wing votes that give the Likud power to carry out leftist policies.
3. If Manhigut has as much influence as it claims, it should topple Netanyahu immediately.

The following is Moshe Feiglin's rebuttal to Baruch Marzel. It will appear in next week's B'sheva newspaper.

Approximately half a year ago, the Likud lost the elections to Kadimah, in great part because of the battle that Netanyahu waged against me. Nevertheless, Marzel's party, the National Union, endorsed Netanyahu as its candidate to form a government. Netanyahu is prime minister today thanks to the endorsements of the right wing parties. Now that Netanyahu is promoting the "two-state solution" Marzel is placing the responsibility for deposing Netanyahu - not on his own party - but, of course, on me. Without noticing, Marzel has actually attested to the fact that Manhigut Yehudit has more political power than his own party.

Baruch Marzel is a dear Jew who, like many of the settlers, enjoyed the sweet taste of the Zo Artzeinu protests and wants to continue to bask in their glow. But we cannot forget that after the major Zo Artzeinu protest, Netanyahu became prime minister and, with all the right wing votes in tow, continued to implement the Oslo Accords. Manhigut Yehudit decided that it would no longer play the game. But according to Marzel, the final result of the game is not what is important. All that counts is that you played.

If we ask ourselves how Baruch Marzel has helped the settlements with his Um-El-Fahm antics, we will have a hard time answering. But I can tell you that Baruch and his friends have been very successful. They are successful because their goal, as above, is simply to stay in the game. They don't even dare dream of winning. If you made a judge or reporter angry or if you squeezed an irritated curse word out of a leftist MK, you have put a smile on the faces of many people in the national camp - and you have achieved your goal. Now you can return to "Peace House" or other homes that you have settled in Hebron and wait for the next expulsion with the comforting knowledge that you have done what you can.

It is certainly Marzel's right to act on his beliefs and, in truth, some of his antics have also put smiles on our faces. The problem begins when Baruch and his friends insist on applying the same goals that they have set for themselves to Manhigut Yehudit. From Manhigut Yehudit's inception, we have explained time and again that our goal is not to get the next Netanyahu clone elected. We have but one goal; faith based leadership for Israel. Just as Marzel's success must be judged according to the goal that he has set for himself, Manhigut Yehudit can only be judged in light of its own, vastly different, goal.

The question is not if Feiglin got into the Knesset or if Netanyahu is behaving himself. These are not the goals that Manhigut Yehudit set for itself. It is clear for all to see that I could have been in the Knesset long ago. In addition, I was at the forefront of those who warned against what Bibi would do if and when elected. It is also clear that because of the major goal that we have set for ourselves, Bibi fought against me tooth and nail - dirty tricks included - to prevent my entry into the Knesset. It is ridiculous to claim that the mountain climber who has not yet reached the peak of the Everest has failed, while the person who hasn't even begun to climb has succeeded.

The questions that determine whether Manhigut Yehudit has succeeded are completely different. The question is if Manhigut Yehudit has succeeded in promoting the faith based alternative for leadership of Israel. Is the faith based public today aware of the idea? Are ever-widening circles within Religious Zionism and outside it aware that a new alternative for leadership of Israel exists? Have the faith based candidate and the ideas that he represents penetrated public awareness? Or has nothing changed at all? Has nobody heard of the idea or the candidate? Has anyone begun to dream the dream of faith based leadership?

If the answer is still not completely clear, here is another question. Over whom does Netanyahu, Marzel's nemesis, lose sleep? Likud member Feiglin or National Union MK, my neighbor and good friend, Michael Ben-Ari? Feiglin? Or all the MKs of the National Union put together? If you are willing to face the truth, the answer is clear.

Most of the MKs in both the National Union and the Jewish Home are excellent people who are eminently worthy to serve in the Knesset. But their refusal to actually compete for leadership, their insistence on running in sectoral parties and setting limited goals for the faith based public have diverted the faith based public from its true task; leading Israel with faith in G-d.

Instead, these politicians repeatedly fuse their constituency onto a course that has failed time and again. Since we "stopped the retreat from Sinai" we have continued on the same path and in most cases, with the same people. Now we "stop the retreat" in Gush Katif, "stop the retreat" in the outposts and we can even "stop the retreat" in Ofrah and the established settlements. He who flees his destiny will necessarily find himself fighting a pointless rearguard war. Eventually, he will not even be able to defend himself.

Manhigut Yehudit uses the major political power that it has amassed in the Likud to support and aid settlement in every centimeter of the Land of Israel. The extra-parliamentary struggle is also very important and must continue. Even the antics of Marzel and his friends have their place in the big picture.

But before we run to settle and protest, we must take a very important step. Everybody must register for the Likud. Not only so that we can wage a successful battle for the Land of Israel. First and foremost, we must register for the Likud so that the faith based public will be firmly on the arena where the most important battle of all is being waged - the battle for the leadership of Israel.

The Judgment of Solomon on a Hot Summer's Day

2009-07-09T23:42:00.001-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

The first summer heat wave is already here, and with it the burning forests. If you have any doubts as to whose land this is, just take a look at the Judgment of Solomon that takes place here every time the desert wind blows in from the East. The Jews say, "the baby is mine" and plant trees. The Arabs say "the baby is mine, and as long as he is in your hands, we will turn him to ashes."

This is nothing new. In February 1947, when British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin explained the decision of her majesty's government to transfer the Land of Israel mandate to the UN, he explained the basis of the Arab-Israel conflict as follows:

"For the Jews, the main point is to establish a sovereign Jewish state. For the Arabs, the main point is to completely oppose any form of Jewish sovereignty in any part of Palestine."

The Arabs are not motivated by positive national aspirations. They have no desire to return to a "homeland" and to realize their imaginary "Palestinian" nationality. They simply want to make sure that the Jews are not in Israel. It is not despair caused by loss of what is theirs that motivates them; it is the hope to destroy what belongs to the Jews. The nurturing of this hope is the factor that gave birth to Arab nationalism. The elimination of the hope of the Arabs to drive us from our land will induce calm.

In his book, The Long Short Way, former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe (Bogi) Ya'alon describes how when he was head of Israeli Intelligence he initially believed that Arafat actually wanted a state. Slowly but surely, and after a horrifying period of bloodshed that left scores of Israelis dead, he reached the conclusion that the Arabs of the Land of Israel do not want a state. If the politicians and generals who determine Israel's policies would only study the roots of the conflict, delve into its historical sources and draw conclusions on the basis of facts and not on the basis of wishful thinking – we could save the painful price that Israel's citizens have been paying as they wait for reality to dawn upon its political and military leaders.

The Arabs in Israel never had a separate self-definition. There is not and there never has been a Palestinian nation or a Palestinian state. There is no cultural difference between an Arab in Shechem and an Arab in Damascus or Baghdad – not in language, not in religion and not in custom. The Arabs in the Land of Israel did not have independent national aspirations until the Zionists arrived here. Even afterwards, their national aspirations were limited to the territory in which the Jews lived. Arab nationalism focused its aspirations – not on the Land of Israel – but on the State of Israel. The only territories that interested the Arabs were those that Jews had already settled.

Israel's War of Independence in 1948 was not waged over Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem or over the Right of Return. According to the Partition Plan, all those territories were to remain in Arab hands. The War of Independence was initiated by the heads of the Islamic movement in Israel. Their purpose was strictly to prevent the Jews from establishing a state on a tiny piece of land – much smaller than the area within the "Green Line." And remember, the Arabs were but a small minority in the area that the UN designated for the Jews.

When the PLO was established - prior to the Six Day War, its national aspirations were focused inside the boundaries of the Green Line – the territory held by the Jews after the War of Independence. But wonder of wonders: After the Six Day War and the liberation of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, everything changed. Now the stolen Palestinian homeland was no longer Israel's coastal region, but rather the mountains. Why? Because that's where the Jews lived.

