VERY SIMPLE AND VERY BRIEF POINT. IF INDEED ISRAEL WAS TARGETING CIVILIANS AS THE LIAR MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI AND OTHER PALESTINIANS CLAIM, THE DEATH TOLL IN GAZA AT THIS STAGE OF THE OPERATION WOULD BE CLOSER TO 60,000 THAN TO 600. IT IS A CLEAR AND LOGICAL REALITY THAT ONLY THOSE WISHING TO ACCEPT WILL DO. THOSE WHO WISH TO DISTORT REALITY TO FURTHER THEIR AGENDA WILL NOT.
Tag Archives: Palestinians
An Ironic Misuse of Democracy
After the civil disturbances of last weekend, the French government banned all public forms of protest this weekend in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. The bans resulted in Muslim residents and politicians crying foul, claiming this was a smear on France’s Democracy and against everything the democratic process stands for. What is their demand? One riddled with irony. They claim to want the Palestinians in Gaza to live in peace and freedom under their current government. Just one problem they conveniently forget. Their government is run by Hamas, a terror organization that is anything but democratic.
The irony is glaring. In democracies all over the world protestors are shouting angrily against the “Zionist entity’s aggression” against the people of Gaza. An aggression that is a response to the constant barrage of missiles from Hamas. Missiles bought with the money donated to Gaza to help the people. Money donated to the most non-democratic tyrannical government one could find. A government that will hurt anyone that opposes them from within and that does not allow any other party to rise within its territory. THIS is the government that protestors are using the luxuries of democracies platforms all over the world from which to shout “Free Palestine”. They just have no clue what exactly they are freeing them from and more importantly, what they are freeing them to. There is only one democracy in the entire Arab world, and that country considered the Arab world’s one democracy is Turkey. A democracy with a government doing everything possible to put a stranglehold on the system to eliminate any other party. The only real democracy in the entire region is the so-called oppressor, Israel.
So next time you hear a Palestinian supporter shout “Free Palestine” ask them the following question. Free them to do what? To be ruled by terrorist and tyrants? Most if not all will have no other answer other than, “free them from the Zionist pigs”. They have clarity when it comes to their hate, but little sense as to how to truly better the lives of the people they claim to care about, while using the comfort of democracy to shout merely for the sake of shouting. The most ironic part of this whole thing is that at least for now the people they are hurting the most are the people they claim to want to help.
With Abbas it’s about Expediency, not Right and Wrong
Relatively quiet during this most recent crisis in Israel is the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas once again has been presented with an unprecedented opportunity, and rather than make the most of it, he did what he usually does, willingly and cynically disregard it. The opportunity of which I speak was for him to make believers of even the most extreme skeptic as to whether or not he truly is a worthy peace partner. Instead, as always, Abbas chose to take the easy and corrupt way out.
There are two types of dangerous politicians. The evil ones whose intentions are to cause division or suffering, and the weak ones who make all their decisions based on their own personal standing and position. Abbas, now a politician with a terrorist resume, has traded in his militant status to become one of the most transparent politicians in the region, if not in the world. His every move is a calculated way of dancing between appearing willing to make a lasting peace with Israel and conning the world, while appeasing the hardliners not only within his ranks but with Hamas in Gaza as well. His comments generally are indicative of the poor character of the man, as he does what so many of those who are truly his partners, the ones who do not want peace do, fabricate statements because of their expedience. Case in point, his comparing Israel’s current military action to the Nazi death camps that killed 6 million Jews. The ridiculous dishonesty of the statement surely can not be based in ignorance. Does he not know that the Nazis openly stated their desire to wipe Jews off the planet? Does he not know the Germany’s campaigns and raids targeting Jews were not attempts to provide a safer non-violent Germany, but solely to kill them? Does he not know that the death toll of Palestinians is significantly lower than it could be because the Israeli Defense Forces make every attempt NOT to kill civilians, in sharp contrast to Hitler’s Germany that hunted down Jews and murdered them? Of course Abbas knows. But what good would it do politically for him to acknowledge that? Where does he gain by doing what is right? His place as head of the PA is dependent on motivating the angry mob and placating the ambitious terrorists in his midst. What better way to do this than to demonize Israel once again at what he sees as another opportune time. While Israeli politicians will speak out against and act against bad behavior of their constituency, Abbas makes excuses or distorts the facts for his. It may not be right, it may not be moral, but for a politician with a poor character such as Abbas, it certainly is expedient.
