Media Releases September 2005

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SEPTEMBER 2005

IS THERE A CONNECTION?

Letter from Ruth Matar (Women in Green) Jerusalem
Thursday, September 1, 2005
Dear Friends,

As you read this letter of mine, you are probably still deluged with reports of the horrific devastation wrought on the United States by Hurricane Katrina. Since Monday August 29, worldwide television seems to have featured nothing but images of the destruction of thousands of homes and businesses, streets, highways, and other infrastructure. Worst of all are images of continued human suffering. New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin said the hurricane might have killed thousands in his city alone.

From the 16th to the 23rd of August, worldwide television featured continual scenes from Israel of weeping fathers, mothers and children forcibly dragged out of their homes in Gush Katif and Samaria and loaded onto buses by the Israeli Police and Army, upon the orders of the Ariel Sharon Government. The bulldozing and destruction of the homes, schools, farms, hot houses, and businesses continues. The decision to level all the synagogues in Gush Katif has still not begun. The disinterment of graves in Gush Katif is being done today.

Is there a connection between the two tragedies? Dr. James Vineyard, a pastor of a large church (3500 members) firmly believes that there is such a connection. Pastor Vineyard is a committed Christian-Zionist and passionately believes that President Bush’s “ROAD MAP PLAN” and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s “DISENGAGEMENT PLAN” are directly against the word of the G-d of Israel as expressed in the Judeo-Christian bible.

In response, Pastor Vineyard has written numerous letters to President Bush ever since he adopted the Saudi sponsored “ROAD MAP PLAN”.

Similarly, he has written many letters to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, since he put forward his harmful, irresponsible “DISENGAGEMENT PLAN”. After literally hundreds of letters, Prime Minister Sharon finally answered Pastor Vineyard on August 16, 2005.

I am reproducing three important letters here in their entirety. Please read them carefully, as they shed light on the current situation:

1. Prime Minister Sharon’s letter to Pastor Vineyard – August 16, 2005
2. Pastor Vineyard’s reply to Prime Minister Sharon- August 31, 2005
3. Pastor Vineyard’s letter to President Bush- August 30, 2005
***
Prime Minister Sharon’s letter to Pastor Vineyard – August 16, 2005

Dear Pastor Vineyard,

        Thank you for your recent letters.

        I have dedicated my entire life to defending the security of the people of Israel and the State of Israel. For many years I have been engaged in settlement, establishing new communities and strengthening our hold on this land.
 
        I believe that today, the best interest, welfare and security of the people of Israel necessitate a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, an area where there is no chance of establishing a Jewish majority and which will clearly not be part of the State of Israel under any permanent settlement. We are now diverting most of our attention to areas which are vital to our existence- the Galilee, the Negev, Greater Jerusalem, the population centers and the security zones.

        I initiated the Disengagement plan as I believe it is the best tool to generate fundamental change in the national situation of the State of Israel. A pullout from Gaza will have a tremendously positive effect on all aspects of life in Israel: the security, economy and standard of living in this country.
 
        For the first time, the Palestinians will be presented with a clear choice: do they want to start building or continue destroying? Are they capable and willing to change or do they want to continue wallowing in hatred and incitement, condemning their people to a life of poverty and misery?
 
        I am aware of the great sacrifice asked of the residents of the Gaza Strip and the four communities in Northern Samaria who must relocate, and genuinely feel their pain. However, as we have no desire to rule over millions of Palestinians, disengagement is necessary to allow us to embark on a new reality.

        With best Wishes, 

Sincerely,
Ariel Sharon
****
Pastor Vineyard’s reply to Prime Minister Sharon- August 31, 2005

Dear Mr. Sharon:

I have received your letter of August 16, 2005.  Thank you for answering.

However, with all due respect, Sir, I wish to take issue with you that Israel’s “best interests, welfare, and security” necessitated a withdrawal from Gaza and Shomron.  The pullout will not have “positive effects” on Israel’s security, economy, and standard of living.

For instance, Sir, I know for a fact that on April 30, 2003, you were “not advocating pulling out” from Gaza and Shomron after having defeated Amran Mitzna in the elections.

But, on that day, April 30, 2003, you were given the Condi Rice-authorized, Flynt Leverett-authored (in the Saudi-funded Jim Baker Public Policy Institute, Rice University) Road Map to Peace Plan.

When written, the Road Map went to the Saudis for their approval, then the European Union, then Tony Blair, then Colin Powell, then Bush, and from him, it came to your government on April 30, 2003.

Interesting, Sir, is the fact that the Road Map was given to you after Abu Mazen was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority.

The next day, Sir, a British al-Qaeda martyr-bomber (aiming for those seventy-two dark-eyed virgins in the Islamic version of a Hollywood Whorehouse) blew up the Tel Aviv pub Mike’s Place as a fitting reaction to the new Road Map Policy.  Casualties?  Three were killed and over twenty wounded!

Sir, Islamic terror is not caused because of “Israel’s supposed occupier” position.  Ten weeks before you became a Jewish state (February 22, 1948), a triple truck bomb was detonated on Ben Yehuda Street.  Fifty-four people were killed with hundreds wounded. 

The lesson?  It is obvious that Islamic terrorism is caused, not by the “desperation” of “occupation,” but by THE VERY THOUGHT OF A JEWISH STATE.
You say, Sir, that for the first time, the Palestinians will be presented with a clear choice:  building or destroying!

Mr. Prime Minister, I did not fall off a “cabbage truck” yesterday!  I have been studiously following events in Israel the entirety of my Christian experience, which now is forty-one years!  During that period of time, the Palestinians have been given “clear choices” hundreds of times.

And, Sir, I am aware that the USA continues to disregard realities in the Middle East, putting extremely heavy pressure on Jerusalem to go along with the Road Map and ignoring the Palestinians’ ongoing terrorist activities – the daily casualties among Israeli civilians and the firing of mortar shells and Qassam rockets at Israeli targets!

Sir, the Disengagement was a huge prize for Islamic terror.  In its wake, Sir, the Palestinians will not only achieve their strategic goals but will also reach a clear conclusion – TERROR PAYS!

They will get all the concessions Israel, the USA, the European Union, and the United Nations showers on them – billions and billions of dollars!  From those funds, they will reorganize themselves and rebuild their Islamic terror units; and the moment it is convenient, the homicide bombers will start blowing up buses; and Qassams will start falling on Askelon, Sderot, Tel Aviv, etc.

Your experience from Oslo ought to have taught you that this WRONG WAY – ROAD MAP “bodes” a future in which Islamic terror will be much worse.

Back, Sir, to the Spring of 2003, and to the presentation of the WRONG WAY – ROAD MAP Peace Plan – I know for a fact that on May 10, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell marched into Israel with a list of WRONG WAY – ROAD MAP “demands” requiring substantial Israeli concessions in return for only imprecise, ambiguous, and perplexing assurances from the Palestinians.
Israel was to cease “provocative” antiterrorist operations!
Israel was to release all Palestinian terrorists!  (How many are we – the USA – freeing from Guantanamo?) Israel was to permit Palestinian workers into Israel, including those who fit the age group of Islamic Terrorists!

Israel was to freeze all settlement activities! (I grew up, Sir, in the Panhandle of Texas.  As a boy, I was taught Texas History about how settlers came and settled the Panhandle!  Now, I live in Oklahoma!  Oklahoma History teaches how settlers settled this Indian Territory, and as a matter of fact, the Oklahoma University fight song, “BOOMER SOONER,” has to do with that settling!  But, since it “weren’t Jews,” it is OKAY in America!)

Sir, Secretary of State Powell (then) and Ms. Doctor Condi Rice (now) “rudely ignore” Israel’s reservations, and both insist on sticking to the original WRONG WAY – ROAD MAP dictates!

Israel has been put in a position by the USA to make “confidence-building measures” (HOGWASH, I SAY, SIR) unilaterally!  Israel is expected to unilaterally undertake these conciliatory measures demanded by the USA irrespective of Palestinian actions!

Sir, the “NEW REALITY” you speak about, which Disengagement allows you to embark on, is “SANCTIMONIOUS RHETORIC”!  It is “only” the advancement of Bush’s naive political interests in the Middle East.

I remember the day you met Abu Mazen (Arafat #2) on May 17, 2003.  Then, the Palestinians refused to live up to Washington’s promises that they would fight terrorism after significant withdrawals.

Your squabble with Arafat #2 on May 17, 2003, was immediately followed by the May 18, 2003, bombing of yet another bus in Jerusalem which killed seven and wounded twenty-four.

On my birthday, May 19, 2003, an Islamic female suicide bomber hit the shopping mall in Afula, leaving three dead and seventy wounded.

As I recall, Sir, exceptionally detailed intelligence left no doubt in Washington or Jerusalem that both bombings were directed from Arafat’s headquarters in Ramallah.

