As the horrific images and stories in Israel continue to emerge, it is clear we are witnessing a graphic battle between good and evil. That conclusion is hardly universal. There are currently numerous worldwide pro-Hamas demonstrations. The ones in the US are particularly sad and embarrassing. I assure you in the coming weeks, media attention will switch form Hamas brutality to Israeli. Pics of dead Palestinian civilians, Israeli inhumanity, Israeli aggression, a UN resolution calling for a cease fire will surface. Don’t be fooled. It’s Hamas who puts its civilians on the front line using them as shields. It’s Hamas who hides its weapons in schools, hospitals, homes, and Mosques. It’s Hamas who sends mothers and children on homicide missions. All illegal under international law and violate any decent moral code.
The main lesson from all this is…..terrorists can’t be managed. After numerous failed peace talks, failed “land-for-peace” policy, absorbing 1000s of rocket attacks, Israel still held out hope for a political solution. That’s over! The world needs to choose sides. There is no fence to sit on. “Neutrality is at times a greater sin than belligerence.” (Justice Brandeis). In 1967, at the Conference in Khartoum, the Arab League issued their 3 NO’s in response to losing the Six Day War: no peace, no recognition, no negotiation. Hmmm, really? I would like to suggest my own 3 NO’s: no co-existence, no tolerance, no survival!!!
All this begs the question….what exactly are Israel’s crimes? Stealing Palestinian land….or making that land productive and exposing the incompetence of the Arab culture. Striking back at terror…. or demonstrating that a country in the Middle East can be governed without terror. Denying Arab rights……or insisting on human rights. Israel’s “crime” is making democracy work where, for 2000 years, tyranny ruled. Israel’s “crime” is surviving against overwhelming odds as Islamist extremists and Arab nationalists want every Jew dead as the rest of the world yawns. Whew!!
One more thing. The “war on terror” is a misnomer. Terrorism is a weapon. The enemy is Radical Islam. Their Quran sanctions their efforts of violence: Sura 47:4- “strike off their heads.” Sura 9:4- “wherever you encounter the idolaters, kill them…” Sura 4:76- “…Fight against the friends of Satan…” Their goal is to create a global Caliphate under Sharia Law by any means, at any time, to anyone. . Convert or die. There is no door #3.
Bullets, bombs, and land incursions cannot resolve a conflict based on ethnic hatred, religious fanaticism, and lies. You cannot kill an idea by killing people. The best, maybe the only, weapon is…….information. Radical Islamists are despicable, lunatics, and beneath contempt. They also cherish their beliefs and are willing to die for them. The truly frightening thing is some Jews are questioning Israel’s actions. They are ignorant of their own magnificent, treasured, and God sanctioned history and tradition. You can’t fight a “war of information” if you have either misinformation or no information? Please, please, I encourage every Jew to learn our tradition and “teach it diligently to your children and your children’s children.” “Sunlight is the best of disinfectants.” -Justice Brandeis
