"Kashe Alay Preydatchem", "Your departure is difficult on Me."
therefore more emails from me....
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Sincerely,
Robin Ticker
Activist emails sent to my list are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) a great activist and lover of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichrono Baruch.
Most of these emails are posted on Shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com
Nationalist Activists send shockwaves throughout Judea and Samaria
by Zahava Englard'
Zahava Englard claims that she sat with Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katzover and they want Judea and Samaria to be annexed (ok) and here comes the shocker, they would like to grant Arabs in Judea and Samaria Israeli citizenship (???).
This calls for and demands greater explanation. One one hand they themselves quote from the Torah Deuteronomy 7:1-2, When the Lord…casts out many nations before you…make no covenant with them and give them no foothold… and then Zahava quotes Yehudit Katsover who says "Because we believe in our sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, we are willing to pay the price and give the Arabs in the region citizenship," explains Yehudit. "For our land we are ready to suffer and sacrifice. We will pay the price."
???? That is from left field. That sounds like Netanyahu talking about sacrifices for peace which includes destruction of settlements.
I seriously do not believe that Nadia or Yehudit want to annul the Torah when it says "make no covenant with them". I also do not believe they went off their rocker (i.e. are afflicted with temporary insanity). So the following is my interpretation of what they probably do suggest.
In the Torah a Non Jew living in the Land of Israel, falls under the category of Ger Toshav. A Ger Toshav has rights. If you want to call the Ger Toshav a non-Jewish Israeli citizen, call it what you wish. However, a Ger Toshav is not obligated in the 613 Mitzvoth as is the Jew, the seed of Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov and their rights are limited compared to a full fledged Jew. They must adhere to the 7 Noahide laws. They must accept Israel Sovereignty. A Ger Toshav rights are different then the Ger Tzedek whose rights are pretty identical to the Jewish people with certain exceptions relevant to the Ger Tzedek. It's not a matter of being fair or not fair. It's just different. A Ger Toshav does not have inheritance rights as member of one of the Tribes. They can never outvote the Jewish People from the Land since they don't really have inheritance as do the 12 Tribes. When it comes to inheritance rights, neither does the Levi for that matter and the Levi is very special to G-d since G-d is their inheritance. So is the Ger Tzedek.
They are assured housing and shelter. Israel must provide for the Ger Toshav and make sure that they do not fall into poverty. True today we do not really know which Tribe we belong to and/or which land is our inheritance, so come Yovel we can not apply the inheritance laws according to the Torah.
They are assured housing and shelter. Israel must provide for the Ger Toshav and make sure that they do not fall into poverty. True today we do not really know which Tribe we belong to and/or which land is our inheritance, so come Yovel we can not apply the inheritance laws according to the Torah.
However, we must acknowledge that there is an inherent difference between Jews and non Jews and their obligations and rights are not identical in the Land of Israel and these must be spelled out!
Side note: In case you think I am advocating confiscating the property of all non Jews, let me assure you that we have a precedent in the Torah of purchasing property from non Jews and not confiscating the land from them even though it was promised to Abraham. Abraham purchased Land from Efron HaChiti. He paid full price for Maarat HaMachpela. On the other hand, there is no reason to allow children textbooks or TV shows in Israel that glorify Jihad and promotes Israel's destruction. There must be a precondition of accepting Israel's Sovereignty and being a proud non Jewish Citizen of Israel. (or call it what you may)
One may not add or subtract to the Torah and that remains true this very day as well. So while you speak about citizenship for Non Jews, make it clear that Israel is not merely a democracy. It can only be a Jewish democracy which has distinctions between men and women, distinctions between Kohen, Levi and Yisroel, Kings and non Kings, Jew and Non Jews, Ger Toshav and Ger Tzedek and Amcha, your people.
Judaism is not a racist religion but there are differences and these distinctions must not be blurred nor are we allow to deceive others into believing that these distinctions can be blurred. If distinctions are blurred it is a Bedieved, not the best way to handle the situation and not a Lechatchila (the preferred method in dealing with the situation) and our goal is to actualize the Torah to the fullest and to the best of our abilities because that and only that will bring peace and prosperity to humanity.
Is Professor Paul Eidelberg invited to this Conference in Hebron? I believe he can add a lot to the discussion!
Author of THE GILBOA IRIS (Gefen Publishing House) and SETTLING FOR
MORE: FROM JERSEY TO JUDEA (Urim Publications)
A couple of days ago I sat with Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar
somewhere in Gush Etzion. We discussed a new and provocative
right-wing initiative while drinking ice water to ward off the
afternoon heat. Nadia and Yehudit are both passionate, devoted veteran
Land of Israel activists, and when they began to speak about a
proposal that includes offering the Arab residents of Judea and
Samaria Israeli citizenship, naturally, I was intrigued.
Over the years, Nadia and Yehudit have tirelessly struggled to block
illegal Arab take-overs of Jewish- and state-owned land. And for the
past seven years they have been working together as co-chairs of Women
for Israel's Tomorrow, also known as Women in Green.
"There's always another fire to put out," says Nadia. "Each time
leftists attempted to close an area to Jews — Ulpana, Migron, Givat
Assaf, Beit HaShalom, etc. — the local Jews had to move fast to put
each fire out."
She and Yehudit realized that almost every day another hill was taken
over by "agricultural jihad" or illegal Arab construction.