And yet, the IDF did not act because of intense U.S. pressure not to embarrass Bush by undermining the Road Map, even though the price would be paid with the lives and limbs of Israeli civilians.

After those events, in Maaleh Adumim, I told my friend, Mayor Benni Kashriel, that if I were Prime Minister of Israel, I would give a six-hour notice to folks in Ramallah and allow all the women and children to leave.

Then, I would drop a US Arsenal Daisy Cutter (25,000-pounder) on the thug of all thugs – Arafat – and his cronies!

Benni was so impressed by that statement that he attempted to get me an appointment with Sha’ul Mofaz so that I could tell him.

Mr. Prime Minister, I am your friend and not your enemy.  I am a Yedid and Chaver to the Jewish people.  I have no hidden agenda.  I just believe that G-d meant what He said when He said He would bless those who blessed the Jews.

Now, Sir, you question, “Do they [Islamic Palestinians] want to continue to wallow in hatred and incitement, condemning their people to a life of poverty and misery?”

Sir, in all the countries where Islam now holds sway, common, ordinary people are condemned to a life of poverty and misery!  THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS WHATSOEVER, SIR!

SUICIDE BOMBERS are standing in line to get at US forces in Iraq!  As we get closer to Congressional and Senatorial elections in 2006, the liberal, leftist US Media will find a Democrat Champion; and as American soldiers continue to die, they will turn the “no-stomach-for-the-fight” Americans against Bush’s Middle East efforts.

Israel will then be left holding the bag of their Disengagement, but in a much more dire situation!

This morning, our church marquee reads:  “ROAD MAP EVICTS 9000 JEWS FROM THEIR HOMES IN GAZA-SHOMRON!  KATRINA EVICTS ONE MILLION FROM THEIR HOMES IN USA.  CONNECTION?  GEN. 12:3 & JER. 31:35!”

Neither the US News Media nor the Bush Administration will listen to what we are declaring!  Please pay attention, Sir!

A True Yedid and Chaver of the Jews,
Jim Vineyard
Pastor
***
Pastor Vineyard’s letter to President Bush- August 30, 2005

Dear Mr. Bush:

You profess to be a believer in the Messiah, for Whom we owe the Jews.  And, you profess to read the Holy Bible (for which we owe the Jews) on a daily basis.

Sir, in the Holy Bible, in Jeremiah 31:35, we read:  “Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:”

Anytime, in our King James Version of the Bible, when the name LORD is in all upper case, then the LORD God of Israel’s name there is JEHOVAH.  Jehovah is the only true God.  All other gods, including “allah,” are false gods.

Now, Sir, as evidenced by many scholarly folks, our “common enemy” with Israel is Terrorism – the majority of which (99.99%) is directed “ideologically” by the Religion of Islam from Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, etc.

Sir, Arafat #1 did direct and now Arafat #2 (Abu Mazen) is directing Islamic terrorism against the nation of Israel, and Osama and gang are directing Islamic terrorism against the USA.

Under the “Road MapDisengagement” Peace Plan, nine thousand Jewish people were “EVACUATED” from their homes in the Gush and Shomron.  The USA has already promised and given $50 million to Arafat #2.

Israel is asking for $3 billion in aid to implement the Road Map-Disengagement just in Gaza and Shomron.  Ms. Rice says, “Gaza is only the start.”  If that be true, there will be many more billions of dollars spent on this travesty of justice.

Now, here come THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL’S roaring, dividing waves (Jeremiah 31:35) named KATRINA, which causes the estimated evacuation of 1 million residents (480,000 in New Orleans; 384,000 along the Alabama coastline; and 140,000 in Mississippi).

The estimated cost of Katrina is up to $26 billion dollars in damages.  Is there a connection, Sir?  The LORD GOD OF ISRAEL has stirred up the Waves so that they roar.  Satan cannot do that.  Old allah cannot do that either!  It was the LORD GOD OF ISRAEL!

Soon, the Road Map will displace the Jewish residents adjacent to the Avraham Avinu neighborhood in Hebron.  MK Uzi Landau said this morning that the main problem facing Ariel Sharon is “his loss of legitimacy among members of his party.”

At the same time, Kofi Anan congratulated Sharon on his “courageous decision-making process” which led to the implementation of the Road Map-Disengagement plan.

Mr. President, you profess to be a Christian!  As a Christian, you know the Holy Bible teaches, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked:  for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

The LORD OF HOSTS has divided the Sea, and America has reaped for what we have done in Israel.  If we do not get off the path we are on, America will be the cause of the first democracy (Israel) suffering defeat at the hands of our “common Islamic enemy”!

Then, Sir, with all due respect, KATRINA will look like child’s play relative to what THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL will send our way!

A man who LOVES THE LORD with all his heart, soul, mind, body, and strength and who realizes that as a Christian, we have no alternative other than being a blessing to the sons and daughters of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and King David,

Jim Vineyard
Pastor
****
The question I asked in the beginning of this article, whether there is a connection between the human tragedies caused by Hurricane Katrina in the United States and the human tragedies caused by the deportation of Jews from Gush Katif, unfortunately must be answered in the affirmative.

The so called DISENGAGEMENT PLAN of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was initiated in response to the “ROAD MAP” of President Bush- the plan to establish an Arab State in the Holy Land. As a consequence of that plan, 9,000 Jews were forcibly expelled from their homes in Gush Katif and Samaria.

A week after their expulsion the United States is struck by Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst disasters in American history. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have been evacuated from disaster areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and made homeless. 

Is there a connection? Is this merely coincidence or is there cause and effect? It is up to each one us to answer this question! 

We urge all our friends in America to call on the President of the United States to stop pressuring Israel to withdraw from the Land of Israel and to recognize that all the land promised in the Holy Bible to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob belongs to the Jewish people.

With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth Matar
=============================================
Women For Israel’s Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:michael@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org

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********************

September 4, 2005
Attempt to Arrest Nadia Matar
This Sunday morning, September 4th, 2005, four (4) policemen in plainclothes came to Nadia Matar’s home in Efrat. She was told that she was under arrest, and had to come with them to jail immediately.

Nadia asked to speak to her lawyer. When reviewing the arrest order, it showed no signature of a judge. The police left, promising to return.

According to the arrest order, Nadia is accused of incitement to rebellion in her articles.

Ariel Sharon has turned Israel into a police state. There is no freedom to criticize the Government. There is no freedom of speech.

Jerusalem, September 4, 2005                Ruth Matar, Co-Chair
=============================================
Women For Israel’s Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:michael@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org

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*****************

September 4, 2005

Women in Green call upon all to come to the Supreme Court on Monday,
September 5th at 11:30, and show support for Jonathan Pollard and urge the
judges to grant him official status as a Prisoner of Zion.

Following is the Justice 4Jp release detailing the petition.

Come one, come all,

Ruth and Nadia Matar

————————————————————————-
Pollard Supreme Court Hearing On 5 September
Public Is Welcome to Attend

Justice4JP Release – August 29, 2005

Jonathan Pollard’s petition asking the Supreme Court of Israel to force the
Government of Israel to grant him official status as a Prisoner of Zion
(PoZ) is scheduled to be heard in Israel’s Supreme Court next week on 5
September 2005. The public is welcome to attend.(Details below.)

This ground-breaking petition demonstrates that Pollard meets, and in many
cases, exceeds the legal requirements for PoZ status. It asks the Supreme
Court to demand that the Government explain its refusal  and force the
Government to grant Pollard the PoZ status.

The petition caused waves of shock around the world when it was filed (in
May of this year) because it reveals, for the first time, explicit details
of the tortures and afflictions Jonathan Pollard has endured in US prisons
over the last 2 decades.

Pollard is represented by Attorney Nitsana Darshan-leitner. Larry Dub is of
counsel.

Jonathan Pollard is supported by former Prisoners of Zion and numerous PoWs
and their organizations. [See Addendum below.]  A number of PoZ’s have
indicated that they plan to be present at the hearing.

The hearing will establish (B””H), for the first time, that the ‘great
bastion of democracy’, the United States of America, is holding a Prisoner
of Zion; and that as such, he has been subjected to cruel and unusual
punishment and to a sentence which is grossly disproportionate to offense
with which he was charged.

This hearing is an historic event which will, no doubt, be written about
and studied for years to come. The public is welcome to attend.