And here in lies one of the biggest problems facing Israel. Should by some miracle the terrorist organizations get eliminated from the equation they still have a major problem. They are left with a so-called peace partner who is nothing more than a terrorist turned self-serving politician. To put this in the harshest and scariest of perspectives, consider this point. He’s seen as the good one.
Back when I was a Moderate…2 weeks ago
Two weeks ago I would have been considered a moderate regarding the situation with Israel and the Palestinians. I even held hope that the Palestinian Authority would do the right thing in response to what then was the kidnapping of the 3 Israeli teens. However, like anyone else in life I have a breaking point. Mine was the moment it was clear that these 3 boys had not only been kidnapped, but murdered as well. Having reached that breaking point I have come to following conclusions. Any person who does not believe Israel is in its rights to use any manner of force necessary, be it in Gaza, Judea or Samaria (aka ‘The West Bank’) falls into one of the following categories:
Non Jew: Ignorant; Gullible; Anti-Semitic
Jew: Ignorant; Naïve; Flat-out stupid; Self-hating
As a Jew, two weeks ago I fell into the naïve category. That is a category with many different levels. My naiveté was rooted in the belief and hope that a peaceful solution was possible. I was a moderate. The 3 murdered Israeli teens are 3 among thousands killed by terrorists, but somehow it was their murder that destroyed my moderate status as well. Yes I questioned my moderation even then, but I was always open to the idea that there were enough people in power on their side who wanted peace more than they wanted the destruction of Israel to create an atmosphere of coexistence. Sadly that is not the case. As Golda Meir once said so eloquently, “Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.” It is with genuine pain that I say that day is further away from us than ever before.
First to the Non-Jewish people I make mention of, I say this. I respect anyone whose genuine desire is a world of peace. Even if you are ignorant to the truth or gullible as to the intentions of Israel’s Arab enemies, you may desperately cling to the hope that peace can break out. I admire your motivation and appreciate your decency. However, if you really take time to look at the situation you will come to the same tragic conclusion. They do not want peace. They want dead Jews. If you can show me any concrete evidence to prove otherwise I would be happy to see it, but I truly do not believe that evidence exists.
If you are anti-Semitic I have nothing to say to you. You live with hate in your heart and to make matters even worse, that hate is directed towards me and my family. You therefore are nothing to me other than disgusting and potentially dangerous.
To the Jews in these categories I say this. Please learn from the past. The Nazis set out to kill every last Jew. Not merely the Jew who opposed them, but even the Jew whose fear motivated them to work for them in concert in the hope that they would be spared. They were all targets. As we all are today. The naïve amongst you who believe in a peaceful solution, are making the mistake I so genuinely understand. You are applying rational thinking to irrational minds. These are people who are taught that the greatest honor they can achieve in life is through death. Not merely death, but death through murder and destruction. I am sure those of you who are applying your rational standards do not for one second relate to that way of thinking, but if you analyze it honestly and without personal prejudice you may see the sad truth.
To the self-hating Jew, the one who chooses to be extra vocal about criticism of Jews when they do things wrong but are only half as vocal, at best, when Jews are attacked and murdered, I say this. It is not just your fellow Jew you will bring suffering to, but to yourself as well. You are a pawn on a chessboard of evil, and those who play chess know that the pawns are the most expendable. My father, Rabbi Nardus Groen of Blessed Memory once wrote when referring back to his account of the Holocaust, “We may in the course of it meet people who, for whatever it’s worth,may be portrayed as heroes, while others are cowards, pacifists, or activists.They are all the products of mankind. For them, there will always be a place under the sun (with the exception of the traitor).” It is not my place to determine who are the cowards and pacifists and who are the traitors. God will know what is in your heart and I trust will judge you accordingly.
