While many government officials continue to pretend that the peace process is alive and well, the vast majority of US senators know better. The following article, very balanced and fair, shines a bright light in some very dark corners. While some Jewish commentators, notably Robert Novak, Anthony Lewis, Mike Wallace, Thomas Friedman, and Ted Koppel, constantly oppose Israel, Mortimer Zuckerman does not. Here is his editorial from the April 20th issue of U.S. News & World Report.

         Israel's peacekeeping Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin died with the bitter knowledge that he had been betrayed. At Oslo, Yasser Arafat had given him a commitment: "You give us territory, and we'll fight terrorism from that territory." Rabin took the historic chance. He also took the precaution of asking two outstanding professionals to report on Arafat's fulfillment of the promise: Gen. Amnon Shahak, as chief of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF); and Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, head of military intelligence.

         Knowing what happened is essential to knowing where we are today. In September 1995, Ya'alon reported that instead of fighting the armed fundamentalist terrorists (Hammas and Islamic Jihad) Arafat was permitting their military strength to grow in the territories turned over by Israel. Other Arab leaders, from Egypt to Algeria, were fighting the fundamentalists because they recognized their menace. But Arafat, Ya'alon concluded, was using proxy terror to push Israel for more concessions.

         When Ya'alon advised Ragin that Arafat was dealing with Mohamed Def, one of the most radical terrorists, Rabin confronted Arafat with the allegation. Arafat's response was to say, "Mohamed esh?" ("Mohamed who?"). It was, Rabin judged, a brazen deception. Soon afterward, with more damning intelligence in his hands, Rabin decided on a showdown with Arafat - but planned to wait until the Palestinian election on Jan.20, 1996, in hope that a political endorsement would strengthen Arafat's hand against the terrorists.

         Rabin died before he could carry out his plan. Four days after the Palestinian election, the new prime minister, Shimon Peres, visited Arafat. Israeli intelligence had learned that a terrorist group was planning five major bombings. Arafat was given that information - and did nothing. In February and March, four bombs exploded in buses, cafes, and shopping areas, killing dozens of Israelis and wounding hundreds. The impact on Israeli politics was devastating, leading to the election of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as the expression of Israel's security concerns. The rise of Netanyahu did not bring about the paralysis of Oslo. It was the paralysis of Oslo that brought about the rise of Netanyahu.

         Arafat mourned Rabin's death, but he continues his double game. Last year, some 463 terrorist attacks were mounted; an additional 100 were foiled. Recently, Israel discovered a Hamas cell that planned the takeover of a major building; the planting of mines; a suicide bombing in a major residential area; car bombings in Haifa, Beit El , and Ariel; and infiltration of explosives into videotapes. Only intense Israeli pressure induced the Palestinian Authority (PA) to raid this group: 1,500 pounds of explosives were found.

         Meanwhile evidence of Arafat's betrayal multiplies. He has twice as many police under arms as agreed at Oslo but will not use them against terrorist havens minutes from major Israeli cities. He has freed Islamic Jihad terrorists responsible for the January 1995 Beit Lid bombing that killed a score of Israelis, as well as those who attacked the Jerusalem mall last September. He retains the chief of the 12,000-strong police force in Gaza and the West Bank, Gen. Ghazi Jabali, who is known to be involved in terrorism. He allows PLO leaders to exhort their people to violence against Israelis. He has recruited 150 police officers from known terrorists groups, including at least 25 wanted for terrorist attacks on Israelis. A cartoon sums up Arafat's definition of cracking down on terrorism: "No kiss. All you get is a hug."

         Does Arafat get criticized in the Western media for this appalling record? Of course not. All kinds of rationalizations are devised to excuse his abrogation of security commitments, which were underwritten in the Oslo "Note for the Record" by the United States itself. All sorts of pressures are brought on Israel to reward Arafat's campaign by making further concessions. Israel knows full well that this would not buy peace. Withdrawal from Hebron has been followed by suicide bombings, more violent intifada - and demands for more withdrawals, more retreat from Oslo.

