During the war between Hamas and Israel this summer, I was at a pub where poetry was flowing. I was enjoying my drink and was bored by the poetry, but at the end of one woman's poem she said, and I quote, "Stop killing children in Gaza." I gulped down my drink and left. Why? Because I support Israel passionately, even though I am not Jewish, not an evangelical Christian, and not a murderer.
I know this view is politically incorrect these days. The conventional view mouthed is that Israel is an oppressive state that constantly oppresses Palestinians and kills them. It is an apartheid state with Muslims a kind of "lower class." Nations repeatedly condemn it for human rights' abuses. And so many people boycott Israeli companies at will and consider Israel a source of many problems within the Middle East.
So, let's look at these "human rights' abuses:
First, Israel is superior to Gaza and the West Bank in its military capacity and so it responds to the constant threat of terrorism and the rockets fired from there that endanger Israeli citizens every day with superior military force. Should Israel simply ignore these dangers? Is Israel committing human rights' abuses in responding to these assaults with a better military? Furthermore, these companies boycotted aren't Israeli foreign policy. And even if you think Israel is a blot in the Middle East, you ignore the many ordinary Jews who are living there.
Let's take the latest war in Gaza as an example of Israel supposedly committing human rights' abuses Gaza fired a lot of rockets at Tel Aviv and endangered a lot of ordinary Jews living there. So why didn't Israel simply fire a few rockets back? Because that was just the beginning of the war.
Gaza, under Hamas, was filled with terrorist weaponry hidden in tunnels. Israel invaded Gaza to destroy that threat. Hamas urged Gaza citizens to stay inside their houses, however serious the danger may be. This might sound like a good government policy, but Israel was trying to forewarn Gaza citizens that Israeli soldiers would be in the area soon through leaflets so these civilians could flee. Therefore, many innocent people died. That's what happens in an urban war when your government tells you to stay in your homes. Invading soldiers constantly under gunfire searching the area do not know friend from foe. War isn't fun. Support or oppose Israel as you may, Israel was waging war in an extremely confused environment that Hamas made more confusing. One of the main reasons we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq so successfully (I'm not talking about the occupation) was because we were able to be fast. Israel couldn't be. It had to be methodical. Israel wasn't committing human rights' abuses. It was fighting a serious war.
Remember, Hamas' manifesto says, among other things, that "[i]n [the] face of the Jews' usurpation of Israel, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised."It has plenty of other juicy slurs against Jews and says that negotiations are useless. I suggest you read it all. Hamas has therefore fired rockets from schoolyards, from hospitals, from playgrounds, into civilian areas. It has made more mischief by using human shields and made a war more confusing through putting innocent people in the way of a conflict.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp.
As for Israel being an apartheid state: I could argue this point but I won't. Namely, give me one Middle Eastern nation that is not an apartheid state. You don't need to look further than the women.
As to the nuke:
Israel faces threats from Lebanon and Syria with the terrorist group Hezbollah. Hezbollah is funded by Iran. Furthermore, Iran has now openly sent its troops to Syria, Jordan isn't a buffer for Israel. The original policy when creating Israel was to have Jordan take control of Gaza. It refused.
The Sauds fund Hamas. It has no allies in the region. We in the West don't see the nuke as a big deal because we're not threatened by the nuke. We're helping Iran make it. However, Israel is threatened by the nuke. Since Iran sponsors Hezbollah, Israel will have to become even more cautious, because Iran could toss the nuke Hezbollah's way. Iran could also simply intimidate Israel with the nuke. Or Iran could do the work itself. The leaders in charge of Iran, including President Hassan Rouhani, have repeatedly talked about destroying Israel.
Now, I know what you're thinking. If Iran nukes Israel, we'll send a few nukes Iran's way. However, that's too late. Iran can sustain a limited nuclear attack. Israel couldn't. It's too small. We'd be witnessing another Holocaust if it got nuked. It would get even worse because everyone could invade Israel in the aftermath and win this go round. The Yom Kippur war in '73 was the last war where Israel had to fight for its life, but Israel was strong. Invading Israel and destroying it after such a blow would be a piece of cake.
