Media Releases – May 1999
May 1999
May 10, 1999 Vote Netanyahu and Vote National Unity
May 12, 1999 Portents of Things to Come Under Labor
May 20, 1999 Booing the Prime Minister
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Jerusalem, May 10, 1999
Vote Netanyahu and Vote National Unity
The following talk by Ruth Matar is also available on audio cassette in Hebrew,
English and Russian. To receive a free copy, please call or fax: tel: 02-624-9887;
fax: 02-624-5380
Shalom: This is Ruth Matar speaking.
In a few days we will all be going to the polling booths to cast
our vote. The approaching elections are the most fateful since the establishment
of the State of Israel. On the agenda are crucial questions that you will
answer by your vote:
Yes or No to a PLO Arab State in the heart of Eretz Yisrael.
Yes or No to the abandonment of the strategic Golan Heights.
Yes or No as to whether we give up our age-old dream of a Jewish
State.
These are but a few of the monumental decisions you are being asked
to make.
Thirty-three different parties seek your vote. Thirty-two of these parties
are willing to relinquish further parts of your homeland. Their rationale
is that we have no other choice. They claim that our tiny country cannot
defy the nations of the world, including America, who all seem to support
such moves. Their message promotes despair and pessimism amongst us.
In the midst of this atmosphere of pending catastrophe, there is a need
to reestablish a true national camp, which offers us new hope and new belief
in ourselves and our eternal Jewish destiny. In the ’92 elections the national
camp received more votes than the left, but because of the many parties
on the right and the division amongst them, many votes were lost. The left
assumed power and brought the disaster of Oslo upon us. This time the leaders
of the national camp have learned the bitter lesson of ’92, and have united
into a single large camp called HaIchud HaLeumi, consisting of Moledet,
Herut and Tekumah.
Only HaIchud HaLeumi says “No” to the handing over of parts
of Eretz Yisrael, and “Yes” to the renewal of settlement activity throughout
the Land.
Only HaIchud HaLeumi says “No” to a withdrawal from the Golan
and from Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
Only HaIchud HaLeumi really works for true unity among the
religious and non-religious; between Sephardim and Ashkenazim; between
workers and academics, between old timers and new immigrants. Out of
the first ten candidates on the list there are six kippa wearers.
The four other candidates who do not wear kippas, have proven themselves
over and over again, to be more faithful to Eretz Yisrael, the people
of Israel, and the Torah of Israel, than some kippa-wearing members
of the Knesset.
And finally, only HaIchud HaLeumi by their deeds fulfill the
written principles of the Movement’s Platform, and thus are entitled to
the complete support of the national camp in Israel!
What about the Likud?
The Likud Party today is a mixed bag. It is represented in the
Knesset by Knesset Members like Meir Shitrit and Michael Eitan, who support
Wye and the consequences thereof, a PLO State in the heart
of Eretz Yisrael. It is former Likudniks Benny Begin and Michael
Kleiner, who are now leaders of HaIchud HaLeumi, who represent the true
Likud, and the principles of historical Herut. Your vote therefore
for the National Unity Party is more likely to fulfill the Jewish People’s
national aspirations, and give Netanyahu the necessary support to resist
the pressures on him from within and without.
What about Mafdal?
The National Religious Party (known popularly as the Mafdal)
is mainly composed, at present, of people who could just as easily join
the pacifist Meimad movement. It is the same sad story of compromise
of principles on the basis of a rationalization that things would be worse
if they refused to compromise. That it was better for them to have
the Education Ministry than to adhere rigidly to giving up further parts
of the Land of Israel to an avowed enemy. It is important
to remember that Mafdal let Netanyahu understand that it would under no
circumstances depose him; which led to the cave in to the brutal American
pressure to sign the terrible Wye Agreement. Mafdal was willing to compromise
its principles without achieving anything in return, not peace but rather
greater endangerment to Jewish lives. The true adherence to Mafdal’s claimed
nationalistic principles, is represented by Hanan Porat and Zvi Hendel
present leading candidates of HaIchud HaLeumi.
What about voting Gimmel in appreciation for what Meir Porush has done
as Deputy Housing Minister?
Some people in Judea, Samaria and Gaza unfortunately are misinformed
and extremely shortsighted when they announce their intention to
vote Gimmel (Agudat Israel) in the upcoming elections.
Yes, Meir Porush is a special individual, sympathetic to these Jews.
In his position as Deputy Housing Minister he has built in these areas.
