In retrospect, one cannot but appreciate the greatness and breadth of mind of the Herut party's spiritual mentor Ze'ev Jabotinsky. On the eve of World War II he travelled from town to village exhorting Europe's Jews to flee:

"My heart bleeds that you...do not see the volcano which will soon begin to spew its all-consuming lava. I know that you cannot see this because you are immersed in your daily worries. Today, however, I demand that you trust me...In the name of God, let each one of you save himself while there is still time: and there is very little time." (Ze'ev Jabotinsky address at the Great Synagogue of Warsaw, Tisha B'av, 1938)

Unfortunately, Jabotinsky's warning to flee Europe went unheeded because, overwhelmingly, European Jews refused to believe that they were in mortal danger until it was too late.

Given what is known of Jewish national behavior through the ages, I can offer no immediate way of

Jabotinsky's warning to flee Europe went unheeded because, overwhelmingly, European Jews refused to believe that they were in mortal danger until it was too late.

Israel's democratic character is expressed in a Basic [Constitutional] Law, which defines the right of every citizen to vote and hold office. The courts have come under heavy criticism from the national camp for rulings upholding "democracy" (in cases initiated by Arab citizens demanding equal national rights) in a manner which infringes upon Jewish national rights in the Jewish nation state. For example, in a recent ruling, the Supreme Court disallowed attempts to prevent Arabs from buying homes in communities built on land owned by the Jewish people, i.e. Jewish Agency land. In another similar ruling, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court justified his decision by claiming that the phrase "a Jewish state" by definition means "a democratic state."

It is therefore imperative that the Israeli legislature, the Knesset, assume the initiative and enact a new Basic Law which defines precisely what is meant by a Jewish State. Not to do so is tantamount to giving the Israeli Supreme Court free rein in this area. I believe that today our situation is so grave that it will be difficult to pass such a law despite the fact that at the moment its enactment would only have declarative consensual value. But it must be done.

Legal experts, thinkers and spiritual leaders are now engaged in formulating this Basic Law: the Jewish Peoples' Nation State. Perhaps a decade will pass before this law comes to serve as a basis for rulings which protect the Jewish character of the state. Nevertheless, we must enact this Basic Law now, so that when the Israeli public finally realizes that these agreements with the Palestinians will not bring peace, when life in the Land of Israel becomes unbearable, when terror stalks and strikes out from every street corner, we will have the democratic tools at hand to prevent disloyal citizens from organizing, politically or otherwise, for the purpose of destroying the Jewish State.

The continued existence of a nation-state for Jews who wish to exercise their right to national self-determination is no less important to world Jewry than to Israelis and I urge diaspora Jews to play an active role in furthering this Basic Law.

Nonetheless, we should not abandon the current battle. Every inch of Eretz Yisrael is the Jewish homeland, and should be fought for, all the more so since every withdrawal weakens us militarily, inviting further Arab aggression and distancing us further from the day when a true peace can be negotiated. It is no less important to inculcate Jewish national goals and tradition in our young people, for these are the key to our survival.

In the years since Israel declared her independence, millions of Jews have been repatriated to the state of Israel. Holocaust survivors and victims of persecution from east and west have gathered here to fulfill the dream of a Jewish State. I am sure they are happy that their state is democratic and proud of this fact. The reason they settled here, however, was because Israel is a Jewish state. There are many states more democratically advanced than Israel and certainly more advanced in other respects, but Jews, in their millions, preferred the Jewish state.

In the short run, our minimum security needs demand that Israeli sovereignty extend from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, particularly since these are the only borders which will serve as a deterrent to Arab aggression.

We have no desire to interfere in the daily lives of Palestinian Arabs. If they abandon terror, no one in the autonomous areas will notice Israeli sovereignty. The key to tranquillity is a strong Israel. The Middle East is not Europe, nor will it be so long as the Palestinian Arabs teach their children to view Israel as a temporary phenomenon and dream of a Palestinian state in which the Jews at best constitute a tolerated minority. When the Palestinians realize that Israel is strong and here to

Outpost               - 4 -               April 2000