         That is the bad news. The good news is that, despite the one-eyed vision of the media, an impressive body of U.S. senators has finally broken the spell. Eighty-one senators - who cannot be dismissed as partisan - have sent a letter to President Clinton containing the following truths: "The fact is that many Palestinians continue to use terror and violence as a political tool against Israel. Chairman Arafat, himself, repeatedly threatens renewals of widespread violence and continues to withhold full security cooperation with Israel."

nbsp;        The senators point out the injustice of pressuring Israel. It would be "particularly unfair and counterproductive since Israel has kept the promises it made at Oslo, and today is prepared to withdraw from even more territory of the West Bank before final status negotiations." Then they assert: "On the other hand, the Palestinians have not provided Israel with adequate security."

         They conclude: "Presenting an American plan - especially one that includes a specific redeployment figure beyond what Israel believes to be in its national-security interest before final status arrangements - runs counter to [former Secretary of State Warren] Christopher's commitment and can only undermine Israel's confidence."

         Unfortunately, the State Department has become Arafat's de facto advocate, pressuring Israel to pull out from more of the West Bank. This is unwise as well as unfair. In the light of the broken promises, and the need to retain some bargaining chips for the final negotiations, Israel has been remarkably forthcoming, especially since those same Rabin-appointed, nonpolitical military advisers still make the same assessment of Arafat's failure on security policy that they did in 1995.

         Israel has offered more land, but the Clinton administration seems to miss the point, as it tries to increase the percentage yielded. The argument should not be about how much extra land Israel yields but how every bit of land given up undermines Israel's fundamental security. Israel is constrained by the imperative of survival - survival against not just the treacherous Arafat but also the radical Islamic government that might well succeed him.

         Every 1 percent in this argument is an area the size of Tel Aviv; every decimal pint is a multiplier of risk. For instance: Israel cannot give up mountain ridges on the West Bank without losing early-warning sites of Iraqi or Syrian attack. It cannot give up the vital underground aquifers that provide a huge share of Israel's fresh water. It cannot do without a buffer zone against Arab infiltration along the so-called Green Line, Israel's pre-1967 border.

         It must have a means of swiftly deploying into the Jordan Valley by means of four east-west roads that enable the IDF to bypass Palestinian communities and local traffic. It must have a Jerusalem defense zone to protect passenger planes landing in the Ben Gurion Airport: The Palestinians have been trying to acquire shoulder-to-air missiles.

         Why does Washington see Israel's reasonable demand for reciprocity as some form of sabotage of the peace process? Reciprocal obligation was the very foundation of the whole deal, as confirmed by the U.S. special ambassador in the Note for the Record following Hebron and in the letter from the secretary of state confirming that Israel would determine the amount of land it gives up.

         For the United States to treat that recognition as a "dead letter" would be to destroy the trust that Israel needs in its strategic ally and so preclude the possibility of a final status agreement.

         Underlying all the tensions, of course, are different expectations on the territorial outcome of a final-status negotiation. But Israel can never be expected to give up what is essential to its very survival, and every blow to its sense of trust makes it more likely that those final talks will end in deadlock and more violence. This is what the Israelis cannot forget. It should not be what the Clinton administration cannot remember.

          Some surprising opinions arise from both sides of various difficulties in Israel. The following three letters to the editor of The Jerusalem Post were examples.

A Lost Civility

         Sir, when the Zionist and Arab leaders of the day were lobbying at the 1919 Versailles Peace Conference for the independence of their respective nations in the Middle East, they showed a degree of mutual respect and cordiality well worth emulating today.

         In a letter (March 1, 1919) to Professor Felix Frankfurter, the Emir Feisal wrote: "We Arabs... look with the deepest sympathy on the Zionist movement... we will wish the Jews a most hearty welcome home. With chiefs of your movement, especially with Dr. Weizmann, we have had and continue to have the closest relations. He has been a great helper in our cause, and I hope the Arabs may soon be in a position to make the Jews some return for their kindness. We are working for a reformed and revived Near East, and our two movements complete one another."

         Maybe now that nearly 80 years later both our peoples are still in the midst of a "peace process," our leaders and teachers may still find meaning in these guidelines.

—Lucien Harris, Jerusalem

Angels in Black Hats

         Sir, I want to share my experiences with you and your readers.

         I am a Conservative Jew and am fully aware of all the haredi [Orthodox Jews] bashing going on in this country — but let no one voice his opinions for me!