As soon as an Arab army – any Arab army – be it Jordanian, Iraqi, Syrian or Egyptian - controls territory in the Land of Israel – the Palestinian nationalism evaporates. The motivation of the Arabs of the Land of Israel is negative. Bevin's definition was most exact. The smoke from this year's forest fires is proof of his words. Let the land burn – the main thing is that the Jews should not be here.

Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) Conference 2009

2009-07-03T07:40:00.001-04:00

Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) Conference 2009

Please RSVP for the Conference at the following link: http://www.jewishisrael.org/eng_contents/events/events.html or call 516-295-3222 or email usaevents@jewishisrael.org

* Added by Manhigut Yehudit on July 3, 2009 at 5:31am

Why Isn't Gilad Shalit Home?:

2009-07-02T22:44:00.000-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

6 Tamuz 5769
June 28, '09

Translated from the NRG website

The painful history of soldiers who have fallen into the hands of terror organizations did not begin with Gilad Shalit. First we must remove businessman Elchanan Tannenbaum from the list of captives. Tannenbaum was an unusual case. PM Sharon, for his own corrupt reasons, pressured his ministers into paying an exorbitant price for Tannenbaums' release. But barring that aberration, the last time that soldiers returned alive from terrorist captivity was in the Jibril deal in 1985.

The list of soldiers kidnapped by terrorists is long and merciless. Ron Arad; Givati fighters Rachamim Alshich and Yosef Fink; the soldiers kidnapped from Har Dov - Omar Suweid, Benny Avraham and Adi Avitan; Nissim Toledano; Ilan Sa'adon; Avi Sassportas; Yaron Chai; Nachshon Wachsman; Aryeh Frankental; Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. With the exception of Nachshon Wachsman, Israel employed the same method of extended negotiations to bring its soldiers home. Not one of them came back alive. Israeli is currently employing the same method in Gildad Shalit's case.

Until the reprehensible Jibril deal, Israel's captive policy was completely different. The main option was military action. Sometimes that action failed - as was the case with the hostage children of Avivim. Sometimes military action succeeded - as in Entebbe. Generally, no negotiations were conducted. And if there were negotiations, the price paid for the release of prisoners was reasonable - as prescribed by Jewish law. Israel paid for dead bodies with dead bodies.

We can certainly claim that the Jibril deal and the wholesale release of terrorists that ensued was the main catalyst for the first Arab intifada that began a short time afterwards. The number of Israeli citizens either directly killed by the newly released murderers or indirectly killed by the murderous momentum created by that release is frighteningly disproportionate to the number of soldiers that came home as a result of the deal.

Paradoxically, in the 24 years that have passed since Israel decided to pay "any price" to save its captive soldiers, it has not brought one soldier home alive. But it has brought about the cruel deaths of almost two thousand Israeli citizens - men, women and children.

"Any price" means all the terrorists imprisoned in Israel. It does not mean military action, because, after all, war is negative. So "any price" is not any price at all. I am not sure that the protesters for Gilad Shalit would be willing to bomb Gaza and deal with all the international condemnations and boycotts that we would have to face until the Hamas would release him. Israel isn't even willing to cut off the electricity in Gaza to bring Gilad home. "Any price" is really a euphemism for any pacifistic action that will appease the extreme left while affording media star status to the politicians who pay it.

If we take the facts of the past 24 years into account we can safely say that whoever demands to free Gilad "at any price" is actually sentencing him to death. I hope that I am wrong, but the real meaning of "any price" is that there is no price. The terrorists understand that time is on their side. The more cruel that they are, the more that they conceal information and even if they G-d forbid murder their captive and bargain for his body - the price that they will exact from Israel will only rise.

Furthermore, due to the fact that the price that Israel is willing to pay for Gilad does not include war and the fact that the continued incarceration of terrorists (in luxury conditions) does not bother the enemy very much, the optimal choice as far as they are concerned is to perpetuate the current status quo. After all, the situation in which Israel is daily humiliated and demeaned will end when Gilad is released. So why release him?

"Nothing to kill or die for" sang John Lennon. This approach has developed deep roots in Israel since the first Lebanon war. The infamous demonstration of 400,000 (that number is extremely inflated) leftists and the entire leftist movement that reared its head during that war heralded the dubious post modern pretense that war is absolute evil and meaningless and that all we have to do is to imagine a different reality and then everything will work out.

The highly acclaimed film, "Waltz with Bashir" that portrays the first Lebanon war projects this pretense. It describes a war with no rhyme or reason. I was an officer in the first Lebanon war and I can say that this was not the feeling of the soldiers that I encountered. Just like any other facet of life, one sees war through the lenses that he brings with him from home.

Since the first Lebanon war, the Left has fitted the Nation of Israel with glasses that see war as illegitimate and shameful - no matter what. From that time on, preserving the lives of Israel's soldiers has become the supreme value. When the enemy realized this after the Jibril deal, the odds for returning captive soldiers home alive plunged. As soon as Israel declared that its main goal is to "return its soldiers home alive and well" no captive has returned.

Something else happened exactly 24 years ago. Israel betrayed and abandoned its agent, Jonathan Pollard, to American captivity. There is an intrinsic symmetry between Israel's full cooperation with Pollard's captors and our inability to bring other captives home. The Nation of Israel is one body, whether in Israel or in the Diaspora. When the betrayal virus attacks one organ, it quickly spreads throughout the body.

Jonathan Pollard saved us from a nuclear Iraq because we are Jews. But we have abandoned him because we prefer to see ourselves as Israelis and to see him as an American traitor. As soon as we turned our backs on our Jewish identity, we lost the ability to remain loyal to our Israeli identity, as well.

Riding the Jewish Revolution Wave

2009-07-02T22:42:00.001-04:00

Last year's elections significantly strengthened the Manhigut Yehudit faction - both within the Likud and in Israeli politics in general. Manhigut Yehudit already wields considerable political influence, but for obvious reasons, most of that influence must remain concealed behind the scenes.

One excellent example that we can talk about is Manhigut Yehudit's influence in ensuring MK Uri Ariel's election to the Committee for Appointment of Judges. Ariel's election would not have been possible without Manhigut Yehudit. It is a strong blow to the "state of all its citizens" proponents. The fact that there is now a "rightist" majority on the committee hampers former Chief Justice Aharon Barak's ability to continue to clone Israel's justice system in his own anti-Semitic image.

Between elections, people often wonder what Manhigut Yehudit does in the interim. The very fact that so many people are anxious to know what we are doing is testimony to great anticipation. The previous elections gave us just a taste of the faith-based revolution toward which we are progressing. The tremendous interest displayed by the media in the face-off between Netanyahu and Feiglin reflected the basic understanding that Feiglin represents alternative leadership that is already taking its first steps into Israeli reality. People want to know what Manhigut Yehudit is doing because they want to re-experience the Jewish revolution in-the-making.

This is where our patience must come into play. When the sea is at its low ebb and our ship is beached on the sand, our role is to prepare it to ride the Jewish revolution wave. High tide always comes and each time that it does, it pushes us closer to our leadership destination.

Now is the time to work hard; to register friends and family and to bring word of the Jewish leadership revolution to every Jewish household. We will prepare our ship to ride the wave and with G-d's help, it will carry us straight to leadership of Israel!

To Dwell Alone

2009-07-02T22:37:00.000-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

"It is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations." (From this week's Torah portion, Balak, Numbers 23:9)

Currently, Israel's very essence is its unrequited ambition to be reckoned among the nations. Official Israel does all in its power to be "normal -" in other words, to be like the nations of the world. Israel yearns to be accepted, to "belong," to enjoy the patronage of the nations. It will settle for almost anything. As long as it will not have to dwell alone.

Jewish home in outpost.
Sign says "G-d is King."

But when Israel scrounges for some "acceptance" crumbs from the nations, its American "ally" humiliates it and shows it the soles of his shoes. Even its good friend from France joins the Israel-bashing trend and takes the liberty of rearranging Israel's ministerial positions - and of course leaks the content of the scolding to the press.

