IsraelHayom..
06 June '16..
Link: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=16323
We'll always win
During the Six-Day War in 1967, I was a high school student in Tel Aviv. Ahead of the war, my classmates and I were sent to dig trenches on Jerusalem Boulevard in Jaffa. On the homefront, there was a sense of being under siege, as Israel once again faced the threat of being overrun by large enemy armies. Israel's political leaders, as revealed by recently published documents, were tired and frightened. Israel's military leaders, on the other hand, demonstrated determination and a fighting spirit. Believing in the IDF's power, they were prepared to stare down our enemies and defeat them.
Then-GOC Northern Command David Elazar advocated a pre-emptive strike and believed the IDF should take the fight to the enemy on the other side of the Green Line. GOC Southern Command Yeshayahu Gavish complained that Israel's political leaders did not believe in the IDF's power. GOC Central Command Uzi Narkiss told Chief IDF Rabbi Shlomo Goren to prepare a shofar to blow after the IDF liberated Jerusalem's Old City. Over the course of six days, IDF troops changed the face of Jewish history forever. "When the Lord brought back Zion's exiles, we were like dreamers" (Psalm 126:1).
We will never forget the images of IDF troops breaking through Lions' Gate and heading toward the Western Wall. Both religious and secular soldiers felt the Jewish commonality that unites us all. Our liberated capital emanated rays of golden light. The people of Israel have always kept Jerusalem in their hearts.
Modern Zionism was needed to establish the cultural, political and linguistic underpinnings of a state. The goal was to create a unifying melting pot for all Jews by building a common future. Israel's political leaders in 1967 did not understand that there would be no common future without a common past. The Left, which has tried to erase our historical heritage, has been pushed to the sidelines and is now driven by despair, depression, despondency and defeatism.
Currently, the world is once again trying to loosen our grip on our historic homeland, based on the false claim that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict fuels jihadist terrorism around the globe. However, the world should know that, when it comes to Jerusalem, the people of Israel are united. Jerusalem has held us together for thousands of years and we will not see our beloved capital redivided. Those who are now shirking national responsibility for the sake of narrow political interests will not be forgiven by history.
The process of redemption includes difficulties. Jewish history is sometimes an onerous burden to bear. There are some among us who are shortsighted and have little faith in our path. For example, Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy wrote on Sunday, "One day Jerusalem Day will become a national day of mourning." Levy and his ilk already long ago changed Israel's Independence Day into their own Nakba Day. Despite the large exposure such wailers and moaners receive, they represent a tiny minority of no real importance. Those who believe are not afraid and we are an eternal people who are not deterred by a long path.
Most Israelis identify with the words of Prophet Zechariah: "After having saved my people from the land of the east and from the land of the west, I will also bring them back to live in the midst of Jerusalem" (Zechariah 8:7-8).
We have won in the past and we will win in the future, because we have no other country.
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