         My husband has an illness which causes him to fall frequently, especially on the crooked sidewalks of Jerusalem. Sometimes he is alone when he falls. Each time, he is invariably helped by passersby, no matter what their persuasion. But no one ever goes the "extra mile" like the haredim do.

         Once on a Shabbat, when my husband fell in a haredi neighborhood, an old grandmother appeared with two chairs and a pitcher of water so that we could both rest until her son could make a blessing over the bread for his family. After he did, he walked us all the way to our home.

         Recently, when my husband was so dizzy that I couldn't handle him, a black-hatted young man appeared from out of the blue, took my husband under his arm down the elevator in the medical building, escorted him to the steps outside, went to the main street, hailed a taxi and saw to it that my husband was safely bundled before leaving.

         When I thanked him and told him what a great mitzva [a good work] he had done, his response was: "Not every day is one privileged to do such a mitzva." I almost cried.

         Like I said, don't ever bash the haredim around me.

—Betty Leibner, Jerusalem

We Arabs Could Learn From Israel

Sir,

         Arabs are always the first to criticize Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians. But we Palestinians always forget the horrible treatment we receive at the hands of the Arabs. They have no respect for us, and I know they hate us.

         I am a Moslem, a Palestinian born and raised in Lebanon. I was hoping to visit my family in Lebanon this summer, but when I called the embassy they were very rude and told me, "you need a visa."

         I admit and respect the state of Israel because it respects the human rights of its citizens, not like the Arabs. I am not sure when they are going to respect us, or each other.

         I hope we can bridge the gap between the two sides.

—Nazih Malak, Milpita, California

Dear Friends,

         As you read this, I'm packing to go back to the Holy Land. This will be my 58th tour, but as I always say, I have trouble falling asleep the night before I leave. Will our pilgrims be safe?

         Well, there's hardly an inch of Israel that compares to the United States for danger. Two editorials run side-by-side in the Dallas Morning News recently showed an interesting comparison of the subject of handgun murders, an American specialty. "America continues to top the countries of the civilized world in deaths by gunfire.

         "In 1992, handguns killed 33 people in Great Britain; 36 in Sweden, 97 in Switzerland, 60 in Japan, 13 in Australia, 128 in Canada and 13,200 in the United States."

         Truly, the National Rifle Association should use Israel as an example of their philosophy that guns don't kill, but people kill. In Israel there are far more guns per capita than in the United States, but virtually no killings at all.

         Israel didn't even make the list.

         But as safe and democratic and clean and spiritual a place as Israel is, every month I must award the grand prize for Israel-bashing.

         This month it should certainly go to Peter Jennings of ABC News. The story he broadcast was one that should make almost everyone very happy; Israeli archaeologists unearthed a pavement running alongside the Western Wall of the Temple which was undoubtedly used by Jesus. To find the very footsteps of our Lord, and authenticate the exact paving stones, is simply a wonderful and faith-building exercise, especially for Christians.

         But Jennings discolored the story with his usual smirking remarks about Israel. He emphasized that they would use it for a tourist attraction, and implied that their motive for finding it was purely economical.

         He buttressed this distortion by presenting a Catholic priest who voiced similar insults. One has only to think of the terrific tourism exploitations of the Catholic church for centuries in the Holy Land to give him the lie. The so-called "Stations of the Cross," an imaginary path that Jesus was supposed to have walked along, what they have supposed is the Via Dolorosa, is a good example.

         CBS, on the other hand, ran a special called "To Life," celebrating Israel's 50 years, in a fair and unbiased manner. There is a difference between networks.

         Before leaving the subject, I should compliment Tom Brokaw and NBC News which is invariably more fair to Israel than CNN or ABC. None of them, truth to tell, simply give the everyday truth about Israel — a democracy, our best ally in the Middle East and a true friend to America. The real motives of the archaeologists are the same as always in Israel — good scholarship, competent identification skills, and fairness to all faiths and all nations.

         Another important archaeological find is the synagogue dating from 50 B.C. recently found outside of Jericho. This is sure to raise a rumpus with the Palestinians, who were given the city of Jericho at the beginning of what some still call the peace process (I couldn't help but remember that in a pitched battle for that city the Israelites won it clearly 3,500 years ago!).

