|
Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Sometimes even experienced politicians don’t understand how the government works, especially when the government does not bother to explain what it’s doing, and the echoes of the cries of the people hang in the air, unanswered. Here we are, after the occupation of the Gaza Strip by Hamas, who used cruel and horrific methods, and has been executing people without trial. Hundreds of people are standing at the gates of our country and begging for their lives and requesting entry to the Palestinian Authority, and we stand like a fortified wall and shoot at them if they dare near the exit. Our claim is that among those trying to leave are Hamas members, or other terrorists, and the Palestinian committee that used to filter out the people interested in moving no longer functions. Why can’t we turn to the Palestinian Authority and request that they send a committee from Ramallah to filter out those seeking refuge, and those deemed to be honest will be immediately transported to Ramallah without Israel having to absorb them? Again, Israel is being portrayed in the international community (which is keeping an eye out for us to commit injustices) as cruel people who don’t take into account the plight of the persecuted. I can understand that Israel is a small country and is unable to handle the millions of refugees from Darfur. It is more fitting that they find their salvation in the larger Egypt, instead of Egypt sending the Darfur refugees to Israel. It is also unclear to me why the Egyptians don’t do more to save the refugees from Gaza. Why must the Philadelphi Route serve as a one-way street to smuggle weapons into Gaza and cannot be used as a way to Egypt to absorb the persecuted Gazans? We live in a cynical and hypocritical world. In a world without justice and without integrity. But obviously, in my opinion I think that Israel needs –from a humanitarian standpoint and from a political one – to be a bridge for the refugees from Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, for those they are willing to absorb. And those that Palestinians don’t want to absorb, we certainly will be exempt from absorbing them.
1 | Nili, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Rabbi Ravitz
As a Torah observant Jew, you should be ashamed of yourself. The only people who want to flee Gaza are Fatah/PLO terrorists who take their orders from the likes of the murderers Arafat, Dahlan, Barghouti, etc. The majority of the post Oslo terrorist attacks and resultant murders were in fact carried out by the PLO/Fatah, and not by Hamas. You are implicitly propagating the leftist big lie that the PLO/Fatah are moderate (murderers). The Master of the Universe is causing the two terrorist factions to kill one another, and now you feel that we Jews should have mercy on one of the factions - that also want to destroy us, and who feel that we Jews have no rights to live in Eretz Yisrael. As our sages say, whoever is merciful to the cruel will eventually be cruel to the merciful.
2 | Moshe, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
UTJ BETRAYED the Jewish people by supporting Gush Katif expulsion for 290 million NIS. UTJ sat in the Sharon gov't while shuls burned !!! for MONEY.
We WARNED UTJ to NOT support Sharon expulsion - we WARNED that this will bring missles in Sderot, more wars, etc. But their kids won't have to be the ones to re-invade Gaza when life becomes unbearable here because of Hamas missle launchings.
You are a Hilul Hashem and should be ashamed !!!! Resign now.
3 | Hrosenblatt, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Since a greater number of Gaza inhabitants voted for Hamas than for Fatah, not that one is better than the other, allowing the people from Gaza to go to the West bank is no different than what the U.S. and Israel did in providing weapons to Fatah that Hamas has taken. You would be adding more Hamas supporters to those already in the West Bank, providing more embers to explode at a later date.
4 | Reuven Resnicoff, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
I'm sorry Minister Ravitz, what you're saying makes too much sense.
5 | Michael, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
I agree with Rabbo Ravitz....the bridge to escape should be open for many reasons. Foremost, because it is morally the correct thing to do. No one should "hype" this present division among Palestinians; or believe it will last forever. Abbas to remain in power, must leader for all his people, not only those geographically located in the W.B. Israel will be critiqued enough throughout this development. It is also time for neighboring Arab states to step forward and back Abbas.
6 | Gershon, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Rabbi Ravitz,
Are you really serious? Do you believe that Fatah's people are merely "persecuted"? Please remind me why exactly is Bargouti in prison. Also, please refresh my memory, was Arafat a good guy? If my memory serves me right he was a bad guy with blood on his hands!
Who exactly do youthinkwe should allow in?
And if you mean only civilians, how exactly should Fatah's men stand near Hamas' men and determine who should enter? Do you think the two sides are getting along that well that this is possible without shots being fired?
7 | David Olesker, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Sanity! Why is it so rare?
8 | Marc M., Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Shame on Israel if people at the crossing begin to die...reminds me of the jews trying to escape Hitler with no takers......Israel is better than this.
9 | vik, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
why would the egyptians want darfur refugees. they are arab and support suddanese arabs killing muslim blacks.
10 | Gili, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Are you kidding me?
The majority of the people in Gaza voted for Hamas. Israel fully withdrew from Gaza. Why should Israel do *anything* to support this new Hamastan? There is absolutely no benefit to Israel in helping them, and in fact there is much harm that will result from it.
Let the Arabs take care of their own. They are more than capable of doing so. Just because they don't have the willpower doesn't imply that we should in their place.
