Observations from Half a World Away
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx kp
Salt Lake City, Utah USA
As I sit here half a world away from my friends in Israel, my heart goes out to those who have been living under the constant threat of terrorist attacks, in spite of and sometimes because of political brokering. Today, we live in a world that extols the values of political correctness and moral relativism/equivalency. These are the lofty ideals of the "international community" which have forced Israel into making concession after concession to a people who have absolutely no interest in real and lasting peace.
Once the Palestinian people elected Hamas as the governing power in Gaza it should have been obvious to the world what their intention was. The only peace that the Palestinian people are interested in is a peace that destroys the Jewish nation both physically and spiritually. Certainly there have been "lulls" in the violence or "times of quiet" so to speak, but for anyone who is truly paying attention to the situation these are periods of time used by terrorists to import and stock up arms and recruit for their cause.
Since the formation of the modern state of Israel, the world has forced Israel into idiotic "land for peace" deals. The people of Israel continue to provide infrastructure (power, water, sewage treatment) to people sworn to their annihilation. The people of Israel have been forced into freeing known terrorists they have captured and are holding in prisons; people who the moment they were freed have gone back to planning future attacks not on military installations but targeting schools, busses, synagogues, shopping centers, restaurants and hotels; places where they can inflict the most civilian casualties. The terrorists prey on the worst fears of people forcing them to wonder if the next time they get on a bus to go shopping or dropping a child at school if they will ever see them again – surely this is the definition of a living hell.
The Jews though are a hearty people. They are made of stronger stuff than the terrorists. They are living in the land promised to them for 5000+ years. They are resilient and will overcome the enemy within and the enemy from without. The enemy within are the liberals who consistently protest "the settlers" and call for concession after concession all in the name of an elusive peace; but it is the peace of pipe dreams. They have deluded themselves into believing if they side with the enemy that they will be protected. This, of course, is a lie. Terrorists don't care if you are on their side or not; you are an infidel and unless you submit by the sword to Islam you must be killed.
I have many friends who watch CNN, MSNBC, BBC and other networks for their news on the Middle East. The feeds that are broadcast by these media outlets are leftist Anti-Semitic. The vitriol against Israel for protecting their citizens and sovereign territory is nothing short of shocking. I often have to explain the unilateral disengagement from Gaza to them. Prior to the disengagement the Gaza Strip was the home to greater than 70% of the produce grown in Israel. The people of Gush Katif had found methods to make the desert bloom literally and figuratively.
The Jews of Gush Katif were violently ejected from the homes and jobs that they had built up for over 30 years; all in the name of peace. Those of us who have been paying attention knew that in only a matter of months what had been a hub of production and community building would now be destroyed and turned into a launching ground and training camp for terrorist activity and we were right. To this day, there are people from Gush Katif continuing to live in trailers and who are unemployed even though they were promised permanent homes and jobs by their government.
In 2006, terrorists under the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah movement kidnapped Israeli soldiers and attacked Israel from the country of Lebanon. The world cried for restraint. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice again brokered deals through the UN that essentially tied the hands of Israel. People of northern Israel were living in bomb shelters and yet where was the cry for humanitarian aid for them? There was a deafening silence from the "international community" for their suffering. Yet the Lebanese people got 24/7 coverage and in some cases, for political expediency, news agencies even doctored photos to make it appear that Israel targeted civilian centers so that charges of war crimes would be levied against Israel yet again.
Finally, after years of bombardment by rockets and missiles from Gaza into Sedrot and Ashkelon, the Israeli government has taken decisive action. Yet another military operation against the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza began yesterday. The headlines scream of more than 200 people killed in strikes. They also make sure to tell you that civilians were killed in the strikes and some of them children. While it is true that some civilians will undoubtedly be among casualties of ANY war, what the media FAILS to mention is that these civilians are living within the proximity of Hamas controlled terrorist compounds and are more than likely willing "human shields" for the jihad against Israel. There is a twisted mindset within jihad that somehow justifies the use of civilians including children – a mindset that praises martyrdom over life.
Regardless of how targeted any attacks are by Israel they will be castigated by the "international community". It is a given. There will be calls for human rights violations for such idiotic things as closing crossings into Israel and enforced curfews.