Israel tries to appease the nations. It surrenders to their demands. It has given them a foothold and even sovereignty in the very heart of the Land. It does not strive to be a "nation that dwells alone" but rather to establish "two states for two nations" in the land in which it is destined to dwell alone. Israel is being trampled. Obama and Sarkozy are just the beginning.

With G-d's help, Israel will soon have true Jewish leadership; leadership that does not seek the patronage and approval of the nations. Soon we will have leadership that will focus on the challenges at home and strive to fulfill the historical destiny of the Nation of Israel. Authentic Jewish leadership will also enjoy respect from the nations and will merit the blessing in this week's Torah portion:

"He shall eat up the nations that are his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them through with his arrows." (Numbers 24:8)

Moshe Feiglin on Netanyahu's 6/14/09 Policy Speech

2009-06-24T22:09:00.001-04:00

From the June 15th Manhigut Mondays regular interview segment with Moshe Feiglin on Yishai Fleisher's online radio program www.israelnationalradio.com. To hear the rest of the interview please visit www.jewishisrael.org

Netanyahu’s inner truth?

2009-06-22T07:17:00.002-04:00

By Hagai Segal

Prime minister’s current views could apparently change by tomorrow

The shapers of public opinion around here admire leaders with fluid principles; especially when it comes to rightist leaders. The moment they pledge allegiance to the Knesset, they face heavy pressure to deny past promises, violate pledges, and make u-turns.

Moses, David Ben-Gurion, and Menachem Begin did not employee a pollster. They acted based on what they believed in, and the people adapted themselves accordingly. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, does nothing without such advisor. His name is Yisrael Bachar.

Last week, Bachar was interviewed on radio, on the occasion of the successful Bar-Ilan function, and said that the prime minister arrived at the university filled with desire to “face the public and utter his inner truth.”

To be honest, it isn’t quite clear what “inner truth” means. The nature of things is that any person can have one truth at most. If the prime minister simultaneously maintains a complex system of two truths, an outer and an inner one, he would do well to avoid a polygraph test. Someone may ask him for his view on the establishment of a Palestinian state, and he may be confused between his own views and the views of the pollsters and advisors.

Indeed, interviewer Yaron Dekel suspected something. He asked Bachar: Since when does the endorsement of a Palestinian state reflect Netanyahu’s inner truth? Bachar responded with one very decisive word: “Today!”

That is, this is the inner truth as of today. Tomorrow, Netanyahu will have a new inner truth, and so on and so forth. For example, he will renounce the demand to demilitarize Palestine, and possibly even the notion of the united Jerusalem, and again he will draw praise.

Fluid principles

If we use an Iranian analogy, what we are dealing with here is election fraud, no less. Had Netanyahu delivered the Bar-Ilan speech on the eve of elections, his party would not have won 27 Knesset seats.

Back then, he invested immense efforts in order to draw votes from other rightist parties, and at the last moment he managed to get two or three extra Knesset seats that way to bring him to power.

“It’s either me or Livni,” he warned undecided rightist voters in winter, but he did not tell them that within three months he will adopt Livni’s views. Livni ran a campaign based on the idea of two states for two peoples, and suddenly Netanyahu is doing the same. The notion of rotation between them suddenly appears more moral than ever. After all, they are so similar.

The Silly and Harmful Fantasy of “Two States for Two Peoples”

2009-06-17T15:30:00.000-04:00

By Steven Plaut

Those who support the “Two States for Two Peoples” doctrine, and I suppose that now one must even include Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu in that category, no matter how reluctantly he joined it, have a very simple position. Indeed, the entire “Two States for Two Peoples” doctrine can be summed up in one simple idea, in fact in onXye simple sentence. It is this: maybe after the Palestinians get their own state, then they will agree to live in peace with Israel. No matter how complex and “scholarly” is any article or position paper that supports “Two States for Two Peoples” doctrine, once one clears away the verbiage it all boils down to that one simple idea.

To put it even more strongly, no one who is currently promoting “Two States for Two Peoples” would still be promoting it if they could be persuaded beyond all doubt that the Palestinians would NOT live in peace after getting their own state under “Two States for Two Peoples,” or if they discovered with certainty that the second of those states (“Palestine”) would be used for nothing other than terrorist aggression. Well, almost no one would. In the increasingly anti-Semitic Left around the world and even at the margins of the Israeli Far Left there are already people arguing that Israel should agree to “Two States for Two Peoples” even if it is totally clear and obvious that “Palestine” will be used for nothing besides terrorist aggression against Israel. They support that idea because they think that creating a Palestinian state is the right thing to do no matter how destructive it will be and no matter how disastrous for Israel will be the consequences of its creation. The more honest far Leftists defend this position by admitting that they want Israel annihilated and all of its Jews thrown into the sea.

Today to promote “Two States for Two Peoples” requires a bit of cognitive dissonance. After all, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, turning it over to the “Palestinian Authority,” and the whole world saw the consequences. They included 8000 rocket missiles aimed at Jewish civilians inside Israel. So those who insist that the Palestinian will desire to live in peace once they have their own state are about as consistent and credible as are people who argue that North Korea and Iran will seek genuine peace once they get nuclear weapons, or those that once insisted that Hitler would be satisfied once he gets the Sudetenland.

But more generally, the whole “Two States for Two Peoples” campaign is nothing more than a special case of the “Then Maybe they Will” doctrine. For the past 30 years the Israeli political establishment has been prisoner to the "Then Maybe They Will" doctrine. Every major policy decision made by the government has reflected the power of wishful thinking and faith in the make-pretend. Here is a brief recapitulation of the doctrine:

If Israel gives Sinai back to the Egyptians, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL stop the Nazi-like anti-Semitic propaganda in their state-run media.

If Israel agrees to limited autonomy for Palestinians, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL stop seeking Israel's destruction and the world will not try to set up an independent Palestinian Arab terror state.

If Israel provides the Palestinian Authority with arms and funds, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL not be used for terrorist atrocities against Israel.

If Israel grants its Arab citizens affirmative action preferences, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL stop cheering terrorists and seeking the annihilation of Israel and its Jewish population.

If Israel frees thousands of jailed Palestinian terrorists, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL renounce violence and not murder any more Jews.

If Israel agrees to hold talks with representatives of the PLO, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL put a stop to Palestinian terrorism.

If Israel allows the Palestinians to hold elections, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL not elect Hamas.

If the Palestinians elect Hamas, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL not pursue a program of aggression and terrorism against Israel.

If Israel holds talks with terrorists, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL renounce their genocidal ambitions and seek peace.

If Israel conducts a unilateral withdrawal from all of southern Lebanon and allows Hezb’allah terrorists to station rockets on the border, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL not launch any of them.

If Israel sits back while the Syrians exert their hegemony over Lebanon, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL rein in Hezb’allah and stop border attacks on Israel.

If Israel refrains from retaliating against Hezb’allah terrorists after they murder captive Israeli soldiers in cold blood, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL not seek to kidnap any more soldiers.

If Israel agrees to one cease-fire after another with the Arabs, THEN MAYBE THE ARABS WILL eventually comply with one.

If Israel allows Arabs in Israel to build illegally, including on public lands, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL become pro-Israel and moderate.

If Israel agrees to the stationing of UN troops in Lebanon, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL actually do something to stop terror attacks on Israel.

If Israel ignores Hezb’allah border violations, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL come to an end.

If Israel lets the Muslims control the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL respond with friendship and moderation.

If Israel expels all Jews from Gaza as a gesture of friendship to the Palestinians, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL reciprocate with friendship toward the Jews.

If Israel turns the Gaza Strip over to the Palestinians, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL not use it as a base for terror attacks against Israel.

If Israel turns the other cheek after Qassam rocket attacks from Gaza, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL stop being fired.

If Israel allows the Palestinian Authority to control parts of the West Bank, THEN MAYBE THE PALESTINIANS WILL not fire rockets at Jews the same way they do from Gaza.

If Israel returns the Golan Heights to Syria THEN MAYBE THE SYRIANS WILL seek peace and reject the idea of using the Heights to attack Israel again.

