Why I Support Israel - Part I
No nation is perfect, and although I support Israel, I support the United States far more than any other nation, Israel included...
During my younger days I initially fell for the 'scoreboard' attitude that so many others do when it comes to the Israeli / Palestinian problem. "Oh my, the body count is 2:1 or worse!" and the Palestinians are fighting tanks with rocks. This can not be happening.
Then I woke up and realized it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, of course people are dying, and yes more Palestinians are dying than Israelis, and Palestinians are taking on tanks. But none of that was in context. As I've tried to point earlier, people can rattle off facts quite easily, but how did those facts become facts? What are the events surrounding everything that happens and what is the foundation of this whole mess over there? So I set out to find not just facts, but some wisdom. Here's what I found:
Many things had been done to the Jews around the world even before Nazi Germany came to pass. Russia had pogroms, and Europe in general was a hostile place for many Jews.
Britain, in an effort to get Jews out of Europe as much as to 'give them a home' came up with the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which said, "His Majesty's Government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
By 1939 the caring British along with most of Europe (and the US) put severe movement / immigration restrictions on Jews leaving them cut off from any real chance to leave Europe. The British White Paper declares so, even in the area set forth for Jews. "Ambiguity" is the reason why, or so they say.
So we have World War II, and we have the aftermath and we have the reaction around the world as to what happened to the Jews of Europe. The United Nations declare that the area controlled by the British (after WWII) should be made into two homes - one a Jewish State, and the other an Arab State for the Palestinians.
This goes before a vote of the UN member nations, the list of those nations who voted against the creation of both is telling: Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen.
Arab mobs storm Jerusalem and Muslim 'irregulars' (the term Terrorist has yet to be coined) attacked civilians around the area called Israel as soon as the vote passes. As soon as Israel declares itself a nation (14 May 1948) Arab neighbors invade both the area for Israel and the area for the Arab State causing the refugee problem we see to this day. Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan, Iraq, and Egypt all invade (note the nations who voted no for the creation of the two states).
During this time parts of Jerusalem fall to Transjordan, but Israel manages to push Egypt out of her territory and even all the way off the Sinai. Egypt retains control of the Gaza Strip. After a treaty is signed, Israel GIVES BACK the Sinai to Egypt due to pressure from the UK and the US.
The West Bank unites with Jordan, yet where are the Palestinian outcries for Gaza and the West Bank? Seems they only care about having those when it is held by Jews, but not when it is conquered and controlled by invading Arabs.
In 1964 the PLO is established in Egypt with Arafat as leader, a year later Syria declares that there is only one solution for the Palestinian situation - no Israel. In 1967 Israel is attacked by Arab nations again, the UN condemns such attacks, Egypt kicks out UN peacekeeping forces in the Sinai, and moves forces near to Israel. The Six Day War leads to Israel taking over lands that made hard-to-defender borders easier and this time doesn't give the lands back (except Sinai). This was a 'pre-emptive' strike by Israel, but it was also the last major combat seen.
PLO terrorists get a bit out of control and begin to attack Jordan as well since it has a large Christian population (Black September). PLO ends up in Lebanon. Terrorists of various cells begin hijacking planes, making demands. Later in the '70s we have terrorists killing Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich and much more.
Every time the Arab nations failed to conquer Israel, they would complain and whine to the United Nations that Israel took their land. These same nations who have no regard for the UN when they invade magically want the UN to listen when things do not go their way. Sadly, the UN listens and condemns Israel many times.
Meanwhile, the refugee situation only gets worse as the UN has made literal CAREERS out of keeping people in camps since 1948. There are people in those camps over 50 years old who do not have any citizenship because their Arab brethren refuse to grant it to them. The Arab brethren would rather they stay fenced in rather than join the populations.
Why? Their suffering makes for better PR than the Arab nations integrating them would be -- there would be no starving children to show to the world as 'proof' of Israel's nastiness.
The reality is the Arab nations never wanted a Jewish State, Arab Nations have tried military attacks to rid the world of a Jewish State, and when that didn't work they turned to funding terrorism to get the job done. This has not worked either, and has at times backfired on them, too. If the Arab nations wanted it to succeed all they would have to do is pool some oil money and you would have a very well to do society ready to buy the best, invest well, and have a good economy. Arab nations instead fund bombs and guns to destroy Israel in hopes of having it all for themselves. They care not for the Palestinians, they care not about the UN (unless it serves them), and they will stop at nothing to destroy Israel.
One reason I support Israel is because they have proven to be more than honorable when you look upon the events of the last 50 years and you see exactly what could have happened at any point if the Arabs had won against her; Israel would be no more and there would be a second genocide against the remaining Jews.
Americans usually don't understand what it means to be surrounded by nations who want you dead, nor do we understand what it is like to have terrorists walking around your places, casing locations, and getting ready to blow up a busload of people simply because they are Jewish. Because Americans do not have a grasp on this, they do not understand how things got this way and why. It is not that I no longer care about the Palestinians because, in all truthfulness, they are being used by the Arabs - their Muslim Brethren - as tools to continue the war against Israel.
Israel does exist as a state, and although it was 'given' to Jews in what seemed to be charity (though the reality was to get those pesky Jews out of Europe - NOT to do them a favor), they have given enough blood to make it their own and as such they should keep it. As long as the Palestinians side with Terror and permit themselves to be run by the likes of Arafat then nothing good shall come to them.
The first reason I support Israel is because Israel has done what is right far more than her neighbors - even at the potential cost of her own security.
