WHERE WERE YOU WHEN ‘OSLO III’ WAS SIGNED?

Despite the tragedy of freeing terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands, this isn’t the real story. These terrorists are only a cover for the real issue: the developing treaty between the government of Israel and the PLO. While the latter supports terrorist violence to this very day, the former continues to grant it nominal status as a peace-loving human rights organization. 

1.

What goes up must come down. There was Naftali Bennett – chairman of the Yesha Council – coming out against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over the construction freeze in Yehuda and Shomron. Then, they weren’t releasing terrorists, discussing the dismantling of settlements, or laying the blueprint for a worthless peace agreement. At the time, Bennett justifiably claimed that anyone who halts construction today will evacuate yishuvim tomorrow. And what can we expect from someone who is actually making inroads on the dismantling of more Jewish settlements? Nothing? What happened to Bennett, who has suddenly forgotten his militant stance from four years ago?

However, Bennett is no longer the chairman of the Yesha Council. He left the council, slamming the door behind him, and charged into the world of politics. Now the ball is in his court. If he wants, he can become the new leader of the nationalist camp, but that will require bringing down this evil government and sending Netanyahu home. The prime minister who declared five years ago that he would establish a ‘Palestinian’ state must be given his walking papers, or in the words of the Rebbe, “Return home with honor.”

Netanyahu is a skilled public speaker, a capable opposition leader, and one of the finest international ambassadors we have ever had. However, while he knows how to talk the talk, he doesn’t walk the walk. As prime minister, he set some of the most dangerous precedents in the history of the Jewish People. He gave away Chevron, stopped all building projects throughout Yerushalayim – including in neighborhoods such as Ramot and Ramat Shlomo – and released terrorists wholesale without any logical basis. These weren’t just a few symbolic gestures; they were policy initiatives that have led to national disaster. This prime minister has no backbone, and his frantic actions are directed solely according to his rating in the public opinion polls. Now is the time to show him the exit – and not one moment too soon.

2.

We all remember where we were when Rabin signed the first Oslo Accord. We all remember when we first heard about Sharon’s bizarre plan to uproot the settlements of Gush Katif – certain that it was just a passing curiosity. Now the question will be: Where were you when Netanyahu brought us ‘Oslo III’?

This name designated by all the right-wing movements in Eretz Yisroel to describe the upcoming agreement with the PLO was not chosen by accident. It characterizes Netanyahu’s new initiative as a direct continuation of the Oslo Accords. In essence, this is exactly what this impending treaty is due to achieve. Even from Netanyahu’s vantage point, this is yet another “temporary agreement” en route to a more permanent solution, i.e., the final obliteration of Jewish settlement beyond the 1949 armistice lines. To put it in simple terms, when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry talks about the 1967 borders, he euphemistically means the 1949 lines.

While the prime minister is quite aware of the fact that his proposals are totally reckless, he feels that he has no alternative. Deep within his heart, he actually longs for the right-wing forces to wake up in time and stop him. He realizes that he is heading for a dangerous abyss that will result in a bloodbath r”l, but he can’t stand up to the pressure. He acts like a child running amok into the street, gripped with fear, while he pleads for someone to stop and calm him down. 

Therefore, the question is not how Netanyahu is even prepared to talk about signing an insane agreement on giving the Jordan Valley to the Arabs, while relying upon the Americans for the nation’s security arrangements. The real question is: How can we allow all this to happen before our very eyes? How can we let this come to pass?

3.

Recently, there was a demonstration by several dozen right-wing activists at the entrance to Yerushalayim. Rain periodically fell on them, but they were well covered by the signs against releasing terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands. Looking at it objectively, it would seem that the people driving by didn’t really understand what all the excitement was about. We’ve already become accustomed to this, and worst of all, the madness continues to run rampant. Our insight has been temporarily blinded, and no one has the strength to be shocked anymore. Drivers sporadically honked their horns as a sign of support, while most citizens remained in their state of hibernation, totally oblivious to the menace at their doorstep.

In defense of the public at-large, many of them don’t know all the details: What deal is in the works? Who were the terrorists that the government released? The media attack dogs only start to bite when we’re talking about right-wing activists spraying graffiti. The claim is that they must be stopped until the diplomatic process has run its course. They’re real experts when it comes to subduing Jewish graffiti terrorists. However, in the case of cold-blooded murderers, they set them free – all the way to the next bombing r”l.

In practical terms, the “right-wing” government of Israel recently released another twenty-six terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands, i.e., murderers of women and children. This is the same government that is free of the ultra-Orthodox, as prescribed by Bennett and Uri Ariel. This is the government that has taken the daily bread from the mouths of yeshiva students, slashed child allowances for large families – merely for the purpose of showing them who’s boss. Again and again, we see the fulfillment of the saying of our Sages regarding those who show mercy to the cruel. This time, however, the order was reversed: First, the government showed cruelty towards young children, and then it released some of the worst terrorist murderers. 

4.

In any event, despite the tragedy of freeing terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands, this isn’t the real story. These terrorists are only a cover for the real issue: the developing treaty between the government of Israel and the PLO. While the latter supports terrorist violence to this very day, the former continues to grant it nominal status as a peace-loving human rights organization. 

No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors in the negotiations between the respective delegations. Where’s Bennett? Where’s Uri Ariel? How much longer will they continue to use the lame excuse that “nothing will come out of these talks anyway?” The agreement is taking form, and they’re still in the government. Once again, a right-of-center government charges towards the dismantling of Jewish settlements across the “iron bridge” of the former National Religious Party, which apparently has yet to complete its historic role in uprooting yishuvim – again and again. They did this in Sinai, and they did an equally fine job in Gush Katif. Why should they let another opportunity pass them by to assist in the destruction of more Jewish homes?

And what about the prime minister? He can afford to sit by quietly. After a colossal dispute between the “national religious” parties and the “ultra-Orthodox” parties, the two sides are ready to rumble. Everyone expects that Netanyahu will soon fire Bennett and his coalition partners, replacing them with Aryeh Deri and Yaakov Litzman. However, the heads of the NRP-styled Jewish Home Party have nothing to worry about. Within the span of one short year, they have managed to destroy what those opposed to traditional Judaism couldn’t achieve in sixty-five years. They recognized the Reform movement, they established a square for mixed prayer at the Western Wall in Yerushalayim, they advanced the cause of compulsory military conscription for young ultra-Orthodox men, and they have pulled the plug on budgetary allocations for most yeshivos. Finally, they succeeded in breaching the last remaining wall of Jewish tradition by opening regional offices for registering non-halachic marriages.

5.

Dear Jews, the city is in flames. This is not the time for wringing our hands. We must issue an urgent wake-up call and prevent a potentially devastating train wreck. It still isn’t too late to slam on the brakes. We have to topple this evil government and form a new one on behalf of the People and the Land of Israel. 

Regrettably, in the prevailing situation, there isn’t a single group coordinating shleimus ha’aretz activities. However, there are some excellent forces out there that are quite willing – and without hesitation – to devote everything for Eretz HaKodesh and the security of Am Yisroel. While Netanyahu’s proposals are positively insane, the public is not. If we take proper action, we can stop the racing locomotive and save the Jewish People from the frightful danger created by placing the terror organizations within the heart of Eretz Yisroel.

As Lubavitcher Chassidim, we remain faithful to the path of the Rebbe through the power of protest. Together we must extricate ourselves from this precarious position by bringing forth the call of the leader of our generation. With G-d’s help, we will emerge victorious!