Mainly, however, he has built for the ultra-Orthodox sector, because of
the great need of inexpensive housing for his sector of the public. He
has also built in the settlements, but all the financing for this latter
construction was fought for and obtained by Knesset representatives
of the Eretz Yisrael Front, mainly Zvi Hendel, Michael Kleiner, Rechavam
Zeevi, and Rabbi Benny Elon. They are the ones who sat in Committee day
and night to attain this goal. To give their vote to Meir Porash
because there was some building in the settlements is not serving the
interests of the national front. Agudath Israel serves its electorate
with regard to their housing needs and their educational institutions.
They may gain at most five seats in the Knesset this time. But every vote
from the national religious public that goes over to Agudat Israel prevents
the election of a strong HaIchud HaLeumi Knesset list. A vote for Gimmel
will put in the Knesset Rabbi Yisrael Eichler, who calls for the evacuation
of settlements of the national religious camp, instead of Rabbi Menahem
Felix,number 10 on the National Unity List. The Residents of Judea, Samaria
and Gaza must think and decide which of the two, Eichler
or Rabbi Felix, will struggle with greater determination for Eretz Yisrael
and for the interests of the Jews in Israel. Which of the two will
struggle on behalf of the tremendous and magnificent enterprise of national
religious education, including the ulpanot, colleges, yeshiva high schools,
and the hesder yeshivot.
We must remember that two of the representatives of Agudath Yisrael
voted in favor of the Hebron agreements, and two abstained. All the Members
of Knesset from Agudath Yisrael, including Rabbi Porush, abstained in the
vote on the terrible Wye Agreement, even though they knew that a vote against
the Agreement would have abrogated it. In most such fateful votes, abstaining
equals supporting the Agreement.
Thus taking away a single vote from the National Unity Movement by voting
Gimmel for Aguda, carries with it a very heavy responsibility. It is in fact
a vote for giving up further portions of Eretz Yisrael to
the PLO, which in turn will endanger the lives of the residents of Judah
and Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
What indeed will come from Meir Porush expanding building in some settlement
areas, when his party, Agudath Yisrael, will support agreements which
endanger these very Jewish communities?
We are not a one-issue party!
Read our Platform! It will reveal to you quickly that our Movement
has positive positions across the board, which you can be proud to associate
yourself with. It goes without saying that the more votes that
HaIchud HaLeumi receives, the greater its influence in all spheres, such
as
*Absorption of immigrants
*Special support for veterans-adequate housing and employment
for them
*Improving the quality of life in development towns
*Reduction of unemployment
And, in the economic sphere:
*Increase of competition in the market place
*Privatization of public enterprises and companies and
*Reduction of taxes by reducing size and activities of public
companies.
We must defeat Ehud Barak!
Barak is the preferred candidate for Prime Minister of Israel of: Yassir
Arafat, Faisal Husseini, Achmed Tibi, Shimon Peres, Yossi Beilin and Madelaine
Albright. These people have not acted in the interest of preserving
the Jewish character of Israel, and some of them actively seek to destroy
our nation. Such individuals have brought not peace but more bloodshed
to our beloved Country.
Barak, to get himself elected, has irresponsibly announced he is ready
to unilaterally leave Lebanon and to let the Syrians re-occupy the strategic
Golan Heights.
Barak has an essentially anti-religious background; he is totally
ignorant of Judaism and would not know what to do in a Synagogue.
Prayer is foreign to him, and he has repeatedly, unashamedly and publicly
questioned the existence of G-d!
His hostility to the Jewish nature of the State of Israel, will
give us a leader who does not have the knowledge or the inclination to
defend the historical character of this Jewish nation. He has
already committed himself to the forced evacuation of some settlements
with all the attendant disunity and damage to our national morale that
such a move would entail.!
Ehud Barak, even now, in his campaign, is doing his best to delegitimize
large sectors of our population, particularly the Jews in Judea, Samaria,the
Gaza Strip, and entire Haredi and Sephardi Communities. Therefore, in
spite of past frustrations and disappointments in our present leader,
we must make sure that the next Prime Minister of Israel is Benjamin Netanyahu.
Bibi’s strength will depend on the strength of his coalition partners.
The key to achieving our goals is through our strength in the Knesset.
A large and strong contingent of HaIchud HaLeumi in the Knesset will enable
Prime Minister Netanyahu to withstand the many internal and external enemies
of Israel, and even those who think they are acting in Israel’s interest.
You can make the difference.