Here are the details:

Event:  Pollard PoZ Supreme Court Hearing
When:  5 September 2005  (Monday)
Time:   11:30 am (Arrive earlier for security clearance.)
Where: Israel’s Supreme Court
Bring:   Photo ID (Teudaht Zehut or Passport)
ADDENDUM:

PoZ’s and PoW’s In Support of Pollard

The following is a list of PoZs and PoWs – individuals and organizations –
who have signed in support of Jonathan Pollard:

Assirei Machteret (Former Prisoners of the Underground Organizations)

Signing on behalf of their respective groups or organizations:

Tuvia Chen Tzion – Head of the Lechi Fighters Group (Amutah)
Avraham Ben-Har – Representative of Lechi Fighters Condemned to Death
Yitzchak Even-Zohar – Representative of Escapees Who Tunneled out of Latrun
Pinchas Ginosar – Representative Prisoners Exiled to Kenya
Yehudit Ginosar – Beit Lechem Prisoner
Ezriel Livnat – Acco Prisoner; Exiled to Erithria
Geula Cohen – Beit Lechem Prisoner
Baruch Guttmacher – Representative of the Prisoners of Zion of the Etzel Group

Piduay Shevi (Redeemed Hostages/ P.O.WS)

Margalit Cohen – Egypt 1973
Chezi Shai – Lebanon 1982
David Avudraham – Egypt 1973
Oded Zamir -Egypt 1973
Yaacov Gur – Egypt 1973
Uri Aharonfeld – Egypt 1973
Sami Ben Abu – Egypt 1973
Beni Finestein – Egypt 1973
Dudi Biton – Egypt 1973
Rafi Eldan – Egypt 1973
Charley Ben Kassom – Egypt 1973
Yisasschar Ben Daniel – Egypt 1973
Yaacov Bronfeld – Egypt 1973
Ovadia Gavriel – Egypt 1973
Ido Goldhecht – Egypt 1973
Dani Gilboa – Lebanon 1982
Arik Ginosar – Egypt 1973
Fezi Hirshtock – Egypt 1973
Yosef Weiss – Egypt 1973
David Ziv – Egypt 1948
Yitzchak Carmel – Egypt 1973

Assirei Tzion (Prisoners of Zion)

Yosef Mendelevitch – Jerusalem
Ida Nudel – Jerusalem Shlomo Dreizner – Jerusalem
Yaacov Suslenski – Jerusalem
David Maayan – Moshav Arugot
Ezriel Kochubievski – Rechovot
And others…

Organizations and Groups

Amutah Assirei Lechi [The Lechi Fighters Organization] – representing 158
members
Amutah Arim B’Layla – representing 250 members of the Israel Defense
Forces, former Prisoners of War.

=============================================
Women For Israel’s Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:michael@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org

To make a contribution via our secure server or through Paypal, go to:
https://host5.apollohosting.com/womeningreen/funds/donation/donation.html

To subscribe to the Women in Green list,
please send a blank email message to:
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**********************

September 6, 2005

NADIA MATAR ARRESTED!
Update on current status of Nadia Matar:

On Sunday, four (4) plainclothes police officers came to the home of Nadia Matar in Efrat to arrest her.

Subsequently an agreement was reached that she come to the police station in Gush Etzion on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 at 9:00 am for interrogation.

When she arrived at the station, the police were waiting outside for her and advised her that she was under arrest. They told her that they were taking her to the Be’er Sheva police station. She was informed that she was being arrested on the charge of “”INCITEMENT TO REBELLION”” in her articles.

STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS.

Jerusalem, September 6,2005                 Ruth Matar, Co-Chair
=============================================
Women For Israel’s Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:michael@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org

To make a contribution via our secure server or through Paypal, go to: https://host5.apollohosting.com/womeningreen/funds/donation/donation.html

To subscribe to the Women in Green list,
please send a blank email message to:
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To unsubscribe from the Women in Green list,
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*******************

September 6, 2005

NADIA HAS BEEN RELEASED FROM THE BE’ER SHEVA POLICE STATION
 
 
Nadia Matar was released at 1:00 pm, after being arrested this morning in Gush Etzion at 9:15 am, and brought to the Be’er Sheva police station.
 
The investigator showed Nadia an article that she had written a month ago, which appeared in Hebrew on the Gush Katif website, entitled: THIS IS HOW WE WILL CANCEL THE DECREE. The investigator quoted large parts of Nadia’s article and accused her of inciting rebellion.
 
Nadia’s reaction during the entire two hour investigation was as follows:
“As you and your superiors well know, I have done nothing wrong, this is a political persecution by a dictatorial regime, which not only commits the crime of expelling Jews from their homeland, handing over portions of this biblical homeland to the Arab enemy, but also tries to deny the national camp the right to free speech.
It is interesting to note that when I complained to the police against professor Sternhal years ago, for incitement to murder settlers, the police closed my complaint, claiming ‘lack of public interest’. 
It is clear that in Israel some people belonging to one camp have unlimited freedom of speech, while people belonging to the national camp are being persecuted for anything they do or say, even if no transgression of any law is involved.
Because this is a political investigation, I will maintain my right to remain silent. I will not answer any questions. “
 
The interrogator then asked Nadia tens of questions relating to her article. Nadia remained silent.
 
Finally Nadia had to sign a surety bond that she agreed to return for any further investigation. She was then released.
 
Jerusalem, September 6, 2005    Ruth Matar, Co-Chair
******************************

“MOTHER NATURE” or
“THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE”?

Letter from Ruth Matar (Women in Green) Jerusalem
Thursday September 8, 2005
Dear Friends,

When I wrote my article last Thursday, I did something that I thought was very important. I posed the question to my readers asking if there is a connection between 9,000 Jews being forcibly removed from their homes in Israel by the Sharon government, and the many thousands being made homeless in the United States. This question turned out to be quite controversial.

I asked the opinion of the readers of last weeks Letter from Jerusalem whether these tragedies were merely coincidental, or if there possibly might be some cause and effect operating?

I implied that there might be some connection because of the intense pressure on Israel by the US State Department and US President George W. Bush, to give up parts of the Jewish Homeland for the establishment of yet another Arab terrorist state.

And the answers came – a veritable deluge of replies.

Three quarters of the opinions were in agreement with me. One quarter of these replies, vociferously and angrily disagreed with the possibility that there might be any kind of connection.

Some examples of letters:

Opinions denying the connection of Katrina and Gush Katif

*I highly recommend you to depose that woman from your leadership and send her to an asylum. (D.R.)

*I am disturbed at the number of Jews who are playing Navi (prophet) and pretending to have been given some Divine message that Hurricanes are punishment for making Eretz Yisroel Judenrein. (R.P)

*This is the stupidest letter you have ever posted: A connection? My G-D!! (Dr.B.S.)

Opinions supporting the connection Katrina and Gush Katif

*Sharon at the prodding of the American government, has destroyed hallowed centers of prayer, torah learning and settlement in the land of Israel. Mr. Bush and Ms. Rice, I implore you to ask Hashem’s forgiveness for destroying a flourishing part of Israel. Cancel all your demands for further territorial concessions in Israel. Please take Katrina very seriously for she is a no- nonsense messenger from the ALMIGHTY!!(E.J.S.)

*You, Mr. President have expressed pleasure at the expulsion, congratulating the perpetrator of his most awful crime, on his great courage in employing the mighty force of the Israeli army against unarmed families. You have sent your Secretary of State to demand further expulsions, further crimes. (F.L.)

*I believe we (US) are reaping what we have been sowing. We are experiencing a  large evacuation, great sorrow. In my mind, G-D has taken from us what your government has taken from you. Mr. Bush condoned the “evacuation” and that was stupid on his part, very stupid, because it also affects us American citizens. Wake up Mr. Bush! (S.K.)

There is a marked tendency among many Americans to blame only Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the “disengagement”, and to hold America completely blameless.

However, the pressure from President George W. Bush and the US State Department has long been heavy, strong and persistent. America mistakenly continues to believe that appeasing the Arabs in Jewish coin will bring “peace” with the Arabs.

Is appeasement of the Arabs advantageous for America? The headline in yesterdays Jerusalem Post reads as follows: “PA gets 50m. in aid, then incites against US”. This article notes that even though the Palestinian Authority has signed a deal with the US for 50 million, to help with housing and infrastructure, Palestinian officials called to launch attacks against US soldiers and portrayed the US as an ‘enemy’. 

A recently resigned Israeli government minister, Natan Sharansky, who, by the way, is greatly admired by President Bush, confirms that the reason for Sharon’s “disengagement retreat” is the pressure that he is under from the American government and the other democracies abroad.

On August 23, the expulsion of the Jews from the communities in Gush Katif and Samaria was virtually complete. The Jerusalem Post featured the following headlines:
 
        1. “Abbas calls to congratulate Sharon.”
        2. “Bush praises ‘bold leader’ Sharon”
        3. “Rice expects Israel to take additional steps after pullout”  
               “It can not be Gaza only”

On the same day, Tuesday, August 23, Hurricane Katrina formed as a tropical depression and quickly developed into a tropical storm.  On Sunday August 28, Katrina bore down on the Gulf of the United States and has since devastated wide areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Katrina hit the United States just as the bulldozers were completing the destruction of Gush Katif.

Katrina is the worst natural disaster ever to have hit the United States.