One may make the argument that every day a moderate turns radical Hamas has gained another victory. That may be true. But it is safer to be a realistic radical than a delusional moderate. Unfortunately I now believe those are the only two choices.
Cliches and the Damage they do to Israel
Welcome to the world of the cliché. For starters, let me admit that I am on occasion as guilty as anyone else of using clichés, but when serious events take place such as has been the case recently in Israel, social media goes crazy recycling the same sentiments over and over again. To be fair, some of these sentiments are obvious ones that any normal human being would have. Case in point, the devastation everyone felt over the murder of Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar, and Eyal Yifrach, and the subsequent comments that followed based in sadness and mourning. Those commonly felt sentiments are not the ones I speak of. The ones I am addressing are the different statements regarding the world’s reaction and what is oft referred to as “the way Jews act”.
I am in no position to criticize anyone, especially those who care enough to give their opinion in this difficult time. I realize that whether you make the statement that you do not care about the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir or you are as outraged by it as you are about the murder of the 3 Israeli teens, your heart is still probably in the right place. Your against murder, which makes you at least in basic terms, a good person. Here’s where I personally run into a problem. In attacking a Jew who is rightfully fed up with the treatment of our people for thousands of years, you may become part of the problem. Yes, you are entitled to an opinion, but those who have come to their own unbiased and logical conclusion, are pretty much clear on the double standard that exists when judging Jewish behavior and reaction.
“Jews don’t do that”. Don’t do what? Get angry, fight for survival, strike back? I sit here writing this today because before the Nazis ever entered Holland, my father Rabbi Nardus Groen of Blessed Memory did something Jews “didn’t do” in 1930’s Holland. He joined what was then the equivalent of the National Guard and learned how to use a gun. I go back to the phrase “Never Again” often because it is not so much a cliché as it is an approach the Jewish people need to have if they are to survive. Do we feel that mass murder of Jews can never happen again? I would like nothing more than to say there are no indications of that, but sadly we live in a world where genocidal maniacs still live and even gain popularity, putting not only Jews but other people in similar danger.
I agree that murder for the sake of murder is not the Jewish way, but I also feel passionately that is not what has taken place in Israel. Assuming the culprits of Khdeir’s murder were Jews, they are a group of people who were brought down to a tragic and horrible level by the enemies who have done everything in their power till now to get them there. Do those of you speaking of how Jews act really think that any clearheaded citizen of Israel or any Jew in the world for that matter wants to spend their time hunting down and murdering Palestinians? They do not. Unlike the enemy, we are not taught that murder is an act of holiness and honor. But these same Jewish people we speak of do have feelings and fears. Jews don’t do what? Act human? Seek justice, even if through the wrong avenues? Working on the assumption of their guilt, the behavior of some, albeit wrong and even deplorable, and of course requiring punishment, is still based in an understandably sad but human reaction. This is not an attempt to justify it, merely to address the most popular cliché of the day, “Jews don’t do that.”
The other issue has to do with how the world feels and how the world reacts. Let’s drop all the clichés and just tell it like it is. As a unit, the world does not stand behind Israel and the Jewish people. Please harbor no illusions. Yes there are many good and some great people who put themselves out there and defend us, but they are individuals who ultimately may be at risk just as we are. And when looking at how the world body really see the situation let’s just take a look at the United Nations reaction over the past few weeks. When 3 Jewish boys get kidnapped and murdered the United Nations makes a statement declaring there is no evidence it was done by Hamas. When 1 Palestinian boy gets murdered, allegedly by Jewish settlers, there is talk of a special investigation of the behavior of the settlers. And we are back to where we started. How Jews act. The world has never shown signs of favoring the Jewish position so I can’t say I am surprised by the overall reaction. But if you are Jewish, and one who supports the State of Israel and its inhabitants, I urge you to try a different cliché, like “Never Again”. It might just end of saving your life one day.
The reality is that Israel needs to do what is right for Israel and the Jewish people without concerning itself with what the world thinks. It’s hardly ever good anyway.
