As another nail is banged into the coffin of the Jewish cities and towns of Yehuda, Shomron and Aza with the recent Israel High Court of Justice decision declaring that residents of YeShA are not entitled to civil rights, as they are not residents of Israel, we are given yet another wake up call. - My observant friends will immediately understand that Jewish Law forbids using nails in coffins.
The other day I received an email that contained a version of the American Declaration of Independence [only slightly] edited to match the situation in YeShA. An historically more proximate analogy would be with the British withdrawal from Mandatory Palestine:

1. The current regime is closely monitoring the activities of the Jewish community, and ignoring the activities of the Arab population.
2. The current regime is systematically disarming the Jewish population while arming the Arab population.
3. The current regime is arresting Jews on the flimsiest of excuses, and freeing convicted Arab perpetrators of heinous crimes.
4. The current regime is committed to minimizing areas of Jewish settlement while maximizing areas of Arab settlement.
5. The current regime is for whatever reason, determined to cede buildings and defensive structures to Arabs while refusing to defend Jewish population centers.

I believe that the time has not yet come for an international call for a new MaHaL (the international army of volunteers of the War of Independence). I believe that it is not yet time for a renewal of EtzeL (Israel's Other Army of Liberation). I believe that it is not yet time to adopt the motto of the Old Yishuv and of the predecessor Parties of the current morally bankrupt Likud: We should not fight the government as though there were no Arabs and the Arabs as though there were no government (although there really is no government) in Jerusalem. I believe that the time has not yet come for moral, civil, law-abiding residents of Israel to take up arms or to smuggle arms into Israel to protect the civilian population, which has been denied all civil rights by the BaGaTz decision of last week.

But still, this is a time reminiscent of Henry David Thoreau's remark: "At a time like this, what is a person like you doing out of prison?"

We cannot achieve Peace through ceding Piece after Piece.

© 2005 Rabbi Haim Cassorla

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Rabbi Haim Cassorla