I beg the forgiveness of my readers that I did not make it absolutely clear in my Letter last week how saddened I am for my fellow Americans who lost loved ones, had their lives torn apart and who have become refugees in their own country. Similarly, I feel pain for my fellow Jews who were expelled from their homes in Israel, and have become refugees as well.

Yesterday, I read a story about an old man who was evacuated (forcibly expelled) from his home in Gush Katif). He needed medical attention and was asked a routine question for his address. He started to cry bitterly: “I no longer have an address”, he said.

I grant you that there is a great difference between the tragedy in Israel, which is man made by the Sharon government, and the tragic devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. I did not mean to equate the magnitude of the two tragedies. 

According to all the news commentators, Hurricane Katrina was caused by “Mother Nature”. “Mother Nature” they said, has stopped being “maternal”. Who is this fictitious “Mother Nature”? Does anyone pray to her when they are in need? The implication is that Hurricane Katrina was just a random unavoidable phenomenon!

As a religious Jew I firmly believe that there is a Higher Power in control of the Universe and all the elements thereof. The famous Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, teaches that we must constantly search for the Divine message in all the events of our lives, since Hashem speaks to all of us by way of our environment.

May The Almighty have mercy on all of us!

With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth Matar
=============================================
Women For Israel’s Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:michael@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org

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*******************

September 13, 2005

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
OF WOMEN IN GREEN
 
 
WHEN:   Monday September 19, 2005 at 8:00 pm
 
WHERE: Home of Ruth and Michael Matar
      23 Pele Yoetz Street, Yemin Moshe, Jerusalem
 
Program: Update and testimonies on what happened
  in Gush Katif and Samaria
 
Discussion: What do we do now to save the rest of our              
     beloved Country?
 
FOR MEMBERS ONLY!
 
New members may pay at the door!
 
Call our office for directions (02-624-9887) and any further information you may require
 
******************

September 13, 2005

A PROTEST AGAINST WHAT SHARON HAS DONE!
 
Dear Friends,
 
Ariel Sharon is going to be in New York City at the United Nations on Thursday, September 15; he is designated to speak there between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. Helen Freedman, Executive Director of AFSI (American Friends for a Safe Israel) has obtained a police permit for a demo outside the building of the UN.
 
It is vitally important that you attend this demo. By his talk at the UN, Sharon expects to bask in both American and International approval! He should not be rewarded for such behavior.
 
We MUST make clear that The Jewish People will never forget or forgive Sharon’s betrayal of his people in Gush Katif and Northern Samaria. Moreover, they will never forgive nor forget Sharon giving up to the Arabs vital parts of the Biblical Promised Land.
 
Jerusalem, September 13, 2005     Ruth and Nadia Matar
******************
WAKE UP AMERICA!

LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Dear Friends,

I am a creature of habit. I like to send out my weekly Letter from Jerusalem every Thursday. I am breaking my routine and sending my Letter out today, one day early, because the following message is very important!

Ariel Sharon is coming to New York – in fact he is already there.  He is slated to meet President George W. Bush today at the United Nations. According to a source in Sharon’s entourage, Bush asked to meet with Sharon as part of HIS EXPRESSION OF DEEP ADMIRATION FOR THE WAY IN WHICH THE DISENGAGEMENT WAS CARRIED OUT AND FOR THE WAY SHARON LIVED UP TO HIS COMMITMENTS!

WOW! I believe that the Jewish people do not at all have “deep admiration” for the way in which Sharon used the Israeli Army to forcibly drag out weeping families from their homes in Gush Katif and Samaria. Sharon may have lived up to his commitments to US President George W. Bush; he certainly did not live up to his commitments to the Israeli electorate.  In the January 2003 election Sharon won by a landslide. He then reneged on all his promises to the Jewish people.

In addition to meeting Bush, Sharon is also slated to meet today with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. When asked what he would tell the world leaders regarding future Israeli steps Sharon said THAT ISRAEL INTENDED TO IMPLEMENT THE ROAD MAP.

Nine thousand Jews have been brutally expelled from Jewish land, Gush Katif and Samaria, just three weeks ago. Some of the refugees are still living in tents. Some families are crowded into one hotel room. Some have been placed in dormitories and unfurnished apartments. No attempt has been made to start to build communities for them as promised by the Israeli Government’s Disengagement Authority.

Sadly, Ariel Sharon is already planning further withdrawals, according to the Saudi sponsored and US approved Road Map. Can we rely on the Bush government to prevent the division of the Biblical  Holy Land?

Obviously NOT, since the purpose of the Road Map is the creation of a Palestinian State carved out of Holy Land, promised to the Jews as an everlasting inheritance by the G-d of Israel. I think that it is important that I bring to your attention danger signs in the Bush Administration’s attitude toward Israel.

Caroline B. Glick, one of the most astute political analysts we have in Israel today, wrote an article on this issue entitled, “Our World: America’s Dark Side”, published in the Jerusalem Post on September 12, 2005. The following are verbatim excerpts from this article.

From: “Our World: America’s Dark Side”

Why would the US ask Israel to lower the level of a humanitarian aid delegation sent to assist US citizens in need? Why would the Bush administration hold up the arrival of assistance from a close ally whose government’s offer of assistance had been announced a week before? Given the IDF Medical Corps’ enormous, hard-earned experience in contending with major disasters  man-made and natural  why would the Bush administration nix the participation of IDF doctors in the humanitarian assistance effort?

According to a documented report in the online newspaper worldtribune.com the reason for the delay, and presumably for the lowering of the level of the delegation, was the State Department’s unwillingness to accept Israel’s assistance.

Administration officials cited by the report claimed that the State Department delayed accepting Israel’s repeated offers of assistance because it feared that accepting Israel’s offer would make Arab states less likely to make offers of their own.

Indeed, the report notes that in multiple press briefings last week regarding foreign assistance to Katrina victims the State Department repeatedly ignored Israel’s offers. It was only on Wednesday night that the State Department released a report noting Israel’s assistance.

The article quotes an administration official stating, “”At one point, the administration signaled that it would accept Israeli help, but preferred that it be as part of a mission organized by the American Jewish community. There appeared to be a problem with having the Israeli flag in a foreign rescue mission in the United States.””

Why would there be a problem with Israel assisting the US? How dare the administration hint that Israel integrate its assistance with that of an American religious and ethnic minority  Jewish or otherwise? Did the US suggest that the Irish or Indian governments integrate their relief assistance with relief efforts being carried out by the Irish-American or Indian-American communities? Perhaps Israel should feel grateful that the Bush administration accepted our offer at all.

After all, it refused Israeli offers of assistance in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

AT THE same time, as is the case today with Hurricane Katrina, the administration loudly applauded the “”outpouring”” of assistance it had received from such allies as Saudi Arabia. It took then New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani to set the record straight when, on October 10, 2001, Giuliani rejected a $10 million donation from Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal.

Giuliani discovered that the prince had claimed that “”Israeli attacks on Palestinians”” were the cause of the al-Qaida bombings in the US. In rejecting the donation Giuliani said, “”Not only are those statements wrong, they’re part of the problem.””

The most disturbing aspect of this episode is that it shows clearly the enduring power of the darker side of America. There is the great America that stands as a beacon of freedom and democracy for the whole world. This is the America that is willing to send its forces throughout the world to defend America and bring freedom to millions who suffer under the yoke of tyranny.

But, on the other side, there is the America of special interests and of prejudice. This is the America that, at the behest of the Saudi government, announced its support for the establishment of a Palestinian state just weeks after thousands of Palestinians celebrated the destruction of the World Trade Center. This is the America that put forward a reform plan for the United Nations that makes no mention of reforming the organization’s blatant, institutional discrimination of Israel.
* * *
 
Yesterday Nadia and I sent out a notice for a demonstration against Ariel Sharon outside the United Nations for Thursday, September 15, between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. The following is the text thereof.
 
* * *
 
A PROTEST AGAINST WHAT SHARON HAS DONE!
Dear Friends,

Ariel Sharon is going to be in New York City at the United Nations on Thursday, September 15. He is designated to speak there between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm.  Helen Freedman, Executive Director of AFSI (American Friends for a Safe Israel) has obtained a police permit for a demo outside the building of the UN.

It is vitally important that you attend this demo. By his talk at the UN, Sharon expects to bask in both American and International approval! He should not be rewarded for such behavior.

We MUST make clear that The Jewish People will never forget or forgive Sharon’s betrayal of his people in Gush Katif and Northern Samaria. Moreover, they will never forgive nor forget Sharon giving up to the Arabs vital parts of the Biblical Promised Land.

Jerusalem, September 13, 2005                             Ruth and Nadia Matar
* * *
On further reflection, the title of this announcement does not fully reflect what this protest is about. This protest is not just against Ariel Sharon. The title should be: A PROTEST AGAINST WHAT THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD ARE PLANNING TO DO AGAINST ISRAEL!

It is against all members of the United Nations who are hell bent on dividing the Holy Land.