11 | Hadassa, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
With all due respect Rav Ravitz I'm shocked that a rabbi thinks that "Palestine" is anything other than a modern myth and that Ramallah is anything other than a center of terror. Ramallah is well within the Biblical borders of Israel, as is Gaza for that matter, and should in no way be used as a refuge for hostile Arabs - there really is no other kind - from Gaza. All of the Arabs in Gaza should go south, past Sinai which is part of Israel, and live in the truly Arab part of Egypt. Then the Jews could return to Gush Katif and the rest of the Negev wouldn't have to live in fear of Kassams. As for the Egyptians not wanting the Arabs of Gaza - they didn't want them in 1948 and they don't want them now. Based on the Gaza Arabs actions over the past two years, can you fault the Egyptians for not wanting them? But it's best to repatriate the Arabs to Egypt and not have a fifth column in Israel. "Whomever is kind to the cruel will, in the end, be cruel to the kind." And how about the Jewish "refugees" from Gaza? Has the Israeli government cared for them properly yet? NO! Rav Ravitz, please examine your priorities.
12 | Larry, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Where has this guy been ? The rest of the world-especially the Arab world-have kept the Palistinians as hostages as part of their plan to destroy Israel- for 50+ years.
There should be an escape route to
Europe or another Arab country- not to Israel or the West Bank. Probably ALL Gazans woulde West like to come to the West Bank.
13 | dov epstein, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Humane? This is the Haredi-hedge-its-bets-to-keep-the-animalistic-Arabs -from -turning --it's violence -on- the self-sacrificing -learning-Torah-scholars-who-seek-only-Peace, so that they can live in Beitar, and Kiryat Sefer, in safety. "SEe?We don't serve in the Zionist army, we're only here to Learn Torah.I'm no Zionist, but talk about standing by while the blood of your brothers seeps into the ground. Sorry, I'm not that humane. Let not any of these refuge seekers in, for they protect the rocket launchers, from Gaza, and they danced on the rooftops, and passed out candy when Jews died. How fatuous, how feckless. How cowardly.
14 | Avraham Grossman, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Yyasher Kochachem, Rabbi Ravitz. You have accurately and truthfully explained the situation "on the ground." The nations of the world still don't fathom the mentality of Arab murderers. Oy, how well Israel understands the realities.
15 | bernie nagler, Tuesday Jun 19, 2007
Sure, Ravitz, let the 80% of palestinians who voted for Hamas into Israel, and then maybe they can get a look at a map that has Israel on it.
16 | Dan Friedman, Saturday Jul 14, 2007
They say war is too important to be left to the generals. How much more so rabbis?
17 | Adam, Sunday Jul 22, 2007
You better learn to teach other Charedim to stand opposed soon because one day there won't be enough secular and traditional Israelis to aid the religious Zionists in the IDF to protect the lazy free-riding Jews in the Kollels. They may be broke, but at least they have Torah!
So now we have tons of impovrished Jews supported by donations and government money. Money which can go to better places to aid Klal Yisroel like kiruv, medical research and a LIVABLE WAGE for the small percentage of Jews who would be an asset for Yisroel to learn for a living.
Just as society benefits from the best and brightest teaching in universities and sharing their knowledge, Jewish society derives a similar benefit from the best and brightest learning in Yeshivas. Unfortunately, those that are actually that bright make up a tiny proportion of those who learn full time. It is a selfish act if one does not excel in learning Torah yet does so for a living. Those selfish Jews can be of better use to themselves, their families and Klal Yisroel with a job and to learn part time and build more Nahal Charedis.
Ravitz, you should be ashamed of yourself to suggest bringing the bane of Eretz Yisroel's existence even closer. They brought this on themselves and you want to bring them on us. I guess its easy for you to say something so suicidal as the majority of your supporters have no idea what it is like to pick up a gun and protect Jews.
|
 |
About this blog
Ravitz's Quiet Revolution
UTJ MK Rabbi Avraham Ravitz offers a glimpse of the arena from his own perspective.
|
Combined feed for all JPost.com blogs
Recent Comments
Velvel silver spring:
Dear Rabbi, I recently read of rumors that you may join Olmert's government due to political concessions he would make regarding organ transplants, as well as a "gift" of additional millions of shekels for your Torah institutions, a gift which really amounts to a bribe, don't you think? I just want you to know, that regardless of what your smiling nodding Chareidi drones accept or don't accept from you, I am a Torah observant Jew and if you do that, you are selling out Israel and selling out Jews all over the world by taking this bribe. Hashem is supposed to provide our sustenance.
Adam:
You better learn to teach other Charedim to stand opposed soon because one day there won't be enough secular and traditional Israelis to aid the religious Zionists in the IDF to protect the lazy free-riding Jews in the Kollels. They may be broke, but at least they have Torah!
So now we have tons of impovrished Jews supported by donations and government money. Money which can go to better places to aid Klal Yisroel like kiruv, medical research and a LIVABLE WAGE for the small percentage of Jews who would be an asset for Yisroel to learn for a living.
Just as society benefits from the best and brightest teaching in universities and sharing their knowledge, Jewish society derives a similar benefit from the best and brightest learning in Yeshivas. Unfortunately, those that are actually that bright make up a tiny proportion of those who learn full time. It is a selfish act if one does not excel in learning Torah yet does so for a living. Those selfish Jews can be of better use to themselves, their families and Klal Yisroel with a job and to learn part time and build more Nahal Charedis.
Ravitz, you should be ashamed of yourself to suggest bringing the bane of Eretz Yisroel's existence even closer. They brought this on themselves and you want to bring them on us. I guess its easy for you to say something so suicidal as the majority of your supporters have no idea what it is like to pick up a gun and protect Jews.
Dan Friedman:
They say war is too important to be left to the generals. How much more so rabbis?
|
|