I would ask any who rail against border crossings being closed if they would build a house without any door on it. I would ask those who cry about long lines and the inconveniences of profiling induced car and body searches if they would allow people with bombs to drive through their neighborhood. It's pretty darn inconvenient to be killed; and it's pretty darn inconvenient to end up an orphan because your parents were shot by terrorist snipers on the highway. When you have Arab members of Knesset (Israeli Parliament) calling for incitement and the killing of Jewish civilians I would say 'game on' to whatever the Jewish people have to do to protect their own. It is about time the Israeli Arabs decide where their loyalties lie – they seem to want all the perks of being an Israeli citizen – the safety of police and military protection, homes, jobs and infrastructure all while plotting against the very people who give it to them. They have a representative voice in the government and yet they choose to openly use this voice not to create a peaceful and productive environment where both people can live in harmony but to incite and whip into a frenzy those who sympathize with the jihad.
There are those misguided 'peace activists' who call for a Palestinian state within Israel. I call to your attention that if the Jewish settlers are evicted from Judea and Samaria (aka 'the west bank) that Israel will have exactly 10 miles between Gaza and this territory. This creates indefensible borders for Israel between hostile parties. It is tantamount to suicide. There are 50+ Islamic majority countries in the world and 1 Jewish nation, a nation that is approximately the size of New Jersey. The Jews were forcibly evicted from every Muslim nation regardless of how long their families had been on the land; where is the cry for their 'right of return'? There is a land for the Palestinians it is a country known as Jordan. Jordan and for that matter no Muslim nation however, don't want to accept them because the Palestinians whip up trouble wherever they settle. Ultimately, it is easier to support a war between the Palestinians and the Israeli's than to accept responsibility for their own.
There is one nation from the border of Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea – Israel and long may she live. May there be peace in our time. I fear though that until Israel becomes a not only a state but a Jewish State this will not happen. So long as they allow those committed to their annihilation to live within their borders there will be terror. So long as the secular Israelis in fight against the Religious Nationalists and evict settlers from their own land brokering false peace against their own there will be bloodshed.
As an American and a Christian I stand with the Jewish Nation of Israel. I stand with the settlers of Judea and Samaria. I stand with the Jews fighting for the right to live in Hebron; I stand against terrorism. I stand with my friends fighting the war on terror wherever that front is … from the IDF fighting in Gaza to the US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. From the fronts that have yet to be named such as Darfur and India – whoever stands against the Islamic Jihad has a friend in me.
As I finally close I am drawn to a favorite song in my hymnal:
Redeemer of Israel
1. Redeemer of Israel,
Our only delight,
On whom for a blessing we call,
Our shadow by day
And our pillar by night,
Our King, our Deliv'rer, our all!
2. We know he is coming
To gather his sheep
And lead them to Zion in love,
For why in the valley
Of death should they weep
Or in the lone wilderness rove?
3. How long we have wandered
As strangers in sin
And cried in the desert for thee!
Our foes have rejoiced
When our sorrows they've seen,
But Israel will shortly be free.
4. As children of Zion,
Good tidings for us.
The tokens already appear.
Fear not, and be just,
For the kingdom is ours.
The hour of redemption is near.
Text: William W. Phelps, 1792–1872; adapted from Joseph Swain, 1761–1796. Included in the first LDS hymnbook, 1835. Music: Freeman Lewis, 1780–1859 Exodus 13:21–22
To those who speak against Israel I pity you. It is written in Genesis that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed. G-d is patient, but his patience for those who persecute his people is wearing thin. To the governments who force Israel into concessions I would warn you that you are bringing untold hardships upon your people.
To those who call for mercy upon the terrorists I remind you of the Talmudic injunction: "He who is merciful to the evil, in turn does evil to the merciful".
Justice isn't fairness. Justice is a swift and strong response. Terrorist actions must be met with a fierce and swift response. There is no room for a "proportional" response. The message must be clear …. For every rocket there will be air strikes. We will no longer tolerate strikes against us. You and your ideology are not welcome in our country or the civilized world; we will strike you wherever you are wherever you rear your ugly head we will strike with a death blow. A line has been drawn in the sand; you are with G-d or with the world. The world calls for moral equivalency while G-d calls for intellectual honesty and moral clarity. Make no mistake about it; the last days before the Messiah are upon us. Are you on the Lord's side?
--
Kim
I GoodSearch on behalf of the America Israel Friendship League of Utah!
www.goodsearch.com
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