It is also against President George W. Bush for supporting the Saudi sponsored Road Map, the purpose of which is to create a Palestinian State, carved out of Jewish Land.

It is also against the U.S. State Department which has always been, and still is, an enemy of the State of Israel. I want to remind my readers that the U.S. State Department was actively opposed to the rebirth of the Jewish State. (Only a last minute phone call to the United Nations by President Harry Truman prevented the US State Department from voting against the establishment of the State of Israel.)

When all the doors were shutting on the Jews of Europe in 1939, the US State Department influenced President Roosevelt to refuse entry to the SS St. Louis, a ship carrying nine hundred Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany who were then forced to return to almost certain death.

The US State Department suppressed news of the Nazi extermination plan (in the Riegner Cable) during the Holocaust, on the grounds that it was unsubstantiated.

The US State Department, early on, worked in tandem with Britain to prevent Jews from going to Palestine.
* * *
I PRAY THAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE CLEAR TO YOU HOW VERY IMPORTANT THIS DEMONSTRATION IS!

You may already have other plans for tomorrow. You may have planned a great day of shopping and lunch with a friend. Your boss may expect you to finish an important project. You may even have an important doctor’s appointment.

Walk, ride the subway or bus, take a plane, any way that you can go to the United Nations Plaza to take part in this demonstration, in order to cast your vote for the survival of Israel as an undivided Jewish State with indivisible Jerusalem as its capital.

Don’t ever try to say that you did not know the importance of what is at stake tomorrow.

THE FUTURE OF THE HOLY LAND IS LITERALLY IN YOUR HANDS.

With Blessings and Love for Israel,

Ruth Matar

=============================================
Women For Israel’s Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:michael@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org

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****************

September 15, 2005

Yes, the Doctor Is to Blame
by Nadia Matar, Co-Chair, Women In Green
Last week Moshe Ben-Zimrah and Yaakov Sternberg wrote an article, “”The Doctor Is Not to Blame,”” in which they strongly oppose the sharp criticism within the National Camp against the functioning of the Yesha Council of Jewish Settlements in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza in the struggle to rescue Gush Katif and Northern Samaria. The authors of the article attempt to convince us that, despite the failure, the Yesha Council acted superbly and did all that
was in its power to try and prevent the evil decree. “”Mistakes were made, but these were tactical errors, and not a fundamentally flawed strategy,”” they tell us.  They compare anyone who dares to oppose the Yesha Council as incorrect, and liken the situation to a pair of parents who unjustly charge the surgeon with the death of the child on whom he operated.

But what can we do – sometimes the doctor is to blame. When the doctor is aware of the existence of various medicines that could save the patient, but for all manner of strange reasons he does not give these medicines to the patient, who dies, then the doctor is, in fact, to blame. The situation is even worse when the patient’s relatives stubbornly try to obtain those medicines, and the physician not only publicly denounces them, but makes every effort to keep the relatives from giving the medicines to the patient. In such circumstances, the relatives are obligated to tell everyone about the physician’s misdeeds, to ensure that he is fired, that he will not continue in his position, and even to consider a malpractice lawsuit. All this is not out of vengefulness, and not as a personal vendetta – in his private life, the physician could undoubtedly be an extremely nice person, originate from an outstanding family, and who contributes greatly to his community and synagogue – but in order to save other patients who are on the operating table, we must ensure that that physician will never practice medicine again.

The settlements of Beit El, Tekoa, and – if we are to believe Condoleeza Rice – the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem, and many other locations are currently on the government’s operating table, to be destroyed and given away to the Arab enemy. If we wish to be victorious in the next battle for the Land of Israel, we must ensure that the official leadership of the National Camp, whose struggle failed, will not continue to lead us. And anyone who tells us, as do the authors of the article, that the Yesha Council did everything possible, and that no one proposed an alternative way, is not only wrong, but deceptive.

We all are conscious of the wonderful things that the Yesha Council has done over the years: with regard to construction, building and the development of settlements. But in the ideological struggle, in the battle against the Government’s plan of destruction and ruin – they failed. And because, ever since the destruction of Gush Katif and Northern Samaria, the Yesha Council has published many expensive advertisements, in order to convince all of us that there was nothing wrong with the way they waged the struggle and the path they chose,  we find it necessary to publicly express our criticism.

Firstly, the Yesha Council should not have called for a referendum. If the deportation of Jews from their homes and the handing over of parts of the Promised Land to the murderous Arab enemy is a crime, then no referendum could give a seal of approval to such a crime. A crime is a crime is a crime. The Yesha Council’s demand for a referendum weakened the struggle, and legitimized the idea of the deportation of Jews, the uprooting of settlements, and the handing over of our homeland to the enemy. Now we need selfless leaders who will declare, fearlessly, without stuttering: All the Land of Israel was given to us by G-d, and no one is entitled to hand it over!  Even a majority of the government, or the Knesset, or by way of a referendum, cannot make the handing over of portions of the Land of Israel legal and moral, and therefore such decisions must be vigorously opposed.

As regards the strategy of the struggle: after the parliamentary fight failed, there still remained three elements that could have canceled the deportation decree:  refusal to obey orders, nonviolent civil disobedience, and the bringing of tens of thousands of Jews to Gush Katif on the eve of the deportation. A united call by the “”official”” leadership of the National Camp for these three elements, that constitute the basis for any popular struggle against a corrupt and dictatorial government, would unquestionably have been capable of saving Gush Katif and Northern Samaria. But, not only did the Yesha Council not act in this direction, it (together with certain rabbis and members of Knesset) condemned those who acted in accordance with these principles. They condemned those who blocked roads, they met with the top echelon of the IDF, announcing to them that they opposed refusal to obey orders, and they actively worked against the bringing of tens of thousands to Gush Katif. All their energy and funds were channeled in a single direction: the Face to Face campaign, the distribution of orange ribbons, and social happenings in the guise of demonstrations. As much as these actions made us feel better, they patently lack any meaning in a dictatorial country such as Sharonland.

More and more material has accumulated in the past weeks that demonstrates that the “”official”” leadership of the National Camp was interested solely in the grandiose orchestrating of symbolic protest, but not in actions following these three principles, that would have led to victory.  Such material raises the question whether, to our shame, this was, not only incompetent, weakness, despair, and  extreme cooperation with the State Authority, but it was even full collaboration by the “”official”” leadership of the National Camp with the expulsion forces? There are too many examples to mention them all, but there are those who will testify that at Kfar Maimon and at Sderot, from the outset, there was no intention of reaching Gush Katif. That is, they consciously deceived and misled the public.

There are testimonies that the leaders of the Yesha Council coordinated with the deportation forces the breakthrough into Neveh Dekalim, the concentration of the activists inside the synagogue, and the breaking into the synagogue itself. There are testimonies that the heads of the Yesha Council had permanent permission to enter Gush Katif, because they promised “”to restrain and moderate”” the activists. If this is not collaboration, then what is? As it is written in Yoav Yitzhak’s article in NFC of August 20,2005:  “”Mazuz met with the heads of the Yesha Council several times, and reached understandings with them, according to which they would act to restrain the demonstrators and prevent violence. In return, he (Mazuz) would act to approve the demonstrations organized by the Yesha Council. The permission was granted with the knowledge of the heads of the IDF, the police, and also the State Attorney’s Office, who viewed the Yesha Council as a restraining element”” .

And we haven’t even begun to talk about the activists who were expelled from Gush Katif and/or handed over to the police after certain rabbis and “”official”” public figures informed on them, and accused them of “”excessive extremism.”” Nor have we spoken about certain rabbis who preach day and night for “”love and cooperation,”” and obsequiously danced with policemen and soldiers, but then shamelessly beat up youth who – horror of horrors – tried to give flat tires to the deportation forces.  There is in existence a long list of accusations against the “”official: leadership of the National Camp.

The conclusion is simple: The heads of the Yesha Council whose budgets and salaries, are paid by and are dependent upon the government, relate to what they were elected for: to wit:  administering the affairs of the settlements (education, culture, construction, gardening, communal life), but are not suitable for ideological struggles against the government. The heads of the Yesha Council must draw conclusions, return to their original role, and stop thinking that someone installed them to be leaders of the National Camp.

We have a wonderful public, including amazing and heroic youth, that proved its willingness for self-sacrifice on behalf of the Land of Israel. Our public deserves a strong, uncompromising, independent leadership, that is not subject to threats and extortion, that will be capable of defending the People of Israel, the Land of Israel, and the Torah of Israel. The time has come to establish a body that will include rabbis, professors, and public figures that will return the people to the right direction, conduct the ideological-political struggle, and become the official leadership of the National Camp until it takes power here in Israel. In short, there is an urgent need for a professional, devoted, and loyal doctor capable of dealing with all the physical and mental problems of the Jewish People.