Why this Picture is Right
Of the over 17,500 hits I received from posting this picture, together with the article titled “A Beautiful Irony”, I have also received approximately 10 comments stating that this picture is indeed a fake one, with some claiming Lionel Messi is not pro-Israel or pro-Jewish at all. Let me address that. It is very clear to anyone who understands the timeline of the kidnappings and the current soccer schedule of Lionel Messi that this picture is a result of photo-shop. But the statements made in my article are accurate. Lionel Messi has indeed exhibited a pro-Israel and pro-Jewish sentiment and I will use his stance on the politics of the issue to make an important point. Not all people who show sympathy towards the Palestinians are anti-Israel. In fact, to show support for the development of the residents of the West Bank and Gaza while showing solidarity towards Israel makes the statement that the disadvantages that these people have are not the result of a mistreatment from the Israeli people and their government. If anything it makes the statement that it is not Israel’s fault at all, rather the result of corrupt leaders, terrorist regimes, and lack of concern and even worse, manipulation by their fellow Arabs in the region.
Most importantly, as a result of that last post, more people have seen the picture showing the 3 kidnapped Yeshiva students, with the slogan that we must make everyone hear or see till they are freed, “Bring Back Our Boys”. Not that I can speak for him, but from what I can tell, Lionel Messi has never shown anything other than behavior that would indicate that he would want the same. One of the reasons I loved seeing him score 2 more goals today against Nigeria.
Are These the Actions of an Evil Regime?
Israel, the Apartheid State. The government that is persecuting Palestinians. The regime committing genocide against the people of Palestine. Really? Does this sound like a country that would be taking care of the wife of the leader of the Palestinian authority? Well that is exactly what happened this past weekend as the wife of Mahmoud Abbas had leg surgery in a hospital near Tel-Aviv. But did the fair-minded speak out about this? Did they ever stop to consider what would have happened if three Palestinian students had been kidnapped and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife would need surgery in most Arab nations? Or even closer to home in the West Bank or Gaza? As three Yeshiva students remain missing, likely kidnapped by Hamas or another similar terrorist organization, the Israeli government welcomed in and allowed the wife of Abbas to be cared for. Does this strike you as the behavior of a state motivated to wipe the Palestinians off the planet. Does it look like a government lacking in ethical human rights behavior?
We all know the answer. Roger Waters knows the answer. Emma Thompson knows the answer. Alice Walker knows the answer. But these phonies, Anti-Semites masquerading as humanitarians would never utter the words of truth that are so evident from the events taking place. The worldwide movements to discredit Zionists, a smokescreen for decreasingly less subtle attacks on Jews, would never declare the truth about Israel, that it is a true democracy with true freedom and the highest level of human rights. To do that would result in elevating the status of Jews worldwide, which in reality is why it is not done. If you doubt this to be true just look at what it is happening in France on a regular basis to people because they are Jews, not because they are Zionists. And look at the recent murders in Brussels and wake up to the truth. And that truth is that there are people who want to wipe the Jewish people from the planet, regardless of where they live.
We all say Never Again to something that on some very frightening levels has begun to happen again. Did we ever know what we would do to stop it if it did? Maybe not. But it starts by seeing the reality of the situation and not closing our eyes, pretending it is not there and hoping it will go away. That never worked and never will.
Balanced Intolerance
I write this as a follow-up to the post I wrote about how being a Liberal doesn’t mean tolerating anti-Semitism. In this post, CLICK HERE TO READ, I make the statement that anti-Israel sentiment nowadays is, for the most part, rooted in anti-Semitism. As I expected would happen, the following question was put to me by a fellow Jew and old friend.
“What about Jews who are not Zionists?”
Here is the answer I gave him:
I anticipated this question might be asked when I wrote the article. If one is opposed to the policies of the Israeli government and as a Jew is genuine, unless they are self hating Jews they are not the problem. As a Jew, should one ever tolerate the murder of another Jew? If their view is that Israeli policy is the murder of Palestinians, my question to them is the one I stated in the article. Is the intolerance balanced? And even if there is evidence and statistics to back up their stance, do they look at the whole picture? Do they recognize the threats Jews have always faced? Do they recognize the fact that Israel had war waged against it just for existing? Did they get at least as angry at this? http://mfa.gov.il/…/Suicide%20bombing%20at%20the…And do they recognize that someone such as Roger Waters making it his life’s mission to go after Israel and ignore countries guilty of much greater human right’s violations is motivated by a hatred of Jews not the love of people?