If Israel agrees to place its neck in the Oslo/Road Map/Saudi Plan noose, THEN MAYBE THE ARABS WILL not pull the rope.

If Israel officially agrees in principle to let the Palestinians have a state, THEN MAYBE THEY WILL abandon their agenda of annihilating Israel.

Moshe Feiglin Response To President Obama on YouTube

2009-06-16T16:32:00.000-04:00

The Jewish Leadership Movement
24 Sivan, 5769 (June 16)

Moshe Feiglin
You Tube Project

The following is a very important video by Moshe Feiglin.

It is Moshe's response to President Obama's speech in Cairo and his alternative to Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech in Bar Ilan University.

Please watch it and pass it along to as many friends as possible.

Moshe Feiglin is the ONLY Jewish political leader that speaks this way.

Watch it and see what a true JEWISH leader is:

You can also see this movie on the Jewish Leadership Movement website at http://www.jewishisrael.org/eng_contents/video/video011.html.

This entire video was filmed and edited by our own "in-house" staff.

It is our desire to produce these high-quality videos once each week and post them on our website - www.JewishIsrael.org, our Facebook page, plus on "You Tube" and as many blogs and websites as possible.

In order to do that, we need to build our own studio and get some professional equipment (which we borrowed for the production of this video).

Please click here to donate $18 to to become a partner in the
Moshe Feiglin You Tube Project!

Let the entire world see these videos.

Let them learn about Moshe Feiglin and understand that new leaders in Israel, who are strong and proud - and VERY JEWISH, are on the horizon.

And let the whole world know that AM YISRAEL CHAI!!!

Moshe Feiglin Responds to Netanyahu's Speech

2009-06-15T13:10:00.000-04:00

June 14, 2009...

Just a few years ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu made his vote in favor of the Disengagement from Gush Katif conditional on 14 reservations. Ariel Sharon used Netanyahu's votes of support to implement his Expulsion of 10,000 Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria while forgetting about Bibi's reservations.

In his speech at Bar Ilan University this evening, Netanyahu assented in principle to a Palestinian state in our biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria (and in other parts of the Land of Israel) - with conditions. The door to continued American pressure has been opened wide, the price of the time to be bought will be dear in Jewish blood, and we can expect that in due time all of Netanyahu's reservations will once again evaporate or be rendered moot.

The Likud must quickly elect a new chairman who is loyal to its constitution, the decisions of its institutions, to its electorate, and to the principles of the national camp.

The Likud Constitution states:

Chapter 2: Objectives

Preserving the right of the Jewish Nation to the Land of Israel as an eternal, inalienable right, perseverance in the settlement and development of all parts of the Land of Israel and implementation of the State's sovereignty on them.

The Speech Netanyahu Will Make and the Speech Every Israeli PM Should Make

2009-06-12T12:26:00.000-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

I do not know what Netanyahu will say in his address to the nation this coming Sunday. I certainly hope that he will connect to his Jewish roots, declare that we can rely only on G-d and highlight the uniqueness of the Nation of Israel and its destiny. If he does so, he will have taken a giant leap in the right direction and we will stand behind him to the best of our abilities.

There are quite a few things that we can learn from Obama. While it is true that the man has no real message, he promotes his warped policies full steam ahead. Obama has a goal and he is focused on achieving it. If Netanyahu wishes to do so, he can also use his upcoming speech to steer Israel onto a new course.

But from the very fact that Obama did not divulge the content of his speech to Netanyahu before it was delivered, while Netanyahu is preparing his speech in coordination with Obama and with his approval, we can conclude that while Obama decided on a new direction and would not allow Netanyahu to interfere, Netanyahu has capitulated to the boss in the White House.

It is highly improbable that Netanyahu will announce a change of direction for Israel. Unfortunately, it is much more likely that his speech will include a very bitter pill called "consent to a 'Palestinian' state," albeit with ridiculous restrictions that are completely inapplicable. (There is no such thing as a state that is prohibited from making treaties and retaining armed forces.) Netanyahu's speech will likely also include another bitter pill; destruction of settlements that will be euphemistically referred to as "illegal." Netanyahu will wrap these bitter pills will all sorts of conditions that will melt away immediately. He will wax poetic with words of praise for the wonderful settlers of the Land of Israel and our holy places for which we will always long. He may also propose a magical new peace plan that will obviously be rejected at once by the Arabs.

I hope and pray that this forecast is wrong. But unfortunately, it is the more realistic of the two options. The details of Netanyahu's speech will be forgotten in no time. All that will be left will be his willingness to establish an additional Arab ('Palestinian') state in the heart of the Land of Israel and his willingness to destroy settlements. Pressure on Israel to retreat even further will only increase and Netanyahu will likely try to alleviate some of the pressure by destroying more settlements.

The Speech that Every Israeli PM Should Make

President Obama,

With singular devotion to your identity and your values, you set out to lead your country. And you succeeded. I am also committed to leading my nation, with devotion to its identity and its values. You can certainly understand that one cannot lead a nation to peace and prosperity while denying it most basic values.

In your speech in Cairo, you declared your Christian faith and appealed to the common denominator of the faithful of the three religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

The common denominator of those religions is the faith in the One G-d and in the Bible that the Nation of Israel brought to the world. The faithful of the three religions understand that peace and prosperity will begin to reign in our world when we fulfill the will of our Father in Heaven.

"You are children of G-d, your G-d," the Creator directs us in the holy Torah. The Jews are My children. It is to them that I designated the Holy Land so that they could build their homes and Holy Temple there and from there I will bestow my Divine Presence and blessing on the entire world.

Please allow me to quote another verse from the book upon which all the religions are founded: "Those who bless you will be blessed," G-d says to Abraham, "and those who curse you will be cursed."

Do you think, Mr. President, that pressuring Israel to evict the children of G-d from our Holy Land, bequeathed to them - and only them - by G-d - will bring blessing to your land? Do you think that tearing the Nation of Israel from its ancient homeland and from its destiny ordained by the King of the world will bring prosperity to humanity?

From the Temple Mount, holiest of all Jewish sites on earth, I call to the American nation and to all nations that hold liberty dear. Do not place obstacles on the path of peace that is outlined in the holy Torah. Do not place obstacles on the path of the return of the Jewish nation to its land. Do not place obstacles on the path to the redemption of the entire world. Instead, do all in your power to foster the process of the Return to Zion and to the continued fulfillment of the prophecies of blessing before our very eyes. You can help by encouraging the Jewish neighbors who you have had the merit of hosting in your lands and who brought blessing upon you - to return to their Holy Land and to fulfill their destiny. You can also help by encouraging the absorption of those non-Jews who presently live in Israel and who do not accept Jewish sovereignty in the Jewish land - in one of the 22 Arab countries or in any other land that they choose.

This is the only true peace plan because this is the will of G-d. He who questions the right of the Nation of Israel to even one grain of sand in its holy land in effect has declared war on the Jewish State and on world peace. It is my duty as the Prime Minister of Israel to defend my nation from all lurking dangers and from all those who plot against it. Our nation can be sure that with the help of G-d, we will defeat all of our enemies.

Mr. President, your nation and your land have many merits. I call upon you to fulfill the will of G-d, to preserve the great merits that your nation has amassed and to merit the blessing of the G-d of Israel. As a first step, I call upon you to immediately release a dear and special Jew who saved Israel and the entire world from the danger of the nuclear bomb that Sadaam Hussein was developing. Jonathan Pollard has been imprisoned in your country for 24 years. His continued incarceration is a message of hostility toward the Jewish nation. The time has come to do justice and to release Jonathan Pollard to his family, his nation and his land.

In our sources it is written that anyone who saves just one Jew has brought life to the entire world. If you really desire to save the world, there is no better way to start than by saving one dear Jew, Jonathan Pollard.