=============================================
Women For Israel’s Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:michael@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org

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*******************

September 15, 2005

These are fateful years for the Jewish People
May we be worthy in this New Year
of being redeemed, and to grow and multiply
despite the hostility and immorality of our Arab enemies

         ìùðä èåáä úëúäå åúçúîå   

Women For Israel’s Tomorrow (Women In Green)
           P.O.B. 7352  Jerusalem, 91072,

***********************
HOW ISRAEL REGAINED THE WORLD’S SYMPATHY

LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Dear Friends,

Ephraim Kishon, who passed away recently, was a very talented Hungarian born journalist and writer, who for many years wrote a satirical column in the Israeli newspaper Maariv.  In 1967, after the Six-Day War, he published a book of essays entitled “SO SORRY WE WON”. One of these essays was an almost prophetic satirical piece, “HOW ISRAEL REGAINED THE WORLD’S SYMPATHY”.
* * *
A short summary of his article: Ephraim Kishon describes a hypothetical situation in which Egypt, led by Gamal Abdul Nasser, together with Syria and Jordan, in May of 1956, invades Israel. Israel is caught by surprise and thoroughly defeated.

The surviving 82,636 Jews, in all, huddled in refugee camps set up by the UN on the coast of Tel Aviv and Haifa.

The United States hastily passed a law permitting 25,000 refugees to come in outside the quota. Switzerland offered free passage for 2000 refugees. Guatemala announced it was raising its offer to accept refugees from 500 to 750. 

UNESCO voted to give a grant of $200,000. The Brazilian Parliament devoted one minute of silence to the memory of the State of Israel. Japan and South Korea sent emergency medical supplies. Many countries changed the name of a major thoroughfare to “Israel Boulevard”. The United Nations decided to leave Israel’s seat as is, though unoccupied, and not to take down the Israeli flag. Last but not least, the Soviet Union which had provided the Arab nations with the weapons they used to defeat Israel, unexpectedly suggested the declaration of a universal “Israel Day”.

Ephraim Kishon closes the article with a remark that, alas, this did not happen. Israel attacked first and won the war and that is how she lost the sympathy of the world.
* * *
Israel’s current situation is very much like Kishon’s satire. Because of the Saudi sponsored Road Map which was adopted by the Quartet, the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States, Israel has been pressured to surrender its own land given to the Jews by the G-d of Israel as an everlasting inheritance. The Sharon Government, unfortunately, has caved into this pressure, and forcibly expelled its own Jewish citizens from their homes and their land.

Because of the crime of “disengagement”, Israel has now supposedly regained the sympathy of the world. Israeli Prime Minister Sharon was recently in New York, where he basked in a most enthusiastic reception at the United Nations. He met with a long list of world leaders, who literally stood in line to shake his hand, applauding him for his “courage” to expel his own Jewish citizens from their homes, “in the interest of world peace”. Thus, during the General Assembly of the United Nations, Sharon met with leaders of Russia, Great Britain, Turkey, Jordan, Canada, Australia, the European Union and UN General Secretary, Kofi Anan.

According to a source in Sharon’s entourage, even American President George W. Bush asked to meet with Sharon to express his admiration for the way in which the disengagement was carried out, and for the way Sharon lived up to his commitments.

The Israeli newspapers enthused about the fact that the timing of the General Assembly was ideal, coming during the week in which Israel completed the withdrawal from the Gaza strip, and international support for Israel was at its peek. Sharon jubilantly emphasized that because he carried out his promises of unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, very positive results had been achieved.

Now let us finally face reality and consider the bitter price which Israel is paying for the World’s regained sympathy.

The perusal of today’s (September 25) Jerusalem Post gives us an entirely different and very gloomy picture of Israel vis-a-vis the world. These are some of the headlines:

PA REJECTS QUARTET’S CALL TO DISMANTLE MILITIAS

UK ACADEMIC BOYCOTT CAMPAIGN TO RESURFACE SOON

SHIN BET CHIEF: TERROR MOVING TO THE WEST BANK
Shin Bet (Secret Service) Chief Uval Diskin, truthfully described the situation as it is. Yesterday (Wednesday) he conducted a rare on-the-record briefing with military reporters. “The Palestinian authority is barely functioning,” Diskin said at his head quarters in Ramat Aviv. “Abas has no apparatus to control Fatah. He is a general without soldiers. Giving him more weapons won’t give Fatah strength.“

Diskin also said that the Palestinians are making enormous efforts to acquire rockets and other weapons in the West Bank, smuggling them in from Sinai. Diskin said that Hamas and other terrorist groups had taken advantage of the euphoric chaos after the IDF abandoned the Philadelphi Corridor, to smuggle in huge amounts of weapons and arms, as well as to return fugitives wanted for organizing terrorist attacks. According to Shin Bet data, 300 rifles, 1.5 million bullets, 150-200 rocket propelled grenades, and hundreds of kilograms of explosives, have been smuggled in so far. Diskin said he could not positively confirm reports that shoulder fired Strella and Stinger missiles or advanced anti tank rockets were also smuggled into the Gaza strip.

In contrast to other top officials, the head of the Shin Bet, Uval Diskin, spoke sympathetically of the opponents of the disengagement, which he called “the uprooting” of Jewish Settlements.  He said he felt uncomfortable with the media’s reporting of the six-day disengagement as if it were a victory like the Six-Day War. “Don’t dismiss or distance this group of loyal Israeli citizens. They contribute to the IDF and to the intelligence of the state.”

But to “dismiss and distance this group of loyal Israeli citizens” is exactly what the Sharon Government is trying to do.

What has happened to these more than 1,700 families- more than 9,000 men, women and children? They were forced to give up their homes and communities, but all the government has given them is promises, which have not been honored.

One of the main demands of the displaced refugees was that they needed to stay together as a community. A community where their children would continue to be educated together with their friends, a community which would include the necessities for a Jewish life, such as a synagogue, a mikvah, schools, and yeshivot. Instead of keeping communities together, the government, for its own reasons, deliberately scattered these Jewish communities all over the country in hotel rooms, dormitories and caravans.  

Since the expulsion, almost a month ago, whole families are cramped into one hotel room. Soon they will have to start paying for these rooms. They have not, as yet, received a penny from the government.

The government is supposed to assist the refugees in finding jobs. The only job placement office the government has so far opened up is in Ashkelon. However, the unemployment rate in Ashkelon was already over sixteen percent. Many refugees are elderly, and it will be difficult for them to retrain for different jobs. No chance for these refugees to find a job under those circumstances!

Now for the most unbelievable propaganda disseminated by the Sharon Government! This is allegedly done with the help of a well-paid public relations agency in New York. The lies they spread is that every refugee family will receive half a million dollars for their home in Gush Katif, even if it was just a shack in the sand dunes.  Unfortunately many Americans actually believe these fantastic stories. Returning from the United States recently, I met an American tourist from Florida on the airplane, who asked me the usual question: “How do you like living in Israel?” My answer obviously disappointed her. I told her that I used to love it but that right now I did not feel happy about what was happening here, particularly Sharon’s “disengagement plan”. “But why?” she said. “Each family is getting half a million dollars for their house. I would not mind getting that for my house in Florida.”

This information is unadulterated propaganda! Most refugees have not received a penny as yet from the government. They do not even have money for basic necessities such as food and clothing, school supplies and bus fares, etc. To meet such needs should, of course, be the government’s responsibility. But private organizations such as Women in Green have had to step in. A campaign aptly named “Operation Band-Aid” tries to provide each refugee family with the most basic needs. (If you are able to help, send a contribution to Women in Green and specify that it is for “Operation Band-Aid”.)

The most incredible highway robbery on the part of the government is that they will deduct from the sum of the compensation, THE SUM OF THE MORTGAGES MANY EVACUEES STILL HAVE TO PAY ON THE HOMES THAT THE GOVERNMENT DESTROYED. They will also have to cover the cost of the movers, the containers, the storage rentals, the cost of the hotels, the temporary housing etc.

The Knesset Finance Committee was asked by the Sharon Government to approve an additional NIS 1.5 billion to compensate the evacuees, because the government has already spent the entire NIS 2 billion allocated for the pullout from Gaza and the Samaria communities. “More than NIS 100 million of the original budget was ‘missing’, with the government unsure of how it was spent,” committee spokesperson, Zvi Rosen, told the Jerusalem Post. (September 20, 2005, article entitled “KNESSET PANEL: WE DON’T KNOW WHERE THE PULLOUT MONEY WENT”

The Knesset Finance Committee would like to know where the money went. The refugees from Gush Katif and Samaria would also like to know. The rest of us should insist on knowing in whose pockets those 100 million shekels ended up? 

