An "Our Land of Israel Exclusive Interview with MK Michael Ben – Ari: Summing Up the Summer Session 

We Will Not Join Netanyahu′s Government that Announced the Establishment of a Palestinian State in Eretz Yisroel 

MK Michael Ben – Ari, of the " Our Land of Israel" movement, succeeded to create a revolution in the Knesset through his parliamentary activities.  He has won unprecedented favor in the eyes of all sectors.  In the interview, he warns that the government is operating on all fronts to establish a terrorist state, and to control the movements of the Yehuda and Shomron settlements. 

MK Ben – Ari, at the conclusion of the summer session of the Knesset, how do you assess the situation? 

After conducting an in-depth study, I can say that the Israeli government is focused on absolute subserviency to the enemies, and is beholden to the establishment of a Palestinian state.  The entire framework and clerical system, in both the Foreign and Defense Ministries, is geared towards this insane goal.  Sadly, there is no wake-up call to change direction.  

In addition, a few threats are looming over Israel, and the government isn′t acting to destroy them.  The gut feeling is that the genuine and critical issues are being neglected.  There are many great dangers lying in ambush from various directions, be it the foreign workers who are taking over entire cities, the High Court′s racist agenda against Jews and the token remnants of Judaism that remain in the state, or the educational system that it about to collapse ideologically. Today there is talk of forcefully implementing the Liba program, with math, English and civics, on the charedi population, while the general educational system suffers from cerebral paralysis and cardiac arrest. 

The religious and rightist parties who raised the Eretz Yisroel banner on the eve of elections are partners in this government. 

The Netanyahu government is a government of non-existence, with no purpose or direction.  The government operates under the slogan: "scratch my back and I′ll scratch yours, with opposing interests.  This government was elected by the Israeli right, and the right will be the one to establish a terrorist state and harm Yerushalayim.  The world understood that the right is willing to compromise on Yerushalyim, after noting the willingness to freeze construction in Yerushalayim.  It mattered not if this was said half-heartedly, or for one day only. 

The construction freeze will end in two months.  Are you calm?

Not at all.  The very notion of the freeze is a tragedy.  He who declared the freeze, actually stated that Yehuda and Shomron don′t belong to him. The freeze is racist. An Arab city is being built at full speed near Ateret and Neve Tzuf, and construction is going on at a maniacal pace in all Arab towns and villages in Yehuda and the Shomron. On the other hand, the government completely paralyzed the Jewish settlements, and the educational institutions must beg for their very existence. Hearing proclamations about the end of the freeze doesn′t calm me; this rightist government is about to establish a Palestinian state, is entering into direct talks, and Netanyahu promises to surprise us.  I am very wary. 

You are in the opposition.  Many have wondered, and asked you: how much can you influence from there? 

We play a very important role in the opposition, and those who don′t understand, don′t know a thing about leadership.  We are the outer point that proclaims: "the king is naked." Without us being in our place, there would be no one to point the public in Israel in the right direction.  If we would join this government, G-d forbid, it would be a true disaster for the Jewish people. They would have bought us off for a few shekels and let us pass some joint and meaningless laws, and we would become part of the bridge to found the Palestinian state.  

What did you accomplish during the past summer session? 

One of the things that I′ve learned is that if you stick to your position and are unable to be bought off, and you believe in what you say, you will be more influential. We are few, but our impact is tremendous.  

The most outstanding example is our success in having MK Chanin Zuabi′s immunity removed.  We succeeded in hitting home an important point: it is paramount in saving the country from its inner enemies. Surprisingly, after being attacked by many MKs,  all factions except Labor and the leftists joined in.  We suggested an amendment to the racism law in the Knesset, which forbids incitement based on community, religion and geography. This amendment protects new olim from Russia and Ethiopia, settlers and charedim from harm.  It is unthinkable that the Arabs are a protected species, while attacking charedim is allowed as an election gimmick. 

Something that really excited me happened right before the session commenced. 42 graves were desecrated in the Merchavia cemetery.  The police caught the eight Arabs hooligans from Kfar Sulam.  For some inexplicable reason, they decided to deem it vandalism and not an act of terrorism. The government doesn′t give monetary compensation for acts of vandalism, and so the cemetery was disgracefully left in ruins. I led the plenum and the committees to turn over the decision and the cemetery was rebuilt. 

Precisely at the end of the summer session you gave the Reform conversions a knockout strike, and won by a hairsbreadth. 

We are waging a war with the Reform movement and assimilation, and with the attempt to amend the "Who is a Jew" law. We passed the conversion law in the Constitution Committee by one vote, after I insisted that a vote take place and all the charedi members support the proposition. My purpose was to prevent the Reform and Conservative movements from garnering power.  These two movements wish to undermine the sanctity of the Jewish Nation by turning Judaism into a club, accepting anyone who knows how to sing "Hava Nagila". We knew that we did the right thing when we noted how Netanyahu did his utmost not to have the law proposed to the plenum. 

If you were offered a chance to join the coalition to strengthen the government, in the winter session, would you accept?