For now, we in Israel will focus on the truly important tasks before us; Jewish education, absorption of new immigrants, building our land and creating a free economy based on the Jewish cultural values of faith and loving kindness. We will deepen our connection to the holy Torah of the Land of Israel as we reveal more and more of its inner meaning. We will build a free society that bears the message of liberty and faith to the entire world. We will focus on our destiny: To perfect the world in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Faith in G-d Key to Leadership in Israel

2009-06-12T12:24:00.000-04:00

"And we were in our eyes as grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes." (From this week's Torah portion, Shlach Lecha, Numbers 13:33)

If you do not know that G-d is running the world, the only way to evaluate reality is through human eyes. That is called being "realistic" and "pragmatic." The spies in this week's Torah portion were not lying. The information that they reported was completely accurate. The only problem was that they observed reality without taking faith in G-d into account.

When Israel's leader views reality without the key factor of faith in G-d, it makes him and his country look awfully small in the eyes of the other nations. And then, the president of the United States, who grovels before every small dictator and terrorist, sees him and his country as nothing more than - grasshoppers.

And then he shows you the soles of his shoes.

President Obama as photographed this week during his phone conversation with Netanyahu. It is no coincidence that the White House chose to publicize this photograph.

"And all the nations of the world will see that the Name of G-d is upon you and they will fear you." (Deuteronomy 28:10)

When we will have leadership that fears G-d, we will restore our lost honor and power of deterrence. In the meantime, the honor is afforded to other leaders who call out in the names of their gods.

Shabbat Shalom,
Moshe Feiglin

3:0 for the Islamic Front

2009-06-05T18:03:00.000-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

4 Sivan, 5769
May 27, '09

Translated from the Hebrew article in Makor Rishon.

"We may have to take down illegal outposts, as the US demands, in order to focus attention on the Iranian threat."

Demolished outpost Maoz Esther, Wednesday

These words, spoken by Binyamin Netanyahu at a stormy Likud Knesset meeting last week, testify to the fact that an anti-Semitic outpost has been planted in the heart of Israeli mentality. Its name? "Illegal outposts."

No serious person claims that the persecution of the Jewish settlement movement is in any way connected to the necessity to abide by the law. The Jewish buildings slated for demolition are surrounded by countless Arab structures even less " "legal" than the outposts - but nobody pays them any attention. In other words, the term "illegal outposts" is an Orwellian euphemism that is meant to conceal simple anti-Semitism. Netanyahu, Lieberman and all the coalition members who use this terminology in an attempt to hide their capitulation to pressure from the Left, the Arabs, Obama and the rest of the world must know that they have been ensnared in anti-Semitic semantics. There is no difference between negating the right of Jews to live in the mountains of Samaria and negating the right of Jews to walk on the sidewalk. The term "illegal outposts" is a salute to Goebbels. Period.

Those people who do not have the tools to understand Israel's uniqueness in the eyes of G-d will necessarily adopt anti-Semitic premises. A Jew can not be normal. If he does not accept that he is chosen by G-d, he will ultimately stoop lower than anyone else. That is why in the battle currently being fought between the Islamic front and Netanyahu, the score is 3 to nothing.

In order to defeat the enemy, it is imperative to understand who he is. But a person who cannot identify himself cannot identify his enemies, either. He loses even before the game begins. If he cannot defeat his enemy - he ends up joining him - and channeling his energies inward - against the "illegal outposts" instead of fighting his real enemy.

Let us analyze the battlefront that Israel faces. It is comprised of four major players: Mahmoud Abbas, Mahmoud Achmadinijad, Barack Hussein Obama and Binyamin Netanyahu. The first two want to destroy Israel and replace it with a Moslem entity. The third is patently pro-Moslem and consistently supports the first two. And the fourth doesn't really understand who he is. He attempts to be "pragmatic" in a struggle that is completely religious and willingly folds up the barriers blocking the first three.

Here is how the pre-game warm-ups have gone in the short time that Netanyahu has been prime minister:

Mahmoud Abbas refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state prior to the start of negotiations. Obama supported Abbas' positions and Netanyahu, of course, gave in. The result is that Israel recognizes the "Palestinian nation" and its right to a nation state in the Land of Israel, while the "Palestinians" - with the rest of the world following suit - do not recognize the right of the Jews to have a state in their land. That's a goal for the "Palestinians." The score is now one to nothing.

Mahmoud Achmadinijad doesn't have a bomb yet, but the Jews have already begun to destroy themselves. Netanyahu has surrendered and is channeling Israel's energies against the outposts in a futile attempt to buy international approval to attack Iran. The pictures of the destroyed outposts broadcast throughout the world will help Netanyahu attack Iran like the pictures of the destroyed Gush Katif made Europe repent. It is a clear case of the dialectic of destruction - channeling destructive energy inward against an "enemy" that can be easily defeated. That's another goal for the Islamic front. The score is now two to nothing.

When Barack Hussein Obama released the trial balloon called Bushehr in exchange for Yitzhar, it seemed that Netanyahu could easily deflect this anti-Semitic proposal - that really means that a Jew has to pay for the right to live. The nuclear danger presented by Iran is widely understood in the world and the foolish correlation between the settlements and the need to stop the Iranian threat is easy to invalidate. But last week, Netanyahu adopted the Bushehr for Yitzhar principle and distributed eviction notices to the Jewish settlers.

That's three to nothing for the Islamic front.

We have lost world recognition of our right to a state, we have destroyed settlements and we have adopted the Bushehr for Yitzhar principle - in other words, it is not the Iranians who are the problem - it is the Israelis.

That is the list of Netanyahu's achievements until now.

And the game has not even begun.

Why Doesn't Manhigut Yehudit Lead the Struggle for the Outposts?

2009-06-05T18:02:00.000-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

"Why aren't you leading the struggle for the outposts?" we hear time and again. "Before you lead the nation - the least you can do is to lead the settlers!"

We fielded the very same questions before the Expulsion from Gush Katif, and we answered them in our (Hebrew) booklet called Lessons from Gush Katif. But now is the time to review some of the facts.

After we led a highly successful popular struggle under the banner of Zo Artzeinu, people understood that there were a lot more like-minded Israelis out there than they had originally thought. The public atmosphere created in large part by Zo Artzeinu played a major role in Netanyahu's defeat of Peres in the 1996 elections. But as the newly elected right wing prime minister, Netanyahu did not renounce the Oslo Accords. Just the opposite occurred. He ran to Arafat, shook his hand in both of his, announced that he had found a friend, gave weapons and money to terrorists, released terrorists from Israeli jails (who promptly murdered Jews again) and surrendered most of Hebron to the Arabs. In short, the leaders of Zo Artzeinu sat in jail while Netanyahu carried on along the very path that he had been elected to renounce.

Practically speaking, Netanyahu's actions were more damaging than Rabin's. As long as it was the Left surrendering to the enemy, there was still hope that the Right would return to power and put the Israeli train of sanity back on track. But when Netanyahu dedicated himself to the same suicidal process, he gave Oslo the official seal of approval of the national camp and eliminated any chance to return to sanity and life.

Clearly, there is no point in reviving Zo Artzeinu, forcing new elections and then voting for the same or improved version of "Bibi". A person who does not learn from his mistakes is a fool.

"Nobody denies that Manhigut Yehudit is doing important work. But why can't you lead the political struggle and simultaneously lead the on-the-ground struggle?" people continue to ask. The answer is that that is impossible. Manhigut Yehudit is doing all that it can to help the popular struggle and stands on the front lines with the settlers. But we cannot lead the struggle.

Why not? The secret of Zo Artzeinu's success was in the simple declaration that we meant business and would not compromise. That included the willingness to be arrested, incarcerated and subjected to long, drawn-out trials. That is leadership. It is impossible to struggle against the crimes of the regime according to the laws and limits that the regime itself determines. For example, we had a rule during the Zo Artzeinu days that we would not request police authorization to hold demonstrations - even when we knew that they would be completely peaceful.

Today, the situation is much worse. Any popular leadership that begins to succeed will find itself behind lock and key in no time, and will have to face accusations ranging from sedition to endangering world peace and everything in between. Due to the fact that these leaders will not be Arabs or leftists, but rather faith-based Jews, the charges brought against them will serve as a reason to disqualify them from running for political office.