You must believe that you can still change things for the better.
On May 17, cast your vote for Netanyahu for Prime Minister and for Yud
Tet, HaIchud HaLeumi — the National Unity Movement. You will thereby
insure a better and safer future for our children, and return hope and
faith to the Jewish People.
Thank you for your kind attention to this message.
Please check the Ichud HaLeumi website at: www.haichud-haleumi.org.il
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Jerusalem, May 12, 1999
Portents of Things To Come Under Labor
Women In Green have been distributing election
literature, among other places, at the Mashbir Plaza in downtown Jerusalem
for many weeks. We have had a table at that location where election
literature is available to the public. When we had been there only
a few days, we were told by a City Official that we were required to obtain
a permit from the City to have a table there. We immediately applied
for several locations, including the Mashbir Plaza, and thought we obtained
such a permit.
Last week the Labor Party arrived
on the scene, accompanied by several policemen. The Police
at the instigation of the Labor Party activists wanted to see our permit,
and they were shown same. Inadvertently, the City had omitted the
location of the Mashbir Plaza from our permit, but on immediate application
by us, the Permit was corrected to include the Mashbir Plaza.
The Labor Party has been using
a microphone at the Mashbir Plaza throughout the time that they have been
there. They claim they received a permit for same from the Police
Department. We applied for such a microphone from the City but the
City claims they do not issue such permits. So we applied in writing
to the Police for this Friday morning, May 14, to use a microphone as well.
The Police advised us this morning that we can not be at the Mashbir Plaza
on Friday, because the Labor Party is already there. Accordingly,
they can not grant us a Permit. In vain, we told them that we were
there before the Labor Party, and are there every day since then, but all
to no avail. They advise us that we will be removed by force if we
appear at the Mashbir Plaza on Friday.
Such is the meaning of democracy under Labor. Women In Green have
bitter experience of many Police arrests of our women under the Peres
regime. Notwithstanding the unfairness and the undemocratic nature of
the recent Police threats to our women in order to protect the monopoly
and unfair election advantage of Labor, we will be at the Mashbir Plaza
on Friday, May 14, 1999 at 10 A.M. Our firm belief in basic democratic
principles requires such action!
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, May 20, 1999
Booing the Prime Minister
Ehud Barak is to be commended. At a victory celebration when
Barak mentioned the name of his rival for the premiership, the
incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu, some in his audience began booing.
Barak brought them to order. He wisely pointed out that Netanyahu
was still the Prime Minister, and one does not boo a Prime
Minister.
It was, however, a belated observation. Throughout the election
campaign, and in fact throughout Netanyahu’s tenure in office,
the Prime Minister Elect Ehud Barak must have been acutely aware
that the media had done far worse than boo Prime Minister
Netanyahu. The Media had been openly and flagrantly disrespectful
to that Prime Minister, and set the example for those who chose
to express themselves by booing. Would that someone of the
statures of Barak had made such an observation earlier on. We
might have had a campaign on the merits and the serious issues
that face the Jewish People here in Israel, rather than the
skilled public relations and slick selling job that Clinton’s
Carville engineered in Barak’s behalf.
It was a masterful job that Carville and Co. performed, replete
with the long ago prearranged scenario of Mordechai and Bishara
bowing out of the race at the last minute. (All this, despite
Mordechai’s misleading misrepresentations to the public and media
that he intended to stay in the race until the end.) This
analysis will be confirmed with the predicted ministerial
appointments by Barak of the Center Party’s foursome
of Mordechai, Shahak, Milo and Meridor. It is also quite amazing
that the Media has been virtually silent about the deal, which
Bishara had made with Labor and Barak. The media’s bias and raw
prejudice shines through in the manner in which they have treated
this whole sordid matter.
Is this truly democracy at work here in Israel? A fair discussion
of the crucial issues facing the Jewish public is ignored by the
media and the major electoral candidates. What you have in its
stead is a potpourri of one-sided party ads leaving the public
the impossible task of discerning who is telling the truth. The
necessary and helpful probing questions of an unbiased media is
just not available to the Israeli public. It is the narrow
self-interest of the media, and its favored candidate, to whom
time and attention is given. They have emphasized Barak’s
military career but little else.
So we now have an elected Prime Minister, Ehud Barak. No one
actually knows what his positions are on crucial questions, which
affect the life and death of our Jewish State. Ehud Barak must
belatedly talk to us, and make it clear where he stands. The
sooner the better!
Ruth and Nadia Matar