Benjamin Netanyahu is going in front of the U.S. Congress this week to plead that we don't allow Iran to get the nuke. I suggest we all listen. You can be a raging Anti-Semite and still be against the nuke. However much one disagrees with the formation of Israel, Israel's destruction would be worse.
I know this view is politically incorrect these days. The conventional view mouthed is that Israel is an oppressive state that constantly oppresses Palestinians and kills them. It is an apartheid state with Muslims a kind of "lower class." Nations repeatedly condemn it for human rights' abuses. And so many people boycott Israeli companies at will and consider Israel a source of many problems within the Middle East.
So, let's look at these "human rights' abuses:
First, Israel is superior to Gaza and the West Bank in its military capacity and so it responds to the constant threat of terrorism and the rockets fired from there that endanger Israeli citizens every day with superior military force. Should Israel simply ignore these dangers? Is Israel committing human rights' abuses in responding to these assaults with a better military? Furthermore, these companies boycotted aren't Israeli foreign policy. And even if you think Israel is a blot in the Middle East, you ignore the many ordinary Jews who are living there.
Let's take the latest war in Gaza as an example of Israel supposedly committing human rights' abuses Gaza fired a lot of rockets at Tel Aviv and endangered a lot of ordinary Jews living there. So why didn't Israel simply fire a few rockets back? Because that was just the beginning of the war.
Gaza, under Hamas, was filled with terrorist weaponry hidden in tunnels. Israel invaded Gaza to destroy that threat. Hamas urged Gaza citizens to stay inside their houses, however serious the danger may be. This might sound like a good government policy, but Israel was trying to forewarn Gaza citizens that Israeli soldiers would be in the area soon through leaflets so these civilians could flee. Therefore, many innocent people died. That's what happens in an urban war when your government tells you to stay in your homes. Invading soldiers constantly under gunfire searching the area do not know friend from foe. War isn't fun. Support or oppose Israel as you may, Israel was waging war in an extremely confused environment that Hamas made more confusing. One of the main reasons we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq so successfully (I'm not talking about the occupation) was because we were able to be fast. Israel couldn't be. It had to be methodical. Israel wasn't committing human rights' abuses. It was fighting a serious war.
Remember, Hamas' manifesto says, among other things, that "[i]n [the] face of the Jews' usurpation of Israel, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised."It has plenty of other juicy slurs against Jews and says that negotiations are useless. I suggest you read it all. Hamas has therefore fired rockets from schoolyards, from hospitals, from playgrounds, into civilian areas. It has made more mischief by using human shields and made a war more confusing through putting innocent people in the way of a conflict.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp.
As for Israel being an apartheid state: I could argue this point but I won't. Namely, give me one Middle Eastern nation that is not an apartheid state. You don't need to look further than the women.
As to the nuke:
Israel faces threats from Lebanon and Syria with the terrorist group Hezbollah. Hezbollah is funded by Iran. Furthermore, Iran has now openly sent its troops to Syria, Jordan isn't a buffer for Israel. The original policy when creating Israel was to have Jordan take control of Gaza. It refused.
The Sauds fund Hamas. It has no allies in the region. We in the West don't see the nuke as a big deal because we're not threatened by the nuke. We're helping Iran make it. However, Israel is threatened by the nuke. Since Iran sponsors Hezbollah, Israel will have to become even more cautious, because Iran could toss the nuke Hezbollah's way. Iran could also simply intimidate Israel with the nuke. Or Iran could do the work itself. The leaders in charge of Iran, including President Hassan Rouhani, have repeatedly talked about destroying Israel.
Now, I know what you're thinking. If Iran nukes Israel, we'll send a few nukes Iran's way. However, that's too late. Iran can sustain a limited nuclear attack. Israel couldn't. It's too small. We'd be witnessing another Holocaust if it got nuked. It would get even worse because everyone could invade Israel in the aftermath and win this go round. The Yom Kippur war in '73 was the last war where Israel had to fight for its life, but Israel was strong. Invading Israel and destroying it after such a blow would be a piece of cake.
Benjamin Netanyahu is going in front of the U.S. Congress this week to plead that we don't allow Iran to get the nuke. I suggest we all listen. You can be a raging Anti-Semite and still be against the nuke. However much one disagrees with the formation of Israel, Israel's destruction would be worse.
