Israel: War of Principles

OP-ED SUBMISSION Sep. 12, 2006
Moshe Feiglin is the President of Manhgut Yehudit and a candidate for Chairman of the Likud party. He led the Zo Artzeinu non-violent civil disobedience struggle against the Oslo Accords. Moshe graduated from Or Etzion yeshiva, served as a captain in an IDF combat unit, and is the author of the books Where There are No Men and War of Dreams. Moshe and his family live in Karnei Shomron, Israel.	War of Principles by Moshe Feiglin Click here if you have problems viewing this email . The protest in the Knesset’s Rose for Olmert and Company to resign has not really taken off. Why not? Because the public understands that the root of the problem will not be solved by the resignation of government or military officials. It also understands that no Commission of Inquiry can solve the problem. Israel's defeat in this war expressed the fundamental failure of our values. It is impossible to hide the fact that this war did not defend Haifa from the Hizballah rockets. Just the opposite is true – the war brought the rockets to Haifa. As soon as we stopped fighting, the rocket attacks stopped. In other words, this was not a defensive war. It was a “War of Principles” – a war fought to defend the principle that Israel can retreat to the Green Line and defend itself from there. The abduction of the soldiers drew a large question mark over this principle which was Olmert's ticket to power. The problem is that in a war, it is almost impossible to win without conquering territory. But conquering territory contradicts the very principle for which Olmert was fighting. The IDF fought but not to win. It conquered territory and immediately retreated. It performed army maneuvers but determined no clear goals. As usual, the price of the war was paid by the courageous and dedicated fighters. No matter how we look at it, the roots of the fiasco will not be found within the parameters that will be investigated. They can only be found in the basic principles for which Israel went to war… principles that were forced upon the State of Israel with religious fervor by the very small group of people who actually control this country. A true and penetrating investigation would thoroughly examine our basic principles. The first essential area that must be dealt with is education. We must educate ourselves to love the Land of Israel and to love the People of Israel and its Torah – with no coercion on the personal level. We must nurture the feeling that our cause is just. The entire arsenal of IDF shells was wasted on empty terrain, while the Hizballah watched and laughed. The problem is not outdated topographical maps. The problem is outdated values. The Commission of Inquiry must nurture our lost family values. It must emphasize the connection between our approach to settlement and the Land of Israel and the loss of our ability to defend it. The Commission of Inquiry must show how the courts that approved the expulsion of thousands of our most loyal citizens and the destruction of their homes – but protected terrorist murderers and their families – turned our entire value system upside down. They paved the way to the defeat that we suffered and to the defeats that we will continue to suffer if we don't restore the State to the people and its values. To learn more about Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) and to read their plan for Israel's future, visit www.jewishisrael.org . Contact: Shmuel Sackett, International Director (516) 330-4922 (cell)
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