Things have been much worse. Only four short months ago we
were battered almost daily. Over a hundred were murdered in
one month. Now things are much quieter and the security
forces even claim that there are no senior criminal
terrorists at large in Yesha. For several weeks, bli ayin
hora, there have been no bombings. We pray that this
continues.
This does not mean that things have returned to stability
from a security standpoint. The chasdei Shomayim are
definitely evident all the time. The fiendish criminals still
at large are trying their worst. Only a few days ago the army
intercepted a car that was loaded with tens of kilograms of
explosives and shrapnel. If it had, chas vesholom,
exploded as intended, it would surely have been a "quality"
attack, as the terrorists call it, causing terrible losses of
life and limb to many innocents. On Sunday a would-be suicide
bomber, who had left from Jenin and was trying to get a ride
from Umm el Fahm to Afula, was captured.
The Left is correct that there is no military solution.
Almost no one believes that there is a military solution, but
it is abundantly clear that military action has helped. The
Left is correct that the source of terrorism is the beliefs
and feelings of the people, but it is abundantly clear that
without bombs and bullets their destructive possibilities are
limited.
It is true that a political arrangement that is made with
some sort of Palestinian government can provide long-term
security, but it is not evident where such a Palestinian
organization exists. It is now clear that Yasser Arafat used
all the resources at his disposal during his years in control
of the Palestinian Authority, not to build a state and
society, but to prepare for the murderous intifadah that he
launched almost two years ago.
Violence was the only thing initiated by Arafat and the
Palestinians, and now that has been seriously limited. The
terrorists of Gaza are confined by a fence, and most of the
terrorists of Yehuda and Shomron have been either killed or
captured. It is not a solution but it is a big
improvement.
Prime Minister Sharon has concentrated on exposing the true
nature of the Palestinian Authority while fighting the terror
on the ground. At the same time, he has held together a broad
coalition in his government that includes the main opposition
party, Labor. Though neither the issue of Palestinian terror
nor the political strength of the government is resolved,
both are in reasonable shape, from Sharon's point of view.
The most difficult problem is the economic situation.
Production is down, unemployment is up, and there seems to be
no relief in sight. Lowering the level of violence will
certainly help the economy, but no one knows how much it is
possible to grow the small Israeli economy as long as the
whole world is in such bad shape.
It is our hope that the troubles of the world have receded to
the background enough so that we can spend the next few weeks
engaged in the avodoh of bein hazmanim, and
then prepare for the upcoming Elul and the Yomim Noraim.