         At that time some Palestinians had the chutzbah to try to claim the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found at Qumran, near Jericho to the south. This amazing claim of Jewish scrolls written in Hebrew and Aramaic by an antagonistic people was based on some U.N. ruling that antiquities found on land belonged to the present holders of the land. Even we in America, usurpers of land that we have been, do not have the temerity to claim Indian burial grounds as belonging to us immigrants.

         Arrowheads and the like are reckoned to their original owners in this country and the world around.

         But I expect the Palestinians to claim that synagogue any time now.

         A Gallup poll taken in Israel in March showed that two-thirds of Israelis believe that the Palestinians want to destroy Israel. But, in reply to a different question, one-half of the Israelis think the Palestinians want peace. "When there are two Jews, there are three opinions."

         In a last-minute gesture, the Swiss have established a modest fund to pay off the Holocaust accounts they stole after World War II. Sanctions were just about to fall on that government, and in a tobacco company-like move, they settled for as little as they could pay. Considering the theft of art works from Jewish people in almost all European countries during Nazi times, and the property gone from their homes, Europe has little to be proud of in regard to World War II. I sincerely do not think that Americans would have acted in the same way toward any minority at that time. The day that God chose the Jews, the devil chose them too.

         The Dallas Morning News seized on what they imagined to be hot news, "Tensions In Bethlehem."

         It was perfectly predictable that Bethlehem, like Hebron and other areas given to the Palestinians, would deteriorate. But the Morning News is especially reprehensible in this report because it has reported false unrest in Bethlehem for years. When the Israelis were in control of that formerly Christian city, there was no problem whatever, especially not at Christmas time, when as many as ten thousand pilgrims came to that small town.

         But the Morning News would invariably report that there was awful tension and strife anyway. I once phoned them about this, and told them that I had a tour group standing in Manger Square in the heart of the town during the entire Christmas proceedings and there was no tension, no violence, no unrest, nothing whatever, other than peaceful worship at the birthplace of Christ.

         They replied, "We understand your bias, Mr. Levitt."

         I don't cite the Morning News as anything special. Most any American hometown newspaper does the same erroneous reporting on Israel. The fault at The Dallas Morning News lies with their taking Arab news releases from Cairo to cover events in Israel, some 700 miles away. Eyewitness reports like mine are not considered reliable. In this manner Israel has received a black eye for some fifteen years in the media.

         In regard to the most recent tension mentioned in The Dallas Morning News, and also the L. A. Times, I calculated the number of casualties involved with this front-page story. The total was zero. I don't think Dallas or Los Angeles could claim zero casualties for the same period. I'm really sorry the news can't be better than this, but those vitally interested in Israel and its survival need to be informed of the real story.

         As we often point out, that can't be obtained from our media, so I try to do what I can myself. Please forgive me if this letter becomes depressing. Iraq is a very dangerous place to live; sixteen thousand people are "missing" in the last decade. For those families who know what happened to their loved ones, such as government-sponsored executions, they must pay cash for the bullets used in dispatching their relative. They get an actual invoice from Saddam's henchmen. Then again, bullets are merciful in a country which follows laws promoting public amputations as punishment for sins.

         As long as dictators rule the Arab countries these disgusting primitive practices will continue. And dictators do not simply die and yield to a voting public. In Saudi Arabia, an ailing King Fahd will soon be replaced by an unelected relative, who will then continue to dictate American policy toward Israel and everyone else. The Saudis, who hold us hostage to their oil, seem to be the main reason our government acts so strangely toward Israel and its many enemies.

         Women especially would hate the life in the Moslem cultures. They generally have few rights in any Moslem country, but in Afghanistan, where the radical fundamentalist Taliban have taken over, the laws of Islam are enforced unmercifully; women cannot be educated, or even receive medical care. None of them may even work.

         The sawing off of hands and feet are among the legal punishments. But Afghanistan still remains a major source of the poppies from which opium and heroine are made. The primary problems with the Arabs are common ones throughout the world. The poverty, the dictators, and of course the righteous indignation that covers up all their failings are endemic. Their treatment of women is appalling, and their laws date back to the Dark Ages.