Manhigut Yehudit is promoting Jewish leadership for Israel. The place where that can be accomplished is the political arena. As we have learned the hard way, a popular struggle that has no political outlet will find itself back at square one. That is why we established Manhigut Yehudit and Jewish leadership for Israel is our goal - to the exclusion of other goals, as important as they may be.

We are not making light of a popular struggle. We believe that it is very important, we have explained what we believe to be the correct strategy for such a struggle and we will help in any way we can. But other people will have to step forward to lead it.

Another question that we are often asked is, "Where are the Likud MKs to whom we gave our support? Why aren't they standing up now to help the settlements?"

First of all, some of the Likud MKs are working hard to stop the destructive process. MKs Danny Danon and Tzippy Hotobeli have already taken initiative and organized widespread opposition to the "two state solution." The Likud Knesset meetings are rife with dissent to Netanyahu's destructive policies. There is no doubt that the majority of the Likud MKs oppose the destruction. In that respect, Manhigut Yehudit and all the people who registered for the Likud have good reason to smile.

Please remember: If one quarter of the people who came to Kfar Maimon to protest the Expulsion from Gush Katif and ended up circling the gates of the village for no particular reason would have registered for the Likud, there would have been no threat today against the settlements.

It is not too late. Massive registration for the Likud now will send the loyal Likud MKs the message that their constituency expects them to oppose any planned destructions. It will significantly hamper Netanyahu's ability to destroy as he pleases. Experience has proven that registration for the Likud is a powerful tool that has no negative side effects.

Do not stand by the wayside. Commit yourself to registering five new members to the Likud every month. Click here, print out the Likud registration forms and fax the completed forms to our office at 09-792-0570, or mail to our office at:
POB 21
Ginot Shomron
44853
Israel
For more information or for help with filling out the Hebrew form, call our office at 09-792-9046.

Some people will undoubtedly ask, "Now? While Bibi is destroying Jewish settlements you want us to join the Likud?"

The answer is now, more than ever! The Likud is not just an ordinary political party. The Likud, like the Knesset, is an arena. It is the arena in which the leadership of Israel and the direction that it will take is determined. If you register for the Likud, you can enter the arena and fight for what you believe in. But if you do not even enter the arena where the battle is being fought, what do you expect???

Keep up to date with our latest articles and audio updates

Visit our website: www.jewishisrael.org

Taking the Slavery out of the Jews

2009-06-05T17:59:00.000-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

"We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt for free" (From this week's Torah portion, B'ha'alotcha, Numbers 11:5)

To say that we got fish for free in Egypt is like fondly reminiscing about the free bowl of "soup" that we got in Auschwitz. Not that the Israelites were hungry in the desert. They had the honey flavored manna to eat. So why the glowing memories of Egyptian fish?

That is simply the nature of a slave. In his book Night Flight, Antoine de Saint-Exup?ry describes the lifestyle of Arab tribes in the Sahara desert. When a slave would become old, he would be freed. But the slave would beg to continue to serve his master. When his supplications would be refused, he would not seek out a new life as a free man. He would simply lie on the sand in the desert and dehydrate for a few days until death would release him from bondage.

Through the spectrum of their slave mentality, the fish that the Israelites received from the Egyptians was a gift. The horrific price that they paid as slaves was not part of the equation. It was just the way the world turned. It was only natural that the Israelites were tortured and murdered; it was only natural that their baby sons were thrown into the Nile. After all, they were not actually human beings. All that they remembered was the un-natural: the fact that their masters were 'kind' enough to give them a piece of fish.

When Obama makes dealing with the Iranian threat contingent on the destruction of Jewish settlements, what he is actually saying is that we do not have the right to live. But if we would like to continue to breathe this world's air nevertheless, we have to pay. For Jews, life is not a right - it is a gift.

When Netanyahu explains in the Likud Knesset meeting that "We may have to take down illegal outposts as the US demands in order to focus attention on the Iranian threat," he accepts Obama's warped logic.

It makes no difference that objectively, our economic and security situation is excellent. Israel's economy is much stronger than America's. The shekel is stronger than the dollar. We have a modern and well-equipped army. We have "manna" that is delicious beyond belief. But he who is enslaved to the American master, sees none of the above. He thinks that he cannot get by without "American aid" - the modern day version of "free" Egyptian fish.

Nothing will happen if Netanyahu simply tells Obama no. All that he has to do is to step out of his slave mentality. In the meantime, though, the opposite is taking place. Netanyahu thinks that if he destroys the outposts, he will buy approval to act on other fronts. He doesn't understand that he who surrenders his right to free settlement also surrenders his right to defend himself. He who destroys Mitzpeh Yitzhar can no longer attack in Bushehr.

Israel's Army Out of the Box

2009-05-27T22:17:00.000-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

1 Sivan 5769
May 24, '09

Translated from the Hebrew article on NRG

In Israel, you just don't talk about Israel's Defense Forces, the IDF.
People prefer not to think about the army's shortcomings, blithely saying that if the IDF has successfully protected Israel over the past sixty years, it must know what it is doing. Only people from within the system - and with a lot of decorations on their shoulders - are allowed to express their opinions and occasionally - their criticism.

With all due respect to the IDF, a serious analysis of the history of Israel's wars leads us to the conclusion that in some cases, Israel didn't survive because of the IDF, but despite it. The IDF is the army of the entire nation. It is the largest and most important tool that Israel has in its battle for its physical survival. Silencing constructive criticism does not help it to become a more effective army.

Now for a personal story. As part of my reserve army service, I was once sent to command a small group of soldiers at a front line position on the border. After we got ourselves organized, the commander of the area arrived to check the capabilities of the new units manning the posts.

"Do you have any comments?" the officer asked us. "Yes," I answered, "It is very easy for a single terrorist to infiltrate this outpost and to murder the guard and the other soldiers as they sleep in their beds." At this point I delineated the exact and simple path that a potential terrorist could take. The commander's reaction surprised me. He was visibly angered and left the outpost.

Two years later, our battalion was sent once again to that outpost. A 16 year old terrorist infiltrated - using the exact path that I had described to my superior - and murdered one of our soldiers.

With that in mind, I would like to present some ideas to improve the IDF.

Draft age is too early. An 18 year old is not mature enough to be a soldier. This was true in the past and is even truer today, when society conditions youth to remain children as long as possible. Men should be drafted at the age of 20, as prescribed by the Torah (Numbers 1:45). At 20, a young man is mature enough to serve in the army. When I was only 19 years old, I was already an officer. Some of my soldiers had been drafted late and were 20 or older. The difference in their performance was clear for all to see.

An army based on soldiers who begin their military service when they are 20 will be a mature, professional, efficient army, free of those "immaturity" blunders that fluster boys who are not yet ready for army life. Presumably, the number of army suicides will drop, as well.

Currently, Israeli boys are inducted into the army at the age of 18 because that is when they finish high school. In the two year interim until their induction at age 20, these boys should be allowed to do national service or to pursue whatever path they choose.

If an 18 year old decides that he would like to spend the next two years traveling the world or to begin his academic studies that would be fine. But the future draftees should also be allowed to do national service vital to our country in exchange for one year of the three year term of military service. Alternately, they could be sent to study professions that are in short supply in Israel, such as medicine or Jewish studies. These studies can be considered one year of national service. These students should be allowed to defer their draft until the completion of their studies.

Another point: I believe that the IDF's reliance on the reserve forces is more tradition and ideology than what the rules of efficiency would dictate. An army based on reserve forces cannot be a truly professional army. Israel should consider transition to a standing army-based force in which the reserves would be relegated to home-front missions.

Reserve duty is extremely expensive. The tax payer pays for it twice: Once to the reserve soldier and another time for lost days of work. The reserve units' equipment is stored and managed by the standing army in special IDF warehouses. All these factors lead to the conclusion that expanding the standing army while downsizing the reserves would produce a much more effective military result at a similar price.