During my younger days I initially fell for the 'scoreboard' attitude that so many others do when it comes to the Israeli / Palestinian problem. "Oh my, the body count is 2:1 or worse!" and the Palestinians are fighting tanks with rocks. This can not be happening.
Then I woke up and realized it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, of course people are dying, and yes more Palestinians are dying than Israelis, and Palestinians are taking on tanks. But none of that was in context. As I've tried to point earlier, people can rattle off facts quite easily, but how did those facts become facts? What are the events surrounding everything that happens and what is the foundation of this whole mess over there? So I set out to find not just facts, but some wisdom. Here's what I found:
Many things had been done to the Jews around the world even before Nazi Germany came to pass. Russia had pogroms, and Europe in general was a hostile place for many Jews.
Britain, in an effort to get Jews out of Europe as much as to 'give them a home' came up with the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which said, "His Majesty's Government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
By 1939 the caring British along with most of Europe (and the US) put severe movement / immigration restrictions on Jews leaving them cut off from any real chance to leave Europe. The British White Paper declares so, even in the area set forth for Jews. "Ambiguity" is the reason why, or so they say.
So we have World War II, and we have the aftermath and we have the reaction around the world as to what happened to the Jews of Europe. The United Nations declare that the area controlled by the British (after WWII) should be made into two homes - one a Jewish State, and the other an Arab State for the Palestinians.
This goes before a vote of the UN member nations, the list of those nations who voted against the creation of both is telling: Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen.
Arab mobs storm Jerusalem and Muslim 'irregulars' (the term Terrorist has yet to be coined) attacked civilians around the area called Israel as soon as the vote passes. As soon as Israel declares itself a nation (14 May 1948) Arab neighbors invade both the area for Israel and the area for the Arab State causing the refugee problem we see to this day. Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan, Iraq, and Egypt all invade (note the nations who voted no for the creation of the two states).
During this time parts of Jerusalem fall to Transjordan, but Israel manages to push Egypt out of her territory and even all the way off the Sinai. Egypt retains control of the Gaza Strip. After a treaty is signed, Israel GIVES BACK the Sinai to Egypt due to pressure from the UK and the US.
The West Bank unites with Jordan, yet where are the Palestinian outcries for Gaza and the West Bank? Seems they only care about having those when it is held by Jews, but not when it is conquered and controlled by invading Arabs.
In 1964 the PLO is established in Egypt with Arafat as leader, a year later Syria declares that there is only one solution for the Palestinian situation - no Israel. In 1967 Israel is attacked by Arab nations again, the UN condemns such attacks, Egypt kicks out UN peacekeeping forces in the Sinai, and moves forces near to Israel. The Six Day War leads to Israel taking over lands that made hard-to-defender borders easier and this time doesn't give the lands back (except Sinai). This was a 'pre-emptive' strike by Israel, but it was also the last major combat seen.
PLO terrorists get a bit out of control and begin to attack Jordan as well since it has a large Christian population (Black September). PLO ends up in Lebanon. Terrorists of various cells begin hijacking planes, making demands. Later in the '70s we have terrorists killing Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich and much more.
Every time the Arab nations failed to conquer Israel, they would complain and whine to the United Nations that Israel took their land. These same nations who have no regard for the UN when they invade magically want the UN to listen when things do not go their way. Sadly, the UN listens and condemns Israel many times.
Meanwhile, the refugee situation only gets worse as the UN has made literal CAREERS out of keeping people in camps since 1948. There are people in those camps over 50 years old who do not have any citizenship because their Arab brethren refuse to grant it to them. The Arab brethren would rather they stay fenced in rather than join the populations.
Why? Their suffering makes for better PR than the Arab nations integrating them would be -- there would be no starving children to show to the world as 'proof' of Israel's nastiness.
The reality is the Arab nations never wanted a Jewish State, Arab Nations have tried military attacks to rid the world of a Jewish State, and when that didn't work they turned to funding terrorism to get the job done. This has not worked either, and has at times backfired on them, too. If the Arab nations wanted it to succeed all they would have to do is pool some oil money and you would have a very well to do society ready to buy the best, invest well, and have a good economy. Arab nations instead fund bombs and guns to destroy Israel in hopes of having it all for themselves. They care not for the Palestinians, they care not about the UN (unless it serves them), and they will stop at nothing to destroy Israel.
One reason I support Israel is because they have proven to be more than honorable when you look upon the events of the last 50 years and you see exactly what could have happened at any point if the Arabs had won against her; Israel would be no more and there would be a second genocide against the remaining Jews.
Americans usually don't understand what it means to be surrounded by nations who want you dead, nor do we understand what it is like to have terrorists walking around your places, casing locations, and getting ready to blow up a busload of people simply because they are Jewish. Because Americans do not have a grasp on this, they do not understand how things got this way and why. It is not that I no longer care about the Palestinians because, in all truthfulness, they are being used by the Arabs - their Muslim Brethren - as tools to continue the war against Israel.
Israel does exist as a state, and although it was 'given' to Jews in what seemed to be charity (though the reality was to get those pesky Jews out of Europe - NOT to do them a favor), they have given enough blood to make it their own and as such they should keep it. As long as the Palestinians side with Terror and permit themselves to be run by the likes of Arafat then nothing good shall come to them.
The first reason I support Israel is because Israel has done what is right far more than her neighbors - even at the potential cost of her own security.
posted by Edward W. Prather at 23:47
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