Amona's aftermath: A solution is born

Reflecting back on Ehud Olmert's pogrom against the Amona Jews, it seems clear to me that the relationship between religious Zionists and the secular left is more strained today than ever before.

The chilling brutality with which unarmed Jewish civilians were beaten by the MPs on horseback sent a powerful message to kippah wearing Jews everywhere: The secular Israeli public doesn't want you hanging around the Jewish State anymore.

In fact, reliable surveys in Israel revealed even before the Amona attack that Settler Jews are considered a notch or two below the moslems by the majority of the Israeli public, leaving them in a very precarious position: They are not allowed to live in Judea, Samaria or Gaza, and they are not welcome or wanted in secular cities like Tel Aviv or Haifa. Meanwhile, Jerusalem is practically without vacancies, and very expensive to get in, so they have essentially become Jews without a home in Israel.

Further evidence of this troubling trend is the fact that the majority of the 10,000 Jews who were ethnically cleansed from Gaza have still essentially remained homeless, stuck living in cheap hotels and miserable tent cities.

In addition to this indignity, almost none of the Gush Katif refugees have received the benefits the Israeli government promised, so these once proud and successful Jews have resorted to eating in soup kitchens and wearing clothes donated to them by charity.

So, with the appointed PM clearly basking in the "glory" of crushing the skulls of the hated Settlers, and a secular Israeli public overwhelmingly backing his decision to launch the assault on Amona's Jews - even welcoming the harsh treatment the Jews received as a sign that Settlers will no longer be tolerated by the Israeli government - we are left wondering what happens next with this highly combustible situation? With hundreds of thousands of observant Jews who don't want land given away to the arabs, but are rejected by secular Israeli society and lack substantial Knesset representation, what is to become of them?

The deeper question, though, is not just what will become of the Settlers, or who will win the elections, or how much of Israel will be given away to the moslems, but who's vision of the future Jewish State will prevail? Will it remain one in which both religious and secular Jews, despite their differences, are united by the common goal of protecting a Zionist State from outside attackers as it essentially always was, or is it going to become a post-Zionist State that favors moslems and seeks to eradicate Jewish nationals to establish a Judenrein Islamic State in Judea?

Sadly, those who wish to see Israel become the latter have prevailed in the court of public opinion. Religious Zionists and secular nationals who wish to settle all of the land God gave to the Jews are no longer a desired part of this new Israel that largely rejects them as zealots.

The problem for the liberals, though, is that the religious Zionists are too big to just go away in a giant "poof" following elections or pogroms. They are determined in their mission and will not be quieted so easily as the left would like. As the demonized Settlers and nationals who support them begin to fight back when they are abused what happens next? How can this untenable situation be fixed so that the two sides can avoid a full blown civil war?

The answer lies in Judea.

As we know, liberal Israelis would love nothing better than to remove the loathsome rightwing kippah wearers from their midst. They see the Settlers as being toxic to the future progress of their beloved liberalism, what with their "primitive" religious ways and customs, and would undoubtedly be thrilled to be relieved of the unwanted political influence they bring upon the secular State.

Sure, many Hareidi black hatters would probably remain behind, but they are not the nationalist threat that the left has grown to hate. The key for the Israeli secular public is abolishing the knit kippah rightwingers who they believe are inflaming the arabs with their Land of Israel Zionism.

So, with the differences between the Settlers and the seculars at the boiling point why not find a solution that makes both sides happy? Why not solve the ideological problem once and for all? The answer is so simple it's ridiculous.

Just set the borders of Israel at the pre-1967 "green line", and allow the rightwingers establish their own separate state in Judea. No need to expel them from the "territories", no need to tear down their homes, and no need to continue funding the so-called "Palestinians". Just recognize the Settlers as independent Judea, give them all the aid money that had been earmarked for the moslem terrorists, and then watch as the Jews of Judea run out the terrorist arabs from the Land once and for all.

It's so simple and effective at solving every problem in Israel it's shocking. That it hasn't already been implemented is a tragedy. The only ones who might object are the terrorist arabs (of course) and the EU/UN, because even the liberals of Israel who hate the rightwing Zionists would concede that having them as neighbors beats the hell out of having moslem terrorists in your backyard.

The time has come for action, but the one thing lacking is a strong leader who could set the wheels in motion. Let's hope we get one soon before any more innocent Jews are beaten to a pulp by the Israeli leftwing government, or killed by moslems in a terrorist attack.

-MZ