The 90`s

There's a new kind of fungibility taking place

Note: Written by Howard Barbanel, Published Week of June 30th - July 6th, 1993

During the life of the previous Likud government there were many who accused Israel of taking U.S. aid dollars and loan guarantee funds and through manipulative bookkeeping, funneling millions to bolster Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.  The entire settlement program put Israel at loggerheads with the then-Bush Administration. There was a good deal of head-butting going on.

Today there are two new governments.  One Israeli, one American and there's a whole new kind of fungibility taking place.  Israel, of all people, is spending 450 million shekels on economic development in the territories, up from 120 million last year.  A whopping increase. who is this money being spend on? Would you believe the Palestinian Arabs? It's true. The Rabin government is engaged in a determined plan to improve the Arab economy in the territories - partly at Israel's expense and certainly at the expense of the Jewish communities there.

While transferring money to the Arabs the Rabin government has cut virtually all funds to the non-Labor affiliated Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.  They have eliminated funds for infrastructure projects such as roads, electric lines, plumbing, land reclamation, communications and more. Funds for such basic services such as kindergartens have been axed.  Almost every tax incentive for Jews passed by the prior government has been set aside. Preferential tax rates for businesses and industries have been killed as have been the subsidies for new home and apartment buyers in the Jewish towns.

Of the 450 million shekels (more than $140 million) being spent by the Labor Party on the Palestinian Arabs, $50 million is slated for Arab infrastructures projects.  Taxes have been cut for the Arabs in the territories and new Arab businesses are now exempt from property and income taxes. 

Labor has established new Arab industrial parks in Nablus, Hebron and Gaza.  All restrictions on the importation of funds from abroad have been eliminated for Arabs and they now can import anything and as much as they desire.

Things get even better for the Arabs.  The Saudi Arabians have just unveiled a $200-million aid package to enable Palestinian Arabs to purchase land in Jerusalem and a report in Ma'ariv recently stated that the Saudis and other gulf states are "channeling $100 million to the territories via organizations associated with the PLO's Fatah faction." The report indicates that it was the U.S. government that pressured the Saudis to open up their purse - because since the Gulf War the House of Saud hasn't been too forthcoming to the Palestinian Arabs.  It was the PLO who supported Saddam Hussein and who is now carrying out the majority of terrorist attacks on Jewish targets in Israel.

And there's still more.  Ha'aretz reported on May 6th that the U.S. and European Community will give the Palestinian Arabs another $23 million.  More than 25 years ago The Beatles wrote, Can't Buy Me Love.  It is apparent that the present Israeli government never heard the lyrics to that tune. 

In an effort to make peace quickly with the Arabs, the Israeli government has already ceded most of the water and state land rights to a new "Palestinian Council" to be created and has agreed to international supervision of elections in the territories - a move garunteed to accord de facto legitimization to the creeping concept of another Palestinian state (the first is Jordan) in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.  Rabin is also talking about forming a Palestinian Police Force and arming them - all prior to the signing on any kind of peace agreement.

To stay that Jews in Judea are worried is an understatement.  The "only" Jewish communities in the territories to benefit from Labor's largesse are Labor-affiliated settlements in the Jordan Valley and other communities surrounding Jerusalem - oh, and by the way, Peres is talking about letting East Jerusalem Arabs vote in Palestinian Elections.

Trying to make peace is a lofty ambition, one which should be pursued vigorously, but not one that should take place at all costs or made at any price.  The Palestinian Arabs in their own newspapers sense imminent victory and are openly talking about the phased destruction of Israel, one phase at a time.

Every Jew believes in and wants peace.  Can an atmosphere for peace really be achieved when Jews and Jewish communities are openly discriminated against by a Jewish government? Can a broad general consensus be built when a Jewish government is deliberately letting loose termites to undermine the foundation of Jewish presence in the territories? Helping Arabs live better lives is one thing, working to worsen the lives of Jews while doing that is quite another.