And now for the most important point: Transition to a volunteer army. The standing army should be comprised of volunteers. They should receive excellent salaries and a respected place in society. I am certain that the supply will be greater than the demand and will allow the IDF to exact top-notch performance from its top-notch soldiers.

And what about everybody else? Every capable male should be drafted for a short basic training in which he would learn to shoot and perform basic military functions. Yes, every capable male from every sector - with the training appropriate to the needs of the sector. Yeshiva students should be allowed to do the basic training during the break in semesters and in accordance with all the standards of Jewish law. Once every few years, all the basic trainees should be required to do a "refresher" course. These men would be drafted in the most extreme cases of all out war, when they could quickly be trained in more advanced military methods.

In truth, the IDF is already quite volunteer-based. It is no coincidence that most of the dead and wounded from this winter's Gaza war were Religious Zionists. Those men who do not wish to enlist, already know how to avoid army service. Volunteer enlistment will free us of our obsession with the issue of draft for yeshiva students. If they want, they can enlist. If not, they won't - just like every other Israeli citizen.

In addition, the volunteer enlistment will eliminate the advantage that Arabs enjoy today in the work market, which they join at the age of 18, while their Jewish counterparts begin their civilian lives three or four years later.

The IDF is an army that we can and should be proud of. Let's think out of the box to make it even better.

When Leaders Remove G-d from the Equation

2009-05-27T22:16:00.000-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beit Lehem in Judah went to sojourn in the field of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beit Lehem in Judeah. And they came into the field of Moab, and stayed there.
And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
And they took them wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they dwelt there about ten years.
And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.
(Ruth 1:1-4)

The Scroll of Ruth opens with a description of a leadership crisis during the era of the Judges in ancient Israel. (Elimelech was one of the leaders of Israel at the time). The mentality of the leaders at the start of the Scroll is not connected to Jewish identity or Jewish destiny in the Land of Israel. They did not believe in the unique role of the Nation of Israel and when the going got tough, they sold out their compatriots and bought themselves passports (just like Avrum Burg) to the nearby land of Moab.

When Israel's leadership lacks the basic understanding of the unique destiny of the Nation of Israel and the vital role of the Land of Israel - when holiness is completely uprooted from Israel's existence - everything turns upside down. The Nation of Israel's presence in the Land of Israel becomes a temporary real estate venture, while its existence in foreign lands becomes permanent and sanctified. In fact, the Nation of Israel's very physical reality becomes just some more merchandise that can buy another day of quiet - quiet for the people standing at the top of the heap of concrete that used to be someone's home. They feel perfectly comfortable trading in the Land's real estate and even in the lives of its inhabitants.

When nothing is holy - not the Nation of Israel and not the Land of Israel - it is fine to give the Nazis the children of the poor just to buy a few more days of quiet in the ghetto. It even makes sense. The Judenrat and the Jewish Police were Jews who had basically removed G-d from the equation. When that happens, all that is left is simple arithmetic. 10,000 children will be sent to the crematoria but - for the time being - tens of thousands will be saved. It makes sense, doesn't it?

When nothing is holy anymore, when the land is not holy, it is fine to destroy Jewish homes and towns and surrender our land to the Arabs. Just like the children of the poor who were hunted down by their brothers to fill the Nazi transports, the settlers are the sector of society that has proven that it is incapable of fighting its brothers/destroyers. And if their destruction means another day of quiet, another day of holding the government together - and maybe it will even somehow allow us to save Jerusalem - then it is all very logical, isn't it?

It always begins with the outposts. But just as in the case of the Nazi transports - when the leadership betrays the nation - the enemy's appetite gets larger and larger. The end is a given. Destruction for all.

The Scroll of Ruth does not describe what happened to the common people who remained in Judea after they had been abandoned by their leaders. What we do know is that the "leaders" who betrayed their people are just passing names in the Scroll - forgotten or derided. But after they left, they were replaced by true Jewish leaders - leadership of faith and loving kindness - leadership that got the Nation of Israel back on its feet again.

Happy Shavuot and Shabbat Shalom

Bushehr in Exchange for Yitzhar

2009-05-27T22:14:00.000-04:00

In the face-off between Mahmoud (Achmadinijad), Hussein (Obama) and Bibi, the first two can chalk up a major victory even before the game begins. Mahmoud doesn't have a bomb yet, but Netanyahu is already running to drive Jews from their homes and destroy their villages. Hussein Obama, who released the trial balloon called Bushehr in exchange for Yitzhar can also congratulate himself on two big wins. Netanyahu paid lip service to a strong, independent Israel, but his actions show that he has accepted Obama's Bushehr for Yitzhar principle. He also accepted another of Obama's principles: that the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state is open for negotiation. Netanyahu attempted to make negotiations with the Arabs conditional on their acceptance of the fact that Israel is a Jewish state. But he folded as soon as Obama refused to buy into this pre-condition. When the negotiations begin, the principle of a Palestinian state will be irrefutable. But a Jewish state? What's that?

"It is possible that we will have to take down illegal outposts as the US is requesting - so that we can focus attention on the Iranian threat."
(Binyamin Netanyahu, this Monday to the Likud MKs)

And really, why should we fight the Americans? It is certainly much simpler to fight the Jews. The world will once again watch with delight as the bulldozers flatten Jewish homes and will say, "Hmmm - it looks like Achmadinijad is right! Even the Jews don't believe that Israel belongs to them!"

One thing is certain. Destruction of the outposts will do nothing to relieve Israel of the Iranian threat. The US will not attack Iran just to show its good will toward the Israeli leaders who betrayed their nation and their land. Netanyahu is hinting that the destruction of the settlements will unite the nation and allow him to attack Iran. But he will never attack without the green light from America - as per the commitment that he has already made to the US. Hussein Obama will never allow Bibi to attack Iran, just as Johnson did not allow Eshkol to conduct a pre-emptive strike in 1967 and just as Truman did not allow Ben Gurion to establish the state in 1948 (and also implemented an arms embargo that could potentially have completed the Final Solution in the Land of Israel).

As opposed to Eshkol and Ben Gurion, though, Bibi is captive to American mentality. He lived in America for years, studied and worked there and if not for the political opportunity that he saw in Israel - would have remained there. His Jewish mentality and ability to rely on G-d are sorely lacking. Bibi will never make a decision to attack Iran without US approval. Obama will not approve. He is pro-Islamic. It simply will not happen. We will drive ourselves out of Judea and Samaria. We will open the gate wide to our expulsion from the entire land. And we will also get Iran's payload in our faces.

The good news is that a storm is brewing within the Likud Knesset faction.

Most of the Likud MKs are rightists - Manhigut Yehudit played a key role in getting them elected - and they are already fighting against Bibi's plans. True, there is no deep understanding in the Likud (or in any other party) of the depth of the danger hovering over our heads. The Likudniks are still relying on Boogie Ya'alon and Benny Begin, neither of whom understands the proportions of the crisis.

Former Chief of Staff Ya'alon must certainly remember the rules that every budding officer learns in his training. If you are off course, do not attempt to get back on course from the middle of the wrong track. Go back to the beginning and correct your error at the start. Reliance on half-solutions and the attempt to relieve the pressure by claiming that the Arabs do not want peace have already been tried by every Israeli government until Oslo. The approach that failed for Begin in Camp David, Shamir in Madrid and Rabin in Oslo will not suddenly succeed for Ya'alon and Benny Begin.

Nevertheless, the hearts of the majority of the Likud MKs are in the right place. They are the only politicians who, at this stage, can save the day. It is important for us to show them that they have strong public support for the political struggles that await them.

And there is just one way to do that. Now is the time to register for the Likud.

We cannot expect a politician - as supportive as he may be - to commit political hari keri. If we want to see a real struggle against the destruction of Judea and Samaria inside the Likud we must prove to the MKs that they have widespread support and that they can count on loyal voters to vote for them the next time elections are held.

