Israel’s Greatest Enemies

By: Paula R. Stern
February, 2009

Israel’s Greatest Enemies

Israel’s greatest enemies do not lie to the north or east or south of our borders. It has always been the case, and likely always will be, that our greatest enemies are ourselves. From the despicable Neturi Karta that dare to call themselves Torah-observant Jews yet create perhaps the single greatest desecration of G-d’s name in our history, to our defeatist governments that does more harm than all our real enemies combined, we are all too often, our own greatest enemies.

Long before our true enemies ever have the chance, we fall from our lack of faith, our inability to stand strong and proud. We surrender before our enemies demand it. We denounce ourselves for actions we never even caused – all in the face of our enemies unrighteous indignation. Our government falls to its knees apologizing for having killed young and innocent Mohammed Al-Durah. Al-Durah was young, but from all investigations, he wasn’t innocent (he’d been throwing rocks at soldiers and that act cost him his life because it placed him in the middle of a gun battle).

But most important, we did NOT kill him. It was not our guns, not our weapons, not our soldiers. The physical evidence is overwhelming. Our soldiers couldn’t even see him from the angle from which they fought. Time after time, instance after instance, we defeat ourselves.

Tomorrow, we go to the polls to show ourselves and the world something unique in the Middle East. A real, working democracy. Unlike the “for-pictures-only” democracy of Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and others, Israel does not know the outcome of what tomorrow will bring. And even at this late date, many Israelis don’t know how to vote tomorrow.

They know what they want, but do not see that option on the ballot. There is no one running for Prime Minister who hasn’t crumbled in the past; few running for Knesset who have not sided with weakness before. I go through the list of people and names and despair of finding even a hand-full of truly good people to represent my views. And all over Israel, the same thing is happening.

My mind whirls with the options but comes to one major conclusion. We must rid ourselves of Kadima. It is the root of so many evils in Israel. Kadima was the mother of the expulsion of the Jews from Gush Katif. For that alone, I want to see them lose.

They took 9,000 people from their homes and abandoned them and to this day, they pile insult upon insult. During the Gaza War, they gave them sewer pipes in which to seek shelter. No clearer message could have been delivered to these people. This is what the government of Israel believes you deserve. Army people went to Nitzan to assist the people there in understanding the security situation and left after realizing that their safest bet was to run outside when missiles were fired in their direction.

Kadima brought us the Second Lebanon War, which was, in reality, a direct result of the “Disengagement” Plan. For all the world to see, our army was shown to be incompetent, unable to defend our country. This is what happens when you allow the army to wage a war based on preconditions and limitations of leaders who do not understand the basics of war. With an incompetent defense minister and a corrupt prime minister, the results of the Second Lebanon War could easily have been foretold and its actualization only proved to be even worse than expected.

So Olmert yielded to Livni in name, if not in practice and now, the single greatest goal I believe facing us is to send a message to Livni. We do not agree with the politics of weakness. As a woman, I reject your attempt to turn this into a gender war. You are not competent to lead, not because you are a woman, but because you fail to understand the true nature of the threat we face. You offer no solutions to the problems of security, the economy, our social ills.

So comes the challenge. Since there are really only two possibilities for Prime Minister, eliminating Livni leaves us Bibi Netanyahu. Like many in both camps, I hesitate. Although I can easily say he did a much better job than Barak or Olmert or Sharon, he would not be my first choice, though he sadly remains my only choice.

And so, as I go to the polls tomorrow, I think about what my vote means. I want to send Bibi a message. My vote stands to the right, to a united and undivided Jerusalem. My vote stands for negotiations with our enemies, but as equals. I am against surrender for the sake of surrender, withdrawal for the mistaken hope of appeasement.

Sit with our enemies and compromise if you must, but when you negotiate for a nation, you must do a better job than you would in the marketplace shopping for vegetables. Even there, you would not look at the price the vendor is asking, and then offer him 20% more. You would not walk up to the vendor with your wallets bulging with cash and put it all on the table.

To negotiate properly with the Arabs, you must demand fair results. Releasing 400 Arab terrorists for three dead bodies and a drug dealer, leads to releasing murderers for dead bodies and ultimately 1,000 for one. I want Gilad Shalit home but wonder who will pay the price next time for our failure to negotiate properly for his return this time.

These are the messages I want Bibi Netanyahu to take into office and yet I am uncomfortably aware that if I vote in line with a party that is more consistent with my beliefs, the unthinkable may happen – Livni might get elected. Even if she loses by a small margin, President Peres has the right to give her the opportunity to gather the political prostitutes on the Knesset to form her next government.

The only thing worse than the prospect of Livni winning, is the prospect of letting Peres decide the nation’s future. No, I do not, cannot give him this chance and so with knots in my stomach and more regret than you could ever imagine, I will vote for Likud tomorrow. I will dream of the days when good men lead the party, of Menachem Begin, whose son, at least, will again serve.

Likud must win decisively tomorrow, or the message we on the right wish to deliver to him will be meaningless. I voted for Likud in the past, and was betrayed. Ariel Sharon stole my vote and used it to destroy Jewish lives and the security of our country. I can only pray that in giving my vote to Likud this time, my honor will be restored and Bibi Netanyahu will understand from where his salvation comes. If he sweeps into office tomorrow, it will be because others like me are giving Likud one final chance.

Our greatest enemies will go to the polls tomorrow. If we let them, they will dismantle Jerusalem, cave in to the demands of the west. They will sacrifice our land and our security and all we hold dear. Tomorrow, the future of Israel is in our hands. As painful as it may be, we must vote smart.