Israeli Taxpayers; Beware of the "Monkey on Your Back"!
                           By Moshe Burt

Much has been written about the impact of a possible "disengagement" from Gush Katif and "certain northern Shomron communities.  We have learned about the displacement which would result from an expulsion of Jews from divinely-ordained Jewish lands.  We have read about how the the Israeli government would be conveying upon Arab terrorists reward and renewed inspiration for further murder and bludgeoning of Jews.  We have read about how "disengagement" and abandonment of Gush Katif, if it materializes, will spur the day when Kassam missles fall in Ashdod, Askelon, Rechovot and more.  

Please note, my brothers and sisters, that there is not one line item, not one US$ in any US foreign aid or military aid packages for Israel which covers "disengagement".   Nothing for manpower, logistics or reparations to those who would be expelled. 

But noone, I repeat NOONE, has written or commented about the issue of where, from whom, funds for "expulsion" would come upon approval of this abomination.

"Watch out, Baby who's that?  Don't look now, there's a monkey on your back."
So sang George Michael a number of years ago. 

And so, a warning to Yosef Q. Ploni, Israeli taxpayer in light the Sharon Government Partial Cabinet's approval vote on funding the "disengagement", or more precisely, the would-be expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif and the Shomron.

Let the warning go out regarding the myopic, "whatever gets you through the night..." mindset of many who view or perceive separation from Gush Katif as part of the "only" solution to a so-called "demographics problem."   This "demographics problem which I've heard about, from generation to generation during my lifetime of 56 years, never seems to materialize.  And let those who bow and offer their fellow Jews as sacrifice to Avodah Zora Washington know, as they struggle like a drug addict maintain the expensive Israeli addiction to American Foreign Aid, that in the end they will pay the piper big-time to the tune of billions of Shekels in additional taxes should expulsion ever take place. 

The point being, that while PM Sharon strong-armed an approval vote by the cabinet and by the Knesset Finance Committe regarding funding for expulsion and for the Expulsion Committee so that appointed committee Chairman Bassi can receive a paycheck for his perfidy, he (Sharon) is very silent and secretive about where the money would come from to fund the various logistics of expulsion and the "compensation" for those who would be expelled.    Further, the 2005 budget has still not been approved.

We hear preposterous gibberish about the budget having a 3% cushion.  One report puts it this way,  "Only 97% of the budget is utilized, leaving 3% reserves. So the government has some pretty deep pockets for disengagement. It probably won't even need to increase the budget deficit beyond the 3% of GDP (gross domestic product) goal." * I suppose that's why Israel's municipal workers haven't been paid their salaries in nearly a year and that when funds are raised in Chutz L'Aretz for bullet-proof vests and guards for Israeli Ganim, the funds are misappropriated for use elsewhere.   3% reserves??  Who's zoomin' whom??    Since the budget has not yet been approved,
that 3% of nothing equals nothing.

One has no alternative but to make one of two possible assumptions.  One assumption being that Sharon will, like Pharoh of Egypt (who enticed the Jews with pay to "do their national duty" to help build the two cities, only to later renege on the pay making the Jews abused, beaten and persecuted slaves) retract the payment of compensation while displacing thousands of Jews leaving them "high and dry." 

The second assumption is; "As sure as Hashem made little green apples and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime...", watch out Yosef Q. Israeli; you WILL pay the piper, via Uncle Mas Hachnasa, for your worship, and that of your government, of the avodah zora called "disengagement" and for the blind hatred of some for our Jewish heritage.   "Watch out, Baby who's that?  Don't look now, there's a monkey on your back."

Think about it, are you so blind and naive that you are willing to be taken on the biggest
friar's trip in history??  Not only would Kassams hit Sderot, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Be'er Sheva, Rechovot with increased accuracy and regularity, but you will pay the Tax Man for the priviledge of having Kassams crash through your roof or into your backyard or front lawn.  How's that prospect feel??  "Watch out, Baby who's that?  Don't look now, there's a monkey on your back."

I'm just surprised that my dear friends from Gush Katif, from Jewish Leadership, from Arutz Sheva, from Matot Arim, from the Three Fathers, from Women in Green, etc. have not hammered the Tax Bite point home Big Time.  The only ones who'll get rich and live high on the hog on the back of YOUR taxes will be the Sharons, the Peres's, the sleazy Israeli politicians.

It seems to me that since Torah and Jewish Land mean little to to a segment of Israelis, when the hard tax reality of this deal threatens to hit close to home to most Israelis; via their pockets, possible tax-bite and that "old minus" at the bank, the red line of many Israelis will finally be reached. Then a lot of Israeli's will be "mad as hell" and finally get their backs up and do something about their dictatorial government.  I just hope that it won't be too late for the communities of Gush Katif and the Shomron, and for all of B'nai Yisrael.  "Watch out, Baby who's that?  Don't look now, there's a (TAX) monkey on your back."

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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of the Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh