Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Our Country?? - Do or Die??

When I was a kid in America, I remember the expression, "Our Country - Do or Die." What did that mean?? I really had no clue then, and I'm not so sure today, but I have a guess.
A country that cannot grow, that cannot go forward, cannot develop does not stand stagnant. It withers and dies.
Perhaps America's motto, "Our Country - Do or Die", meant that America had to spread from sea to shining sea, had to develop its cities, build its skyscrapers, establish its booming industries or it would wither and die.
Now Israel is faced with a situation of its own foolish doing. Our Prime Minister announced months ago that we would NOT build in Judea and Samaria for ten months (read: we will never build in Judea and Samaria if certain folks can help it). The towns of Yesha (Judea and Samaria) are facing a crisis. Their young people cannot move into their towns, because there are no homes available for building, no apartments available for rent, no vacant caravans. Okay, so young people won't move in? Not so simple. An aging population in Judea and Samaria means that without throwing one Jew out of his home, the communities of Yesha will die sad, but "natural" deaths.
Who needs Yesha anyway, the government might think? We've got Tel Aviv and Raanana and Petach Tikva, and with our "united" capital of Jerusalem, we're fine.

THE TRUTH

Many years ago, I wrote that the Arabs and the rest of the world know the TRUTH. The Israeli government makes a very definite distinction between Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria.
Yesha is beyond the green line. It is the West Bank. It's ours today, but tomorrow is unsure. Jerusalem, on the other hand, is our capital and must always be united, or at least we've got to say that until we can sway public opinion into agreeing to give away Eastern Jerusalem.
However, the Arabs and the rest of the world know, there is no difference between Yesha and Jerusalem. And since Netanyahu has proclaimed a freeze (read: stoppage) on buildling in Judea and Samaria, the Arabs and the world want the same freeze (read: stoppage) in Jerusalem as well.
The Israeli government proclaims its sovereignty over Jerusalem with shaking knees. But the world hears the rattling knees and doesn't hear the proclamation.
The vote on building in Ramat Shlomo came up and was passed during United States Vice President Joe Biden's visit. Israel announces it's building in Jerusalem. The US throws a fit.
Instead of saying, "This is our capital, and we'll build where we want," all kinds of government ministers are screaming and yelling at the stupidity of the plan, of the announcement of the timing.
How tragic that our own government ministers don't know whose land this is, and especially whose capital it is.
In the past few months, I've been pretty disappointed in Minister Benny Begin, but he said something today that is true. Jpost reported on Begin: "When would be a good time?" he asked rhetorically. "If it happened 10 days before, they would have said we did it to harm the visit of the US vice president, and if we did it 10 days later, they would have accused us of saying certain things while he (Biden) was here and acting differently afterward."
All this is part of the problem I wrote about a few days ago. We just don't know/believe/understand that the Land of Israel truly belongs to the Jewish People. We do not have the faith to go forward to our national destiny. http://voices-magazine.blogspot.com/2010/03/were-not-sure.html
I hope we wisen up very soon, because if our capital cannot expand and prosper, it will, G-d forbid, just die. And without a heart, the body doesn't have much of a chance.

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