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

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