A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Three Years Of Blogging - And Three Wasted Years In Yesha

Today is the third anniversary of the formation of this blog.

On May 8, 2003, I received a link to Hasidic Rebel's blog, which linked to some other blogs, like Protocols and Unbroken Glass. Prior to that day, I was vaguely familiar with blogs, but had never really read any. Almost immediately, I started this blog, with seven short posts on its first day, and seven more on its second day.

In those days, Blogger was very user-unfriendly. I had to teach myself basic HTML to figure out how to link, how to place words into bold, etc.

My first post - there have been 1030 more since - stated that "the trends currently are very unfavorable toward the Jewish communities ("settlements") in Judea and Samaria." I wrote that on the right, "there needs to be a pragmatic recognition that Israel is not forever going to retain all of the West Bank land it currently holds" and that supporters of settlements must "recognize and soberly accept the threat to the Jewish enterprise in Judea and Samaria, and act not to completely eliminate that threat, but to limit its results by fighting to save as much as possible."

The sentiments expressed in my first post represent the ideas that are most important to me. That post was written seven months before Prime Minister Sharon offered the first hints of his "disengagement" plan. Unfortunately, those on the right have proven woefully inept at taking pragmatic political steps that would reduce the damage to the settlement enterprise. Instead, there are, at best, strident statements of rejection to the idea of any reduction of settlements, and, at worst, violent protests, references to soldiers and political leaders as traitors or Nazis, and moronic actions like blocking roads, all of which have accomplished nothing other than the alienation of the residents of Judea and Samaria from mainstream Israelis.

The settlers and their supporters seem to think that we are still in the 1970's, and that demands and threats will work today as they did then. The opposition to the withdrawal from Gaza was based on the absurd notion that protesters would somehow block the IDF from reaching Gush Katif.

But the days of Sebastia are over. A new direction and a new strategy are desperately needed. Over the last three years, in this blog and in my columns in The Jewish Press, I have tried again and again, in various ways and using various arguments, to make this point.

Alas, pragmatism and reality are apparently inconsistent with the ethos of the settlement movement. Even the Gaza withdrawal has had little effect. And so even as Prime Minister Olmert goes about his plan for a massive unilateral withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, and the destruction of a majority of the Jewish communities there, those on the right are clueless as to how to respond.
posted on 5/08/2006