Sharon’s term in office has been riddled with corruption.  Recent headlines in the Jerusalem Post point this out. The Jerusalem Post recently featured the following headlines:

AUSTRIAN PROSECUTOR ALMOST CERTAIN SHARON TOOK BRIBE

SHARON IMPLICATED IN ANOTHER CAMPAIGN FUNDING SCANDAL

KNESSET PANEL TO PROBE KERN AFFAIR

Thirty days have passed since Gush Katif was emptied of its Jewish residents. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is already planning more expulsions of Jews. In a televised interview with Channel 10, Sharon made clear that he plans to uproot additional Jewish communities in the future. “Not all the settlements presently in Judea and Samaria will remain there,” he said, adding that, “the final map will be presented only at the last stage of negotiations.” Sharon has often reiterated: “The Palestinians deserve a state,”

Our number-one priority at this stage should be to remove Sharon from power. It is critical that he be punished for the Gaza sellout, so that other politicians will see that there is a heavy price to be paid, in terms of their own careers, for committing the crime of expelling fellow Jews from their homes. 

We must bring down the government in such a way that Sharon understands that his crimes against the Jewish people led directly to his downfall.

Tragically, we lost that battle for Gush Katif and Northern Samaria. We must, therefore, ceaselessly continue to fight the Orange War against our “enemies from within”. Even though we lost the first battle, we will, with G-d’s help, win the War against those who would sell our Jewish destiny for “twenty pieces of silver”, just as Joseph was sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelites. (Genesis, chapter 37 verses 27, 28)

With Blessings and Love for Israel,

Ruth Matar

=============================================
Women For Israel’s Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
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September 23, 2005
Eleven more dissident children jailed in Israel
You remember the last crop of teenaged disengagement opponents who were thrown into jail, a few weeks ago. You’re about to hear about a fresh crop of arrested preteen political dissidents here in Israel, but first let’s backtrack:

A few of the girls arrested for several WEEKS (not days), last month, were as young as 13 and 14. They were locked into real jails, intended for adults — really and truly. But eventually they were released, due to an outcry throughout the world about the way Sharon’s Israel is treating such young dissidents. Other countries do not even treat very young criminals this way.  Please help us create the same outcry today — see below.

By the way, perhaps you don’t believe that young children aged 15 or 12 or 9 can think, feel and act like real, fiery dissidents. “”Their parents are to blame — they must be putting them up to it!””, I can hear you thinking. But no. These dissident children’s  bitter opposition is definitely their own and not their parents’. Many of them  come from small communities which have suffered multiple catastrophes at the hands of the Palestinians who Premier Sharon is trying to appease yet again. Take the community of Itamar, for example. In a community of about 90 families — less than one small city street here in my town — three fathers were shot to death by Palestinians in three separate incidents only months apart, a few years back. Next, Palestinian gunmen slipped into the community and succeeded in shooting three teenagers to death. Finally, in yet another attack on the 90 families of Itamar, some time later, more terrorists succeeded in penetrating a house. The father and some older sons were not home. By the time the terrorists were overcome, the mother and three of her younger children were dead. An incredibly brave and selfless neighbor immediately realized what had happened, and tried his best to rescue them, but  he was shot to death too. Leaving yet another family of orphans in Itamar.

I will never forget the newspaper picture of a neighbor lugging one of the remaining children, with difficulty, through the gun-sprayed house. The terrorists had left this child, who looked about 8 or 10 years old, with only one leg. No mother –  three dead siblings – and only one leg. If this is the lasting impression that one newspaper picture of this kid left on me — I cannot imagine, even after my two academic degrees in psychology, the effect that these events must have on the children of Itamar and other, similar communities. After all, the classmates of this crippled child see him every single day.

Back to the present. This week, 11 dissident girls, aged 12 to 15, managed to visit the ruins of the erstwhile Jewish village of Sa-Nur. Last month Sharon gave orders for Sa-Nur’s peaceful Jewish inhabitants to be dragged out and their homes razed, to make more room — even more room — for the Arab nation. Of course, the Israeli police — too understaffed to adequately control traffic accidents, drug abuse and organized crime — promptly arrested these girls for making this visit. 

Just for comparison, a delinquent boy here in Rehovot, home of the Weizmann Institute of Science, where I live, was recently NOT arrested by the police although the police caught him red-handed, performing a robbery and armed with a knife. He was drunk, and high on drugs, but the police released him. They did not even dream of releasing those (politically) dangerous girls who walked into Sa-Nur, but him they released right away. This released drunk delinquent boy drug-addict found a 15 year old girl to prey on, right here in Rehovot, only a couple of hours after he was released. He killed her. Not long ago I asked our Rehovot police force about that case, because I was shocked that dissidents were being arrested whereas  criminals caught red-handed were not being arrested. The Rehovot policemen furiously retorted that their handling of the case had been excellent. “”As soon as we heard that a girl was dead — we came to the scene,”” they told me with pride.

So, we need to protest the jailing of these very young dissident girls. But the story is not over. These girls were brought in a paddy wagon (wagon for transporting arrested criminals) to the court and ordered to descend and enter the courthouse. The girls refused. Obviously!! They are dissidents, so not surprisingly they do not choose to recognize any court’s authority to judge a Jew for merely walking around in the Land of Israel. These 12 to 15 year old girls  barred the door of the arrest wagon so that the police would not drag them out violently.

The police could have asked the judge to conduct the girls’ hearing in absentia. Instead they did something disgraceful, illegal and dangerous: They tried to squelch these girls by turning off the ventilator in the sealed paddy wagon —  leaving 11 girls to roast in a tiny, sealed, unventilated area in the heat of the Israeli summer.

Is it necessary to explain how dangerous that is? It is unnecessary to explain it to any Israeli, policeman or otherwise. All of us Israelis remember, and certainly any Israeli policeman must remember,  the headlines not long ago when a 6 year old girl from Rishon LeZion was left (accidentally) in a locked bus and rapidly suffocated to death. The policemen could easily have killed those girls.  The girls could have suffocated to death or suffered brain damage. The police must have known this.

And one more thing.  The above incident occurred in the late afternoon. One of the things the hostile judge did manage to find out, was that the 11 girls had been given nothing — nothing — to eat, all that day. No lunch, no snack, no breakfast — absolutely nothing, was given to this group of eleven girls aged 12 to 15. Can you imagine what would have happened if — Heaven forfend — a Palestinian had been mistreated in this way? Every “”humanitarian”” (sic) organization in this country would have beaten a path to the door of the High Court of Justice. But for these girls, not a single “”humanitarian”” organization has taken action.

“”What can I do?”” I can hear you saying. You can do a great deal, to help us protest:
* the incarceration of these young girls,
* their being starved for an entire day and
* the suffocation incident.

Your protest could be as drafted as you please, or you could simply write:
“”Re: Complaint about the State of Israel’s treatment of the eleven preteen girls””
“”I hereby protest the jailing of 11 preteen girls who did nothing except walk peacefully through their own land — the Land of Israel. I also protest the criminal suffocation of  these young girls in the “”zinzana”” (paddy wagon) and ask that the responsible policeman be criminally indicted for intentionally endangering the lives of 11 minors. Finally I protest the inhumane starvation of these girls  for an entire day. I DEMAND THAT THE PERSONNEL WHO PERPETRATED THESE ACTS AND THEIR COMMANDING OFFICERS BE RELIEVED OF THEIR DUTIES IMMEDIATELY AND INDICTED SUBSEQUENTLY. I ASK THAT YOU RESPOND TO THIS LETTER BY PROVIDING ME ALL THE RELEVANT INFORMATION AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED AND WHAT YOU PERSONALLY INTEND TO DO ABOUT IT. WHEN WILL THESE GIRLS BE RELEASED???  (Signed:)

* Please call, or send the above letter or one of your own to your local Israeli embassy, if you live abroad. Build consciousness in your community by  writing a letter to your local Jewish newspaper explaining what you wrote to the embassy and publicly urging the embassy to respond.
* Please write to Dr. Yizhak Kadman, ncc@children.org.il, who runs Israel’s children’s rights organization. Urge him to take immediate action on behalf of these girls! Dr. Kadman does not share your political opinions and mine which is why he needs to be reminded — by you — to take action.
* Please contact the Minister of Justice Zippy Livni (sar@moia.gov.il  and the Minister of Police Gidon Ezra (sar@mops.gov.il) and ask them what is going on. Send reminders until you get answers. These two ministers are about to stand for re-election, so you may find them more responsive than usual.
* And please — keep us posted. Keep all your friends and relatives posted as well.

Thank you so much for your assistance.

Susie Dym, spokeperson
Mattot Arim
sddym@bezeqint.net
an Israeli grassroots organization working toward peace for peace since 1992

PS Some of you have asked in the past why official complaints are not being filed for this type of event. The answer is that complaints are definitely filed, by the legal aid fund Honenu and its close associate Zchuyot Adam beYesha, but only to the extent that Honenu’s fantastically dedicated volunteers and few paid attorneys can handle the torrent of events. Please therefore promote the efforts of Honenu (http://www.honenu.org.il) to expand their tiny legal staff, in any way you can. Thank you.