So they decided the time has come to get to the root of the problem —
and that didn't mean a two-state solution.
"Albeit 45 years late, it's time for the government of Israel to
pursue an initiative that would extend its sovereignty over Judea and
Samaria, which would include granting the Arab residents in the area
Israeli citizenship," Nadia says.
The two regularly quote from Genesis 12:7, I will give this land to
your offspring; Genesis 17:8, And I give to you and your offspring
after you the land you sojourn in…as an everlasting possession; and
Deuteronomy 7:1-2, When the Lord…casts out many nations before
you…make no covenant with them and give them no foothold…
While giving credit to these biblical references may not fit the
modern thought process of the left, it is nevertheless the core of a
conviction that is steeped in the roots of Judaism, the religion of
our nation. It is not something that can be easily dismissed. It is,
after all, the reason we are here, the reason for our claim to the
land, and the very reason for our yearning for this land since the
destruction of the Second Temple.
Our history begins in our heartland. And the heartland of Israel is
Judea and Samaria. Nadia refers to Tel Aviv as a "tinoket," a baby,
next to Judea and Samaria. The heartland is the spine of our country,
which protects the coastal plain.
"Because we believe in our sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, we are
willing to pay the price and give the Arabs in the region
citizenship," explains Yehudit. "For our land we are ready to suffer
and sacrifice. We will pay the price."
Being a full-fledged nationalist right-winger myself, I support
Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. But I'm not entirely sold
on the proposal of Israeli citizenship for Arab residents there and
the terrorists that lie within. I pour myself another glass of water,
by that point wishing it was something stronger, and continue to
listen.
They inform me that the initiative will be thoroughly explored at the
upcoming Sovereignty Conference, Thursday, July 12, at the Mahpela
Visitor's Center in Hebron.
It is their contention that the government consistently considers
throwing out Jews out of their homes — an option that was indeed
carried out in 2005 in Gush Katif and the northern Shomron. With the
disastrous consequences of that decision felt daily in southern
Israel, the time has come, they say, to swerve public discourse away
from capitulation, and regain the initiative.
To be sure, many in the right wing camp aren't convinced that a plan
that includes citizenship for Arabs Judea and Samaria is the wisest
path, even if it is instituted in stages. Nadia and Yehudit concede
that there are risks, but they claim these risks are reasonable and
worth taking. They and other like-minded advocates consider an
annexation of Judea and Samaria a medication to make Israel healthier,
and like with every medication, there can be side effects.
Perhaps surprisingly, the much-touted "demographic threat" is not
among the side effects they're worried about. They cite Yoram
Ettinger, formerly the minister for congressional affairs at Israel's
Embassy in Washington, DC, and a former consul-general of Israel to
the southwestern US, who is a recognized expert on Jewish-Arab
demography. Ettinger maintains that the demographic problem is not as
grave as it has been portrayed.
For one thing, the left has added one million to the Arab population
in Judea and Samaria: their dead are still counted into the total, as
well as those who have emigrated. At present, the Jewish birthrate
exceeds the Arab birthrate in the region. With the increase in higher
education for Arab women came a decrease in birthrate. Ettinger
predicts that should the Israeli government treat aliya as a top
national priority, by 2035 there will be an 80% Jewish majority.
According to Nadia and Yehudit, it is the creation of a Palestinian
state that would unsettle the Jewish demographics. As long as Israel
has sovereignty over Judea and Samaria it controls the border with
Jordan, preventing an influx of Jordanian Arabs.
Having spoken to large groups of secular Jews in Israel, Nadia and
Yehudit say they found considerable numbers that were receptive to
their initiative. It is further understood from Arabs themselves that
many would prefer Israeli citizenship to the Palestinian Authority —
even if they are afraid to declare this aloud.
It would necessitate having the Arabs sign an oath of loyalty to the
State of Israel and its laws, along with a commitment to carry out
national service. The oath of fealty is not an unreasonable idea,
according to Nadia, who says it took a relative of hers 10 years
before she was able to receive American citizenship.
As to how the world would react to an Israeli annexation of Judea and
Samaria, "The skies didn't fall when Israel applied sovereignty over
Jerusalem and the Golan Heights; nor will it fall when we apply
sovereignty over Judea and Samaria," says Nadia. "Should the world
scream over it, let them. Better that than to have them love us for
capitulating as we are driven out of our land."
Many notables have been pushing for this initiative over the past
year: MK Tzipi Hotovely, Caroline Glick, Yoram Ettinger, Attorney
Howard Grief and MK Uri Ariel — to name a few — who likewise plan to
be present at the Sovereignty Conference.
As for me: I've marked off July 12 on my calendar. While I found merit
in what was explained to me, I was still not completely convinced. And
I've decided to remain undecided until I can explore this initiative
further and weigh all the pros and cons. As I understand it, bus
transportation to the event will be available from a variety of
locations. Lectures will be in Hebrew with simultaneous English
translation. Perhaps you'd like to join me?
Further details on the Conference, in Hebrew and in English, can be
found here: http://www.womeningreen.org/2ndConvention.php
Sincerely,
Robin Ticker
Activist emails sent to my list are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) a great activist and lover of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichrono Baruch.
Most of these emails are posted on Shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com
Personal emails to individuals will not be posted to my blog.
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