If you are already an Israeli citizen and have not yet registered for the Likud, there is no time to lose. Click here, print out the registration form and fax the completed form to our office at (Israel) 09-792-0570, or mail it to our office at:
POB 21
Ginot Shomron
44853
Israel
But that's not all. Register your family and friends. Print out 10 more forms and register your co-workers. It may not sound like much, but it is the most effective way at hand to prevent Israel's destruction.

For more information or for help with filling out the Hebrew form, call our office at (Israel) 09-792-9046.

Just One Great Expectation

2009-05-21T18:26:00.000-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

23 Iyar, 5769
May 17, '09

Translated from the NRG website.

I have only one expectation of Netanyahu's visit to Washington. Jonathan Pollard.
I do not expect the Prime Minister to stand up against the pressure that Obama is certain to apply. If he does stand up to the pressure, that will be great. But I do not believe that he is capable of doing so.

I do not expect Netanyahu to achieve any sort of understanding with the US on Iran. Currently, the interests of the US and of Israel are mutually exclusive. The Obama administration seems to have come to terms with nuclear weapons for the ayatollahs. President Hussein (Obama) is not going to attack Iran, and Netanyahu is the last person who will convince him to do so.

In truth, I do not understand why Netanyahu made the trip to the US. Even before he left Israel, he had already been embarrassed by the administration. He will be further humiliated when he gets there and will camouflage the scorn with all sorts of diplomatic platitudes that will present his talks with US leaders as constructive and productive and that yes, certainly, the dialogue between the two nations will continue. After Histadrut union leader Ofer Eini plucked half of Bibi's feathers before his trip to the US, Obama will be sure to pluck the other half. And that is how Bibi will look when he returns to Israel. I do not understand why he is subjecting himself to this treatment.

What's that? We have no choice? If Bibi doesn't go to America, the administration will cut off all aid to Israel and we won't have arms or even oxygen and we will all die here of hunger and thirst?
Not quite. Remember that until 1967 there was a US arms embargo on our entire neighborhood. Israel got nothing from America - until we "occupied" the "West Bank" and Gaza and became a factor that was worth investing in. Today, Egypt also receives American aid similar to the aid received by Israel. For some reason, Egypt's president does not run to the US to lobby for his aid. On the contrary - it is Obama who woos Egypt.

Be that as it may, I do not expect anything from Netanyahu's visit to the US. Except for Jonathan Pollard.

Of all Israel's prime ministers, Bibi is the only one who made any sort of effort on Pollard's behalf. In his previous term as PM, he demanded and received Pollard's release within the framework of the Wye Accords. Clinton deceived him and did not fulfill his commitment. Instead of picking up and returning to Israel, Bibi surrendered most of Hebron to the PA.

So while it is true that Bibi's actions were far from admirable, we must give credit where credit is due. As opposed to the other prime ministers, Netanyahu at least tried. And if he will pick up now where he left off and bring Jonathan Pollard home, that will, in my opinion, justify his present term as prime minister.

A person who is not informed by Jewish, faith-based consciousness (I have purposely not used the term "religious") cannot understand this concept. Why should a prime minister set national interests aside for one Jew who endangered himself for all of us? True, he saved us from Iraq's diabolical plans, but the bottom line is that he was a secret agent. We all know that every time James Bond goes out on a secret mission, the flinty commander explains to him that if he is caught, nobody is going to help him. Those are the rules that secret agents play by, so why am I going on about Pollard?

First of all, Israel doesn't play by those rules. It has done all in its power to save its agents who were caught in various missions in Europe, Jordan and the US. But Israel has rejected Pollard because he acted as a "Jew" and not an "Israeli." When Pollard was arrested, the Americans also demanded custody of Aviam Sella, who worked with Pollard and received asylum in the Israeli embassy. But while Israel refused to relinquish the Israeli (Sella) to American hands, it threw the Jew (Pollard) to the dogs.

But that is not the main issue. The main issue is that Judaism is about Jews being responsible for and loyal to their fellow Jews. I honestly believe that we suffer as a nation because of our terrible betrayal of Jonathan Pollard. I believe that because of Israel's betrayal of one Jew who has spent the last 24 years buried in prison in Butner, North Carolina, we have not been able to remain loyal to the Jewish nation's other soldiers. Not to Ron Arad, not to Gilad Shalit, not to any other Jew and not to anything at all. Everything here is crumbling - in no small part because of our betrayal of one man - Jonathan Pollard. Ethical issues cannot be quantified. One person is all it takes. James Bond ethics do not interest G-d. The Jewish nation works on a completely different value system.

I once went to a demonstration for Pollard. Israel's TV Channel One sent a bored sports reporter to cover the event. He turned to me and said,
"You have failed."
"Why did we fail?" I tried to understand.
"Everyone here is religious," the reporter answered.
"In that case, you have failed," I automatically countered.
"Why us?" the reporter asked.
"Because your people did not come." I answered.

I do not believe in the concepts of religious and secular. But I do not know how to explain mutual Jewish responsibility to somebody who was not brought up on total loyalty; from loyalty to family to loyalty to one's nation. The shared fate and destiny that connect me to Pollard are the same glue that connects me to this Land and to this State. It is the collective strength that motivates us to stand up and triumph against whatever challenge comes our way.

In the cases of Gilad Shalit and Ron Arad, we could soothe our consciences by saying that we have done whatever possible. Not so with Pollard. We know exactly where he is. I personally have visited him four times. Our betrayal of Jonathan Pollard is intentional. If we really wanted him back, he would have been here long ago. Israel's betrayal of Pollard means that we have lost our national solidarity. That solidarity - the brotherhood that testifies to our shared Jewish destiny - is our secret weapon. Without it, we are lost.

All that Netanyahu has to do is to take the one basic step that Israel has refused to take until now. He has to make an official request for the release of our brother, Jonathan. He has to stand up in front of the cameras and present the letter signed by 112 MKs requesting Pollard's release to Obama.

That's right, Bibi. You have another brother named Yonatan.
Don't let him die in prison.

Why Did Bibi Run to the US?

2009-05-21T18:24:00.001-04:00

By Moshe Feiglin

And G-d spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 'Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, by their polls; From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: you shall number them by their hosts, even you and Aaron. (From this week's Torah portion, Bamidbar - Numbers 1:1-3)

Rashi explains that G-d loves His children, Israel, so much that He counts them every hour.

We have a Father. And He loves us. "You are sons to Hashem your G-d," He tells us. "Integrate that idea - I love you and each and every one of you is so important to Me, that I count you."

But when G-d's children returned to His Land, they decided that they can manage better without Him. Zionism took G-d and the dimension of sanctity out of the equation. And we have remained orphaned, longing for an alternative.

"No Israeli prime minister can survive for long if the Israeli public thinks that he is damaging Israel's special relationship with the USA."
Yitzchak Ben Horin - Ynet commentator in Washington

Israel has developed a very bad habit. Every time that a new prime minister is elected, he immediately rushes off to Father Sam in the US so that he can prove to his countrymen that Israel is not an orphan.

If you think that the reason for Israel's sense of dependency on the US is pragmatic - to maintain US aid to Israel - then it is time that we refresh the facts. Until the Six Day War in 1967, Israel's leaders hardly traveled to the US at all. Today, Egypt also receives American aid similar to the aid received by Israel. For some reason, Egypt's president does not run to the US to lobby for his aid. On the contrary - it is Obama who woos Egypt.

Netanyahu - like his recent predecessors - did not run to the US president because of Israel's genuine needs. He ran to the US because of his own political needs. We really don't need the pocket money that we get from Father Sam. Just for an example, Israel spent ten times the amount that it receives in annual US aid on the Expulsion from Gush Katif. Israel insists on continuing to receive its allowance from its adopted "father" because it is desperate to preserve its father/son relationship with the US.

We have chosen to orphan ourselves from our Father in Heaven. Today, the measure of Israel's leaders is determined by their ability to preserve the illusion that we have a different father, G-d forbid.

That is why Bibi ran to Obama.