Where I personally hit a disconnect with like-minded people is that I often feel there is more going on than meets the eye. It sometimes becomes fashionable to call someone anti-Semitic when their overall actions don’t necessarily confirm the assertion. I rather go after those who leave no doubt, such as Roger Waters and Alice Walker. There are many Jews who are not Zionists. Most of them are ultra-Orthodox. By no means does that mean that all ultra-Orthodox are anti-Zionist, instead it means that the majority of the time a Jew opposes the State of Israel it is rooted in religious belief rather than political belief. Either way, they are not the people looking to see the end of the Jewish people, and in my opinion, they are not the enemy. I wish they were, for that would mean there would be no one out there openly trying to bring about our death and destruction, and our biggest foe would be fellow Jews with an anti-Israeli government approach. It would be a problem, but one we’d all rather be fighting.
The Solution Starts with the Media
If there is one thing the majority of people opining since last week’s tragedy in Newtown, Ct., myself included have in common, is that we have said a lot, spoken of what we like and don’t like about the current situation, and have offered no solution to the problem. Part of this is due to the fact that many of the responses are emotional, so in essence the comments are reactions and expressions of how we feel, and since the tragedy caused so many to feel strong emotions, it is easy to understand why this is happening. In this post however, I offer my solution, conceptually if nothing else. Where does the solution lie? It lies in the middle.
Let me start by saying something that may shock those who know me well. My views have somewhat changed in the past week. As a result of speaking with people, reading articles and posts, and watching news programs, I have moved somewhat away from my extreme view of wanting to ban guns from the common citizen. I have spoken with some very good people who own guns. The country does not become a better place by taking away their guns. I have read posts on social media outlets and articles in news agencies from people who are not angry or hateful people, who feel owning a gun is important to them and give every indication of being thoughtful people who know that guns are dangerous if misused or unaccounted for. The country does not get better by taking away their guns. I watched Bill O’Reilly a few days ago, and was impressed by the insistence of a well-known Republican celebrity and gun owner admitting that there is a problem and that something needs to be done. So now there is me, someone who has in the past made the statement that I question if the American people have lost their right to bear arms, thinking that the best answer may very well be one that allows people to continue to have that right. However, they may need to make some sacrifices to help improve the chances that others don’t end up making the ultimate sacrifice. I make no claim to know the technicalities of the current gun laws, but this post will not be dealing with technicalities, instead it will be dealing with a concept that I feel is critical to our civilizations survival.
I came up with my “solution” after going through a thought process brought on by a combination of factors. One factor was the attempt by lunatic organizations and the Iranian government to somehow connect Jews and even Israeli military to the shootings in Newton, Ct. It’s so insane that it’s gotten very little play outside the inner circles of those who fabricated the stories, but enough that many of us have heard it.
The next thing I considered was the situation between Israel, the Palestinians, and the rest of the Arab and Muslim world. All reports indicate that tensions are now rising in the West Bank and that radical organizations are trying to get another Intifada started. The key and extremely important word there is “radical”.
I also read about those so-called religious leaders and organizations that blame the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary on the lack of God in the school and in our society, implying, sometimes saying outright that it is our behavior as people going away from God that caused this and other tragedies to happen, even those not caused by man directly, such as Hurricane Sandy.
The final thing that helped me come to my conclusion was the frustration of a good friend who, after looking at many of these issues, concluded that there appears to be no way to solve any of them. This was coming from an otherwise positive individual who was feeling tremendous frustration at the apparent futility of any of the answers provided by anyone out there with any influence.