Update: Four of the girls have been released from jail, mostly because they are very young — sixth graders. Those aged 13 and up are still in jail and will be there for at least another week. In direct contradiction to regulations and to a court order dated last week, they are not being permitted to call their parents, read, study schoolwork, or even wash their clothing. YOU can create the public outcry that will help these girls by sending YOUR protest letters NOW. Thank you so much.
 

Jerusalem, September 23, 2005                        Ruth and Nadia Matar

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Women For Israel’s Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:michael@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org

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IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL THE FAT MAN SINGS

LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM
Thursday, September 29, 2005
 
Dear Friends,

First of all, permit me to thank you for the many encouraging emails I receive from you after each of my “Letters from Jerusalem”.

It is encouraging to know that there are so many like minded friends out there. Even letters of persons who wish to have me put away in an insane asylum give me great pleasure. It just shows me that I have to try harder to disseminate the truth about the situation in Israel!

Should you send me an email, I will never use your full name unless I have your express permission. A lady with the initials Y.C. writes me as follows: “Do you know the name of the PR firm(s) used by the government to marginalize and demonize the Jews of Gush Katif? If you know, please advise. Thanks.”

Dear Ms. Y.C.: We called the Israeli Foreign Ministry to get this information, and were told that we should call the Israeli Consulate in New York. Their telephone number is (212) 499-5300.  I suggest that all who are interested call the Israeli Consulate. If you receive this information please share it with me.

Would my publication of the name of such public relation firm(s) hurt their business? On the contrary! Anyone who can sell Ariel Sharon as a benevolent leader of the Jewish people can sell the Brooklyn Bridge for a hefty profit!

Last Monday, September 26, the Likud Central Committee members voted on the exact date of the upcoming primary. They were to decide if it should be moved forward to November, as Netanyahu and Landau desired or remain in April, as the Sharon camp favored. It was a very close vote. The camp led by Ariel Sharon received 1,443 votes and the opposition received 1,329 votes. Thus 51.3 percent voted for Sharon’s proposal to keep the April date in place. Ariel Sharon ballyhooed this as a tremendous victory. The headline in the Jerusalem Post of Tuesday, July 27, states:
SHARON SEES LIKUD WIN AS VINDICATION OF HIS POLICIES
Says he will no longer accept rebellious behavior
VINDICATION OF HIS POLICIES?
Hardly! He won by a margin of 104 votes, which amounted to 51.3 percent of the votes cast. An article in today’s Ha’Aretz, entitled “Who will Remember Sharon” by Israel Harel, states: “The inevitable process of his disengagement from his political home has begun; and Sharon’s victory in the Likud Central Committee will only prolong the agony of this departure. And despite his being a known lover of homes (even his home in the Old City of Jerusalem, which he hasn’t visited in recent years, he still keeps, or more accurately, the Border Policemen at the taxpayers’ expense do.”
 
So how come Sharon won- even by only a margin of 1.3 percent? The Ha’Aretz article explains it as follows: “Activists from the orange camp, who in the days leading up to the vote visited Likud Central Committee members, are not surprised by the results. Nearly two-thirds of those they met, they report, object to the path where Ariel Sharon is leading the Likud. However, only some of them said they would vote against him, as indeed was the case. Among the explanations: heavy pressure, primarily in matters relating to livelihood; Sharon’s departure would result in a loss of power.”

Many Likud Central Committee members presently enjoy political patronage under the current Sharon regime, and they want to continue enjoying it as long as possible. 

Sharon received 104 more votes then the Benjamin Netanyahu and Uzi Landau camp. The Jerusalem Post, of the same date as the Ha’Aretz article, gives examples of a number of irregularities during voting. For example, one woman came to vote in her election district but somebody had already voted in her name. In that same election district there were 100 people registered and, lo and behold, 105 persons had cast their vote before she arrived.

Above all, it must be remembered that the Likud Central Committee does not necessarily represent the opinions of the membership of the Likud. On May 2, 2004, in a membership referendum, the Disengagement Plan was defeated by a whopping 20%. Ariel Sharon totally ignored this vote, even though he had pledged to honor same.

SHARON SAYS HE WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT REBELLIOUS BEHAVIOR.  
Silly us! We thought that Israel was a democracy! And in a democracy the Prime Minister has to contend with conflicting opinions. “Rebellious behavior” is only an appropriate phrase in dictatorships.

Has Sharon’s disengagement plan, the expulsion of all the Jews form Gaza, the leveling of all the homes, schools, farms, and religious institutions improved Israel’s security position? Has the Arab desecration and burning of synagogues quenched the desire of the Arabs to destroy the Jewish people? Has all this brought an improvement in Israel’s situation as the Prime Minister promised us?

The opposite is true. The situation in Israel has worsened considerably.

The Kassam rockets are still falling on Sderot and other communities within the Green Line. As a matter of fact, there are now more rockets falling on Israeli targets then before the disengagement.

Thousands of Arabs streamed into Egypt after the last Jew was forced to leave his home. According to Shin Bet data, 300 rifles, 1.5 million bullets, 150-200 rocket propelled grenades, and hundreds of kilograms of explosives, have been smuggled into Gaza so far. Unconfirmed reports state that shoulder fired Strella and Stinger missiles and advanced anti tank rockets were also smuggled into the Gaza strip.

Terrorism has increased considerably in what is left of Israel after abandoning Gush Katif. You will not find this information publicized by the leftist Israeli media on television, radio or newspapers, but my friends who live in communities in Judea and Samaria tell me that rocks are again being thrown at them when they drive on the roads. The Arabs also prepare ambushes for Israeli cars on the highways. Tragedies are just waiting to happen. Terror has moved, as promised by Abbas, Fattah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hizbollah and others, from Gaza to the rest of Israel.

Terror has also intensified in Jerusalem since the disengagement. Hamas is engaging in a new tactic, the kidnapping and murder of Jews. A fifty year old Jewish Jerusalem resident was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas. It is believed that his Arab long-time employees were accomplices in the kidnapping. Hamas released a video two days ago of the bound and blind-folded Jewish factory owner pleading for his life. This video was broadcast world-wide.

This is certainly reminiscent of the many kidnappings, tortures and murders of innocent civilians in Iraq.

Previously the valiant Gush Katif settlers took the brunt of Arab hatred. Sharon’s “unilateral disengagement” (Land for Nothing) has brought the enemy closer to the entire Israeli population.

We should not be surprised that Sharon has effectively changed the frontline of terror. The Arabs kept telling the world that the Jews were forced to leave Gaza because of the persistent Arab terror campaign, and that they were planning to liberate all of “Palestine”. Sharon taught them “that terror works”, and that an increase in terror leads to even better results. 

As the graffiti written on the ruins of Jewish Gush Katif homes reads, “10 years of Oslo: Nothing. Five years of terror: Victory.”

Ariel Sharon, you can’t afford to be too happy about your victory of 1.3 percent!

To quote from the Ha’Aretz article (and Ha’Aretz is certainly not a right wing paper): “…his days as the leader of the Likud are numbered and consequently his days as a national leader are also numbered… The camp that remembers and that rent its clothes and swore on the ruins of Gush Katif to remember and never forget, to remember and not forgive, will remember. Ariel Sharon will go down in infamy.”

A song by American country singer Willie Nelson keeps reverberating in my head: “The party’s over.” The lyrics of this song fit the current political situation to a T. (View the lyrics on the Internet at http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/nelson-willie/the-partys-over-2535.html)

Dear friends, do not despair. It’s not over until the fat man sings. In the near future, with G-d’s help, Sharon will be singing, “The Party’s Over”.

With Blessings and Love for Israel,                                                      

Ruth Matar
* * *
P.S. A very timely DVD on the connection between Sharon’s Disengagement Plan and Terror has been produced by Ilana Gabriel(40 minutes).

This is a Must-See DVD!

“IN THE FACE OF TERROR”

We highly recommend the powerful documentary, “IN THE FACE OF TERROR”. An important segment deals with the testimony of Walid Shoebat, a former Muslim terrorist, who now lives in the US and has converted to Christianity. On this video you will learn about the dangers of Arab-Muslim Terror. You will hear from Israeli General, Tzvi Fogel (former head of the Southern Command, which included Gaza), Ruth Matar, Baptist Pastor Jim Vineyard, and former residents of Gush Katif, as well as others. $20.00 per copy (includes shipping).

To view the trailer, go to http://www.gwu.edu/~fidfc/index.htm
Then go to the menu on the right and click on videos.

To order the DVD, send a check to: Women in Green, P.O.B. 7352, Jerusalem, 91072 Israel. Be sure to include your name and full mailing address.

To pay by credit card: go to our website www.womeningreen.org. You can also pay through PayPal. Advise us by email that you have purchased the tape and include your name and address in the message. (michaele@netvision.net.il)
=============================================
Women For Israel’s Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:michael@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org

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