THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE

espite the Rosh HaShana War, despite ArafatТs villainy, despite the ArabsТ implacable hatred of Jews and of Israel, the suicidal peace process goes on.а What is more, both Arik Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu continue to prattle about Уpeaceful coexistenceФ between Jews and Arabs, oblivious of the fact that such Уpolitically correctФ nonsense (if not mendacity) disarms the Jews and increases Arab contempt for Israel and its political leaders.

Now, in view of the fact that there are enough Knesset votes to topple the Barak Government,а why hasnТt this been done, and under SharonТs leadership?а Is it because he knows that the Likud, should it win the ensuing national elections, has no alternative to the Oslo peace process?а Is Sharon reluctant to assume the responsibility of becoming IsraelТs next prime minister because he hasnТt the foggiest notion of how to undo that covenant of death?

Of course, it may appear unpatriotic of Sharon to refrain from joining Barak in some sort of national unity government.а But BarakТs continuance in office constitutes a clear and present danger to the State of Israel.а IsraelТs most highly decorated soldier is, to put it mildly, its most inept and inflated prime minister.а And he gives every indication that he will continue to yield more and more of IsraelТs spiritual and strategic assets to Arafat, who is far more cunning not only of Barak, but any foreseeable Israeli leader.

Israeli politicians should accept the fact that they are no match for Arafat, especially when he has the Clinton Administration on his side.а For this reason alone they must terminate the Oslo covenant of death.а They are simply incapable of dealing with a creature who personifies Evil.а So, what must be done?

First, Barak must be removed from office as soon as possible.а Second, his successor must disarm and eliminate the PLO (euphemistically known as the Palestinian Authority).а Obviously this will be a bloody undertaking, but the sooner it is accomplished the less the bloodshed.а Indeed, it must be accomplished within a few days and without media coverage.а Once Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are pacified, the Government should take steps to move some of its ministries into eastern Jerusalem, Ramallah, Shechem, the Galillee, and other Arab populated areas.а Such moves will convince Arabs that Jews intend to remain in these areas permanently.

Fourth, as I proposed to Mr. Netanyahu before he went to the Wye Plantation Summit, and as proposed in my book Jewish Statesmanship, the Government should pass a Homestead Actа such as that enacted by the Congress of the United State in 1862.а Small plots of land in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza should be sold at low prices to Jews both in Israel and abroad with the proviso that they settle on the land, say for a period of six years.а This would diminish the dangerous population density of IsraelТs large cities and, at the same time, encourage Jewish immigration to Israel.а Model cities should be built, facilitated by foreign investment on terms favorable to investors.а At the same time, the Government should not only enfranchise Israelis living abroad, but formulate an economic policy that would encourage tens of thousands of these Israelis to return to their homeland.

Had such policies been implemented shortly after the Six Day War, many Arabs, without any prompting by the Government, would have emigrated to Jordan and the Persian Gulf states.а Having formed no distinct culture or solid infrastructure in Judea and Samaria, their attachment to the land is superficialЧavowals to the contrary notwithstanding.а Indeed, while Jordan ruled the area from 1949 to 1967, about 400,000 Arabs moved from Judea and Samaria to the eastern side of the Jordan River.а During and immediately after the 1967 war, 200,000 more ArabsЧroughly one of every five inhabitantsЧmoved to the East Bank.а

The move involves no great inconvenience.а The distance from Shechem to Amman is only 46 miles.а Which means that the Arabs of Judea and Samaria can move to Jordan as readily as they can drive to and work in Israel. ааIf IsraelТs Government had also moved some of its ministries to Judea and Samaria, the idea of a Palestinian state would have died before it was born.

It will be asked:а Does Israel have the statesman for so grandiose a program?а I answer:а Nothing less is required for IsraelТs salvation, especially when one considers the prolific birthrate of the Arab population west of the Jordan.

But let me offer a simple preliminary step.а Let Sharon, backed by Sharansky, demand that Arab Knesset members such as Azmi Bashira, Abd-Al Malek Dahamshe, and others of their ilk be indicted for sedition.а Let it be known that Jews will now go on the offensive against their sworn enemies.а Removing seditious Arabs from the Knesset would have a tremendous positive impact on the Jewish people.аа It would restore a good measure of their national pride, the one thing lacking and so desperately needed in this country.

By Prof. Paul Eidelberg