Komemiut B’Artzeinu

There is a very subtle but significant difference in the morning devotions of the Ashkenazim (the Jews who resided in Europe for 1800 years after Roman Expulsion) and the Edot HaMizrach (the Jewish communities of the Levant and North Africa).  

In the Ashkenazi siddur (prayerbook), we beseech G-d ”to lead us upright to our Land;” in the Edot HaMizrach siddur the phrase reads “lead us upright in our land.”

The Ashkenazi version is phrased in the future tense, a prayer looking to a future time, a future redemption; the Edot HaMizrach version is phrased in the present tense, already sovereign in our own land.

Since 1948 we have been sovereign in our own land. But are we really? We certainly don’t behave like we are.

A sovereign doesn’t negotiate with terrorists who are committed to the destruction of the Sovereign State. By negotiating with Hamas, we elevate this band of murdering, raping monsters to co-equal status with the Sovereign State of Israel. We grant legitimacy to Hamas by even talking with them. Worst of all, the world interprets this dialogue to mean that we tacitly concede that they have a claim to the Land of Israel. It is the behavior of the vassal, not the hegemon.

Hamas certainly behaves like the hegemon. As expected, they have strung out this cease fire, knowing full well that with every passing day, the chances of resuming offensive operations in Gaza diminish, in spite of the fat talk of the politicians to the contrary. (Q: How can you tell when a politician is lying? A: His lips are moving.)

Hamas are calling the shots; they are in the driver’s seat in these negotiations. They determine how many hostages to dangle before the broken hearts of our suffering nation. And we kowtow to their conditions. They are not only holding 170 Jews hostage, they are holding an entire nation of ten million people hostage. They are playing us for fools and we are letting them do it. They rule our land; not us.

It is time that we exercise our sovereignty, walking upright in our land. No more negotiations with terrorists. We are sovereign here, not Hamas. We should immediately close the Temple Mount to all Moslems until all hostages are returned. Period. Once the hostages are released, Moslems would again be allowed to pray freely at their shrine.

And every time a Jew is attacked by a Jihadi, we close the Temple Mount again.

Such a policy would send an unequivocal message in the only language they understand: we are sovereign here, not you.  

And it goes without saying that offensive operations in Gaza must resume immediately.

Lastly, the UN, EU, US and all the rest must be put on notice that we are sovereign here and will not split it in half or share control of our land with anyone.

May G-d grant us the courage to walk with our heads held high IN our land.