So what is the answer? The answer lies in marginalizing extremists. Over the past week I have seen a very clear distinction, on both sides of the political spectrum, between those who attack policy and those who attack people. Those who without provocation attack the people who do not agree with them are always extremists in one way or another, while those who attack the issues are sometimes extremists, often not extremists, and generally not the problem. Although I believe that the influence by their leadership has caused a large percentage of Muslims to at best dislike Jews and Israel and be people who would not mourn the loss of Jewish life, I absolutely believe that the majority do not want to murder anyone, including Jews. I am confident that the majority of gun enthusiasts find making America a safer place to live just as important an issue as those who push for stricter gun laws. In fact, it needs to be said, in fairness, that many gun owners feel this way because they in fact do not feel safe without one. This means that although stricter gun laws may be important, they need to go hand in hand with finding ways to make citizens feel safer.
So how do we go about marginalizing extremists? We call on, actually we demand help from the media. The Mayans may or not be correct about the date, but unless we do something dramatic, they have a really good chance at being correct about the outcome. Except at this rate the world is headed more towards catastrophic implosions than cosmic explosions. Here is my call to the media and why I feel the answer lies in the major media outlets working together. Most people hold views that fall in a safe zone somewhere between the far right and the far left. By safe zone I mean a place where even if they are clearly Liberal or clearly Conservative, they are not dangerous people. I also believe that even if a network like FOX News has a Conservative agenda, and MSNBC has a Liberal agenda, they both agree on the issues that have the greatest impact on our survival. Neither advocates terrorist activity, mass murder, or outright bigotry. These networks have enormous influence worldwide, and if they took it on themselves to work together in discussing the issues they do agree on, they might be able to impact society towards a middle of the road mentality. In fact I feel that on a daily basis the major networks should coordinate a simulcast for at least one hour where they discuss the issues they agree upon regarding our safety, health, and basic ethics, and leave the harsher philosophical battles for the rest of the day. Imagine Rachel Maddow, Anderson Cooper, and Bill O’Reilly on the same broadcast, shown on all 3 of these networks discussing the heroics of the schoolteachers of Sandy Hook, Ct., or condemning terrorist who blow up buses or kill dozens in roadside bombings. They can discuss their feelings on the specifics of gun control laws on any other broadcast, but if they got together for one hour a day and spoke of ways to improve mental health or identify potential murderers, imagine the good they could do.
There has been much talk this past week on the need of our society to change its mindset. I believe everyone agrees with this in one way or another. However, with all the time being wasted on blaming the extremists on both sides, we may be missing out on a great opportunity to begin the shift towards a more civilized world. I don’t lay the blame on the media, but I do think that it has an unprecedented opportunity and responsibility to marginalize the radicals and extremists who either are only concerned about their own personal or agenda or are so far gone they no longer care about anything important.
Why We Pick Sides
Although the events in the Middle East are of a more serious nature, this is not the first time in the past month we have been witness to two large groups of people taking sides against each other. Only a few weeks ago when Barack Obama won reelection, the ongoing battle between Republicans on the right and Democrats on the left, at least to some extent, finally settled down. Although the differences between the American presidential election and the conflict in Israel and Gaza are significant, one interesting similarity is that in both circumstances all parties think the same thing. They think they are without any question correct for choosing the side that they did. The question this makes me ask is this. What causes people to pick sides?
I discussed this with someone prior to the election, and we both agreed that there are many people out there who pick a political party based on what they were born into. It is not uncommon to see three generations of Democrats or Republicans. After all, it is very normal for parents to influence their children. By no means do I mean to imply these people are not thinking for themselves, after all, being born to parents who always voted Democrat, I too fell into this category. I just know that my political opinions were influenced by the discussions I heard and participated in at home and that my opinion was, at least partially, molded by those dinner time chats. Now don’t think for one second I don’t recognize there are multitudes of people who make their decision when they reach adulthood based on experiences or analysis, but it is important to recognize that there are many people who in some ways never really had a choice to make. It’s all they ever knew from a young age.
Although the stakes, certainly immediately are far greater, there are similarities to be found between the U.S. presidential election and the conflict in the Middle East. The similarities I speak of surround the taking of sides, the reasons for doing so, and the certainty with which each side holds its view. Although there is great passion in American politics, the majority of people realize that each side isn’t entrenched to the point where no one can see how it will ever change. I am not so sure the same can be said for the situation in the Middle East.
