Mattot Arim Banner English: ‘Peace for Peace’ Hebrew: ‘For the Sake of the Land of Israel’

On Zio-Pharisees and Netanyahu

More often than not, decisions of the Israeli government look odd from the outside. Statements by this body often seem to have no other purpose than enraging Palestinians and the international community. Decisions to expand settlements or to further crop Palestinian towns and villages seem to enjoy the same type of unacceptable logic. In fact, this odd behavior can be easily explained. This is the result of the Israeli government being a coalition between quite different parties. On its most basic level, we are talking about a coalition between orthodox Jews – spiritual descendants of the heretical Pharisees – and Zionists. The actual political map in Israel wouldn’t have been possible during the 19th century in any Jewish settlement. Israeli governments are composed of coalitions between Zionist groups (led by the Labor or the Likud – Kadima enters in the same category) and Orthodox parties. The last are bound to the Talmud and are waiting to religious redemption via a Messiah, practicing Pharisaic interpretations of the Bible. Jewish redemption is far from the spiritual redemption professed by Christians. Jews do expect a physical salvation based on a godly kingdom in the Land of Israel. All the religious interpretations until the 19th century didn’t leave any place to a Zionist party rushing to conquer Arab lands (Galatians 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem…). That was the role of a future Messiah. Thus, any cooperation between Zionists and Orthodox Jews was impossible.

Then a Maoist-styled Giant Leap Forward took place and things changed. Traditionally, the Jewish orthodoxy believed the abovementioned redemption would arrive in two stages. The early stage was called “Messiah Son of Joseph,” and would include the physical stages of bringing the Jewish people together; this stage was symbolized by a bull. The second stage was the “Messiah Son of David,” when a spiritual Messiah would restore the Kingdom of God. This stage was symbolized by a donkey; Christian readers would immediately recognize Jesus triumphal entry to Jerusalem riding one (John 12:12-16). In the 19th century, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, was one of the Orthodox Jews who created the base for cooperation between Zionists and Pharisees. What he did was simple, and is known as “Hamoro shel Mashiah” (“Messiah’s Donkey” in Hebrew, a book by this name was published in 1998). He claimed secular Jews (i.e. the Zionists) can take the place of “Messiah Son of Joseph” as a collective entity, creating the base that would allow the Pharisees – the Orthodox Jews – to produce the “Messiah Son of David” in the new and secular state.

It worked. This political alliance produced a state accepted by most Jews. Neturei Karta is one of the few Jewish groups that do not accept this unholy contraption. A social result of this unholy alliance was the creations of the “hand-woven kippas” (“kipot srugot” in Hebrew) group, also known in Hebrew as the “nationalistic religious” people, to whom most settlers in the West Bank belong. Compared to them, Netanyahu is a very moderate and sensible person, almost on the verge of putting human rights before nationalistic considerations. On March 17, 2010, Dr Hagai Ben Artzi illustrated this on the Israeli Army Radio, when he claimed President Obama is anti-Semite. In the same interview, he said: “We are a nation dating back 4,000 years, and you (America) in a year or two will be long forgotten. Who will remember you? But Jerusalem will dwell on forever." All of the sudden, Netanyahu looks levelheaded.

Rightwing Clockwork

This week we had a rare opportunity to see the clockwork of this unholy coalition. An NGO named Mattot Arim (“Cities’ Headquarters” in Hebrew) published its semi-annual survey on the activities of right-wing members of the Knesset. The survey rates MKs and cabinet ministers according to the aid they provided to settlers in the West Bank. The report breaks down the legislative, lobbying, and media activity of the MKs – from bills preventing the boycott of products made in the settlements, to media interviews. Government ministers are evaluated in the report for using their ministries for pro-settlement development. The report was given only to Knesset members and activists of Mattot Arim; however, some of its results were leaked into the Hebrew media.

According to this report, the top members of the Knesset in terms of "activity of a national character" were Uri Ariel (National Union), Zeev Elkin (Likud) and Yariv Levin (Likud). Oddly, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Likud stalwart Michael Eitan got a very low ranking. National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau and Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz led the list of ministers pressing to boycott Israeli constructors’ suppliers of the new Palestinian city Rawabi. The report includes several other categories, which with no doubt are useful in the rating of activities by members of the Knesset and the Israeli government. Why is it semi-secret? Does it have any consequences?

Double-Edged Sword

The main banner in Mattot Arim’s website (reproduced at the top of this page) provides a useful hint regarding the morals of these activists. In English, you can read: “Peace for Peace,” while the parallel Hebrew text reads: “For the Sake of the Land of Israel.” Make no mistake. When settlers speak about the “Land of Israel” – “Eretz Israel” in Hebrew – they mean “Eretz Israel HaShlema,” the “Entire Land of Israel.” To them, that means from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. If you complain, then they’ll take also the eastern bank. “Two banks to the Jordan, this one is ours, the other one as well,” was an old slogan of what later became the Likud party. Mattot Arim quite openly uses manipulative language and techniques. The English text is moderate; the Hebrew one much less so. Under these circumstances, the semi-secrecy of the openly manipulative report is understandable. It was given only to those who could be trusted not to release its entire content.

Then, if you bother reading their website, you find they openly call Mattot Arim activists to join the Likud and vote within its institutions in favor of Mattot Arim policies (expansion of Jewish settlements) also if the activists have no intentions of voting for the Likud at the elections. A lot of information is provided, including ready letters and email addresses of relevant members of the Knesset and government ministers. That means, Mattot Arim activists can vote in the preliminary elections of the Likud, sharply influencing its policies (they have over thirteen thousand members),and afterwards vote for their favorite religious-right-wing parties at the general elections. Basically, it is the same policy displayed by their logo: one text in English, a different one in Hebrew. Pharisaic hypocrisy at its epitome.

Netanyahu has a Jewish Settlers Fifth Column in his own party and there is nothing he can do but ride his Messiah’s Donkey – actually a sterile mule – into the sunset.

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