From the Editor

A Troubling Question for Ariel Sharon

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has embarked in the last weeks on a series of trips to Europe apparently designed to "shore up support" by emphasizing what docile victims the Jews are and how his government longs to further "the peace process" with more Israeli concessions (if Arafat would only stop shooting for seven days). His most recent visit was to Italy, where his speech to Rome's Jewish community on June 12 included the following words: "The future of the State of Israel will affect the status of Jews throughout the world. If Israel becomes weak, don't expect to continue living the way you're living now even one more day."

We at AFSI are in full agreement. Indeed, we have said the same thing innumerable times over the years, and have pointed out the folly of American Jewish leaders who seem to have not a glimmer of this profound truth as they lobby to make Israel weaker so they can bask in the momentary approval of their "progressive" friends. But this directly raises the troubling question we would like to put to Mr. Sharon:

Why are you making Israel weaker by the day?

Another Question for Sharon

In last month's Outpost ("Yes, Prime Minister Peres"), we quoted Ariel Sharon's words in the Jerusalem Post International Edition of January 8, 1994, four months after Oslo was signed, after 21 Israelis had been killed in its wake: "[G]overnment ministers dealing with Arafat bear direct (not indirect) responsibility for these Jewish casualties." Now Israeli Defense Minister Ben Eliezer, of the Labor Party, has admitted (July 1) that Shimon Peres, as Minister of Regional Cooperation in the Barak government, approved sending 40 Palestinian Authority "policemen" to Virginia for training by the CIA as snipers and marksmen. These are the sharpshooters who are now picking off Israelis, including the infant Shalhevet Pass in her carriage in Hebron. In 1994, Sharon held Peres (among others) directly responsible for the murder of Israelis killed by Oslo; since then, Peres has compounded his criminal irresponsibility many times over, and bears special individual guilt for the deaths of Israelis caused by the PLO marksmen doing their daily deadly work.

Question for Sharon: Why is the man responsible for all these murders of Jews your Foreign Minister?

The $64 Question

But the biggest question of all grows out of another accurate criticism Sharon made of Israel's Labor government which we also quoted in "Yes, Prime Minister Peres." In March 1994, Sharon complained: "Israel has no clear, defined goal. The renewal of peace talks has become an object in itself...The government is on the verge of a process by which we are liable to lose everything." Sharon's current policy seems to consist of desperate efforts to persuade Arafat to stop murdering Jews for seven days so he can have a figleaf to return to "peace talks." But peace talks, under Barak, to paraphrase the musical comedy song, "went as fur as they could go." Arafat said no, and went to war. As prime minister, Sharon has repeatedly said negotiating an end to the conflict is not in the cards.

Question for Sharon: If, on your own analysis, ending the conflict is impossible, what can the goal of yet more "peace talks" possibly be? Is it--as more and more seems likely--agreeing to a Palestinian state and further Israeli territorial retreats in exchange for yet one more worthless cease-fire agreement?

Good Questions for Netanyahu

Sharon is not the only one who needs to confront some tough questions. Benjamin Netanyahu has thrown his hat into the ring again, announcing he will run against Sharon for Likud party head and for Prime Minister. After responding to some soft-ball questions from nationalist radio station Arutz-7, he was asked several challenging questions by Moshe Feiglin, a leader in the protest movement Zo Artzeinu (This is Our Land) who is himself a long-shot candidate for the Likud leadership.

l. When you were Prime Minister, you boycotted

Outpost               - 2 -               August 2001