Examining the situation in Gaza, I asked myself what makes someone choose one side or another. There are of course the people who live in the affected areas, and then there are people such as myself who live geographically far away, but feel close to the situation. I’ve heard the stories of Palestinians who in their early years saw people who they were close to die, and living in an environment where they never heard anything other than the fact that the Israelis were responsible, grew up wanting revenge. Regardless of the accuracy of the information, was there ever a question what side they would be on? Were they ever given a choice?
In Israel, boys and girls know that when they reach the ripe old age of 18, that they will get called up to do their required military service. Military service made necessary from living in a nation surrounded by enemies. Then there are the thousands who have been killed in terrorist attacks and their families who have been directly affected by these attacks. Even if for argument’s sake Israel’s attack on Gaza held no justification, what side would you expect these people to be on? Past incidents give them little to no room for choice.
There are people on both sides of the conflict who pick a side based on their background, religion, or in some cases, political expediency. In some cases people pick sides without any genuine regard for the well-being of the people on the side that they pick. Some politicians and journalists thrust their careers into high gear during conflicts such as these, and although I am sure that for the most part these people are not looking to see anyone suffer, in some cases they are not exactly praying for things to get back to normal either.
It’s very important to mention that the media that supplies the information to a large percentage of Israel’s enemies makes no attempt at being balanced and in many cases is controlled by their governments that do not believe in the concept of freedom of speech or freedom of the press. Israel is a democracy with these freedoms and with an open channel to get information from all sides. All of these factors play a major role in how the people on both sides think and implies that people’s feelings are controlled by factors entirely out of their control. A point I have no intention of disputing. All of this leads me to how I picked the side I am on.
I am a Jewish man and the son of Holocaust survivors from Holland. I’ve always believed I was created by God and by my mother and father. However I recently came to the realization that there is one other player, for lack of a better term, in forming who I am as a person. That player is the anti-Semite. From a young age I was aware of the suffering of the Jewish people. After 6 million Jews were murdered by Hitler’s Nazi Germany, many surviving Jews went back to their biblical home in what was then Palestine. It did not take long for the surrounding Arab nations to begin hostilities against the newly formed modern nation of Israel in 1948, and subsequently have major wars in 1956, 1967, and 1973. These conflicts began prior to Israel having any control of Gaza or Judaea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank. Gaza and the Sinai Desert were Egyptian territories taken over by Israel during a war and the West Bank was Jordanian and was also taken over by Israel. Particularly regarding the latter, Jordan was more than happy to be rid of what they saw as a problematic population. In the 70s, when Yasser Arafat’s PLO developed a new strategy, the strategy of terrorism, a new era began in the Middle East, and once again a political organization found it justified to kill Jewish people at random. Arafat’s Palestinian “cause” had him embezzle funds and keep his people down and impoverished. After all, should the Palestinians prosper he would have no basis of leadership, being that the leadership was based on hating the Jewish, I mean Zionist enemy. The Palestinian Authority, an organization now recognized by the world as being legitimate, is the political offshoot of Arafat’s PLO and is now considered the more moderate voice of the Palestinians. This is because Hamas, now running the show in Gaza, justifies terrorism as a political means to achieving their goal.
Seeing innocent people crying and bleeding as a result of Israeli airstrikes is never a pleasant sight, but it pales in comparison to suicide bombers going into Pizza places and wiping out entire families intentionally with one bomb. A car on fire in Gaza because it was near a terrorist base of operation, does not compare with buses being blown up intentionally. And civilian Palestinians are not targeted in European countries, while Jews are fair game in places like France and Bulgaria to mention just a few. And when Ahmadinejad of Iran speaks, I once again hear a leader of a nation speak openly about wanting to murder millions of Jews.
I see the enemies of Israel accuse the Jewish state of not wanting peace with the Palestinians. To this I ask; “if you are so convinced of this, why are you not willing to give it a try?” I see the answer is being a simple one. Even if the people would want peace, their leadership does not. And for this reason I believe that they are not only out to kill as many Jews as possible, but that they are responsible for dying Palestinian civilians in Gaza as well. How did I pick my side? I had no choice. I put a value on human life.
Holland's Heroes 