         The lack of neighborliness, or even human concern for their fellow Arabs is appalling. During the peace process one hundred and sixty Palestinians were murdered by other Palestinians for "collaborating" with the Israelis (which in some cases means selling them a house, or simply being accommodating to people they had known all their lives).

         Children do not fare much better in Palestine. Rather like Uganda, which sent out a "child army," with kids of even elementary school age going to their deaths in mine fields and gun battles, the Palestinians conducted their Intifada [uprising] with children. The object there was to engender media sympathy, and they certainly got it; but it looks like the media chose the wrong folks to support.

         Arafat has been very disappointing, and the Palestinians in general have let us all down. Maurice Papon has been sentenced at last for his cheerfully sending more than sixteen hundred men, women and children to their deaths in occupied France. He was found guilty, and given a sentence of ten years, but he is free pending an appeal. He has so far barely slept overnight in jail, though he sent so many innocent others to their eternal rest.

         It is noteworthy that France, who collaborated so closely with the Nazis, has never before found any high-ranking French official guilty of crimes against humanity. The latest wrist-slap is quite an insult, but not surprising in the country where I myself experienced the worst anti-Semitism of my life.

         We received so many letters about the presentation of Gerald Schroeder on our program. Many misunderstood his position. He was not supporting evolution, which he opposes. He was simply saying that the period of time of the days of Creation depends on where you look at it in our vast universe: from God's perspective — six days, just as Scripture says; from the perspective of an expanding universe, fifteen and three-quarter billion years.

         Shortly, we will put out a study booklet on his conclusions for the sake of argument. Please don't think that I necessarily subscribe to everything he said, or even that I fully understand it. But I thought it was worthy of consideration to a serious Biblical audience like ours. Thanks for watching, and for responding.

          Our newest series, The Covenants of God, has already begun. We will be taking our TV crew on our Feast of Pentecost Tour to begin taping our next series on love stories through the Bible. This should be a delightful teaching, and a pleasure to view. We'll begin airing in September. . I would sincerely appreciate any help you can give us at this time as we prepare to go on location in the Holy Land. Thanks.

         If you come to Israel with me, you will see that what I am saying is all too true. Our tours this year coincide not only with the year of Jubilee, but also with the year in which Israel celebrates her 50th anniversary. What an exciting time to be in His Land! I encourage you to consider joining us on our Fall Festival Tour in September, when we will join Israel in celebrating Rosh haShana, Judaism's New Year! Our Deluxe Israel Tour will be September 11 - 26.

         Our Grand Tour, visiting the luxurious Red Sea resort city of Eilat and the ancient rose-red city of Petra in Jordan, is September 15 - 26. For a free tour folder, call 1-800-WONDERS (966-3377) or drop us a note.

         American courts have for the first time granted political asylum to two West Bank evangelical Christians on the grounds of religious persecution. And more West Bank Christians are about to file asylum requests in American courts. The courts — one in Chicago, the other in North Carolina — accepted the asylum-seekers' claims that the Palestinian Authority was persecuting Christian evangelicals, after the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service reversed its earlier skepticism and endorsed their claim.

         The two asylum-seekers — who won't allow their names to be published, for fear of PA retaliation against relatives still in the territories — are both converts from Islam to Christianity, who had practiced their new faith in secret.

         Meanwhile, Muhammed Bak'r, a West Bank convert to Christianity who had been in a PA prison since June, was released on bail in late February. The PA accused Bak'r of selling land to Jews, though sources close to Bak'r insist the real reason for his imprisonment was his activity as a Christian missionary. Bak'r says he was tortured in prison, at one point hung by his hands from the ceiling for two consecutive days. His release followed intervention by the Norwegian government. — Yossi Klein Halevi

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July 19 - speaking at
Fountain of Life Church
6800 Denton Highway
Fort Worth, Texas
817-485-5433 for information

         
August 1 - 2 - speaking at
Calvary Chapel of Salt Lake
7136 S 1700 E
Salt Lake City, UT
801-944-5188 for information

         
October 13 - 14 speaking at
Midnight Call Ministries
Atlantic Coast Prophecy Conference
Columbia, SC
800-845-2420 for information

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