By Douglas V. Gibbs
Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa places Israel into an alert condition that goes way beyond simply worrying about a terrorist attack against the tiny nation. If any other nation in the world goes to war and loses, it creates a devastating process of retribution, and rebuilding. If Israel goes to war and loses, she ceases to exist.
The claim against Israel is that the Jews are occupiers of the land they embrace as their own. The Jews are being compared to South Africa as visitors that have forced their way onto the landscape, and then practice apartheid against the "native peoples." However, the truth is far from agreeing with that claim, for if any people has a claim to their homeland, there is no greater example than Israel. Israel reaches back thousands of years, much like China and India, predating most civilizations, and predating both Christianity and Islam. Their claim to that land goes back to the time of Moses. Even before 1948, the early Zionist movement members that moved to the region purchased the land on which they would farm and live. Any lands that were later captured as a result of war were lands that had been a part of Israel originally, anyhow.
The land Israel occupies is but a sliver of what once belonged to the Jewish People, but the fact remains that the Hebrew has called that region home as a specific people for nearly 4,000 years. The twelve tribes of Israel have always considered that land to belong to them, even when they have been scattered time and time again because of an attempt to destroy their nation as we are now currently seeing. . . once again.
On May 14, 1948 Israel became a nation once again, and as is the case throughout Jewish history, war designed to destroy the nation was immediately engaged against Israel. Within hours after Israel was given back that tiny sliver of wilderness, and after the United States recognized the new nation, the Arab League declared war against Israel with the full intent of wiping the new nation off the map.
Israel was a nation of barely more than half a million people, at that point, and had been a nation for mere hours. Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq all joined together to destroy tiny Israel. To the surprise of the attackers, the attempt to destroy Israel, commit genocide against the Jewish people, and scatter the scant survivors around the world, failed once again.
The attempt to destroy Israel arose again in 1967. Eight Arab nations joined together with the full intent to end the existence of Israel, using their "3 Nos" as their rallying cry. "No peace with Israel. No recognition of Israel. No negotiations with Israel." Israel again survived, and this time gained Jerusalem, and other pieces of land, as a result.
The Yom Kippur War in 1973 was yet another attempt to destroy Israel, commenced on one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar, and once again the attempt by the Arab nations failed.
During the Carter administration Egypt's Anwar Sadat signed a peace treaty with Israel, one that they still abide by to this day, for the most part. The rhetoric on the streets during the ouster of Mubarak, however, proved that the animus against Israel in Egypt remains.
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, resolving border disputes at least temporarily. Jordanians are rapidly concluding that there is no real tangible benefit Jordan receives by having a peace treaty with Israel, and are beginning to grow restless with Israel.
The other Muslim nations in the region remain hostile.
The Israel of today is but a small sliver of the lands Israel once called home. Historically, during the Kingdoms of David and Soloman, Israel extended into Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the Sinai, and up to the outskirts of Iraq. In other words, to have the borders Israel has today, they did not "steal" that land. The lands Israel inhabits today they have regained. Historically, their own lands were denied to them by Arab invaders, and the Jews now have regained a small part of what was once theirs.
In reality, Jews have always lived in Israel, but as a minority among the Arab conquerors. The Jews have lived with neighbors that hold utter contempt for the Jewish people because Islam's Koran promotes as a core belief that all religions are inferior to Islam, and that the Jewish people are no more than swine.
Christianity's support for Israel befuddles some observers. The conventional wisdom of the secular population is that Christianity should hate Israel because it was the Jewish elite that fostered hatred for Jesus Christ while the Messiah walked the Earth, and it was members of the Jewish population that cried for Pontius Pilate to "crucify him" when the bloodied Jesus was presented to them as a man with no faults.
Segments of Christianity have indeed turned their back on Israel, falling victim to "Replacement Theology," which essentially teaches that the Jews are no longer God's chosen people due to their rejection of Christ as the Messiah, and that Christians have replaced the Jews as God's chosen people as a result. However, most Christians see themselves as adopted into the family of God, that Israelites are still God's children and still receives the Blessings of God despite the fact that most Jews reject Christ as the Messiah, and Christians have adopted into the family through the blood of Jesus Christ. The fact is, Christianity is the second largest faith among the Jews, and Christians believe that God still has many plans for the Jewish People as we enter this age that is considered by many to be the countdown to the return of Jesus Christ.
Christians also know that the fall of the Jewish state to present-day Muslim invaders would undoubtedly mark the end of any opportunity to visit the lands Jesus Christ once walked, and would result in the destruction of these Holy places by the hostile Islamic occupiers.
The problem is, Israel's enemies have multiplied. No longer are the forces that desire an end to the Jewish nation limited to those of the Muslim ideology. The United Nations has singled out Israel as occupiers and racists against Palestinians since 1950, putting out resolution after resolution against Israel. Even segments of the United States have turned against Israel as aid to the Palestinian Authority has increased, and the current Democrat-led government has continuously snubbed Israel while giving numerous concessions to the Muslim nations of the region.
As anti-Israel sentiment increases around the world, Iran has openly threatened to “wipe Israel off the map”, and the two-state accommodation with the Palestinians has surfaced again as a solution that historically has been refused by the Palestinians because their goal is not to split the land with Israel, but to gain possession of all the lands as a result of Israel’s destruction.
Israel has been slowly giving up land in the hopes of gaining peace. Longtime Jewish residents have abandoned their homes in Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas has hammered Israel with constant rocket attacks, a practice that has increased since Gaza has been given to the Palestinians. In an effort to combine their forces against Israel, the rival factions of Hamas and Fatah have joined together.
Now, Israel's options have dwindled. The fight for survival has fallen solely on their own shoulders as their allies have turned their backs on them. With Benjamin Netanyahu serving as Israel’s Prime Minister, it has rapidly become obvious that Israel must stand against its enemies, assert its right to its own lands, and perhaps take action against its neighbors before another attack against Israel ensues. To protect itself, Israel may need to take action in Iran against that nation's nuclear facilities, refuse the wrongful demands to limit construction in Jerusalem, refuse the wrongful demands that Israel turn over Jerusalem to Islam, and stand up to its enemies both diplomatically, and militarily.
Otherwise, Israel's existence may be at risk.
One must remember, the very presence of Israel in the Middle East brings stability to that region that would not otherwise exist. The defeat of Israel puts the entire world at risk, and gives Islam yet another notch in their belt as they set their sights on a worldwide caliphate.
The pieces are definitely falling into place for such a scenario. The Arab League is working with the United Nations to set up a No Fly Zone over Gaza. Such a move would not only place Israel at a disadvantage, but would literally pit Western forces against Israel. That would mean that even American pilots would be ordered to face off with the Israeli air force.
Of course Israel is willing to accept a mutual ceasefire, even though they figure the Palestinians will not abide by it for long. Israel has continuously shown that they have a desire for peace, even if it means losing land and political advantages to achieve that peace. But, even as Israel backs off once again, Hamas continues to lob missiles into Israeli population centers.
Fact is, the Arab League cannot be trusted. They used deception to get the United Nations involved in Libya, and they are working to do the same in Syria and Gaza. The aim is to make The West look to be aggressors, so as to encourage Muslim vitriol against The West, and Israel. They know that the mere power of accusation with cause The West to back off, and give them a free attempt to move on Israel.
The Arab League's moves are quite literally forcing Israel's options to dwindle even more, leaving Israel with two options: Defend themselves militarily, or cease to exist.
The answer is obvious.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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