I Stand With Israel

It is an age long battle - and I am sure there are thousands upon thousands of blog entries around the world giving their 2 cents on the situation in the Middle East. Even so, I think it is important to provide my own perspective. I gather information and viewpoints based on what I observe and what I understand. I am open to changing my opinions, but only with fact and intellectual dialogue. I do not respond well to threats or mindless hate. As the title implies I Stand With Israel and if you have a different opinion I am happy to hear it, provided you are civil. If you cannot understand this, move along.

Once again the State of Israel is at war. For the past month or so, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been targeting rocket launchers and other weapons infrastructure in the Hamas ruled Gaza Strip in response to a near continuous barrage of missiles being fired at Israeli cities as far away as Haifa, which encompass the major population centers of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Recently a ground offensive was launched to remove a sophisticated and elaborate tunnel network that Hamas uses to infiltrate Israel. This latest round of violence has been spurred by the killing of three Israeli teens and a supposed retaliatory murder of a Palestinian by Israeli citizens.

There is much about this conflict that is beyond my understanding. Living in America, I am far from much of the world's strife. The American continent is separated from Europe and Asia by two large oceans, we have the longest undefended border in the world, and despite some issues along our southern border, we have two of the busiest global international crossings on the planet at San Diego and El Paso. We Americans have little tolerance for acts of hatred and violence towards people who are different. Trying to force your beliefs on another will quickly get you shunned, laughed at, and possibly a visit from the US' security apparatus.

To those of us who live far from the conflict like myself, I get a feeling of "ugh, here we go again." I am a Gentile to the Jewish people and am an Infidel to Muslims. I am not particularly religious though my worldview has been shaped by a Christian upbringing and real world experience ... I have no stake in the outcome of this conflict. Yet, I find myself drawn to reading and listening to news articles, blog entries, and commentary when fighting breaks out. Why?

Maybe it is because the struggle in Israel is a reflection of my core beliefs when they turn sour. No person has the right to initiate violence against others and has the right to live their lives as they choose. Conversely, any person has the right to resist when violence is initiated against them. As such, I have no problem with any person's individual religious, social, or political beliefs or practices by themselves. If you want to live under a strict religious social structure, as long as you believe you are making that choice voluntarily and do not force the same upon me, I do not care. If your life or way of life were put in danger would you not resist if you could?

It has been my observation that the Jewish people simply want to live their lives and practice their faith in peace. But, they are also cognizant of the fact that they haven't exactly been well received by the rest of the world for much of their history. As such, they are aggressive in wanting to preserve and protect their historical homeland and have a well trained and well equipped military to do it.

I have a hard time believing that Palestinians simply want to live their lives peacefully while leaving other ethnic groups alone. Groups that border Israeli territory have sworn to eradicate Israel as a state and as a people, particularly Hamas. Numerous times over the State of Israel's history (since 1948) Arab nations attacked Israel directly and without provocation. More recently, Arab nations - even those at peace with Israel have done little to nothing to stem the flow of weapons into the Palestinian territories, although Egypt has kept a close eye on their border with Gaza. The new military government in Egypt has no love for Hamas and has its own problems with militants in the Sinai.

Secondly, I have problems with a common complaint from Palestinian supporters that Israel is an Apartheid (segregated) state and wants to eradicate and suppress Muslims and other minorities living in its territory. Wikipedia says that Israel has a 20% Arab minority and that 18% of its population is Muslim. I have seen blog entries about Israeli Arabs and Muslims serving in the military like the quote below from a Muslim IDF officer.

I have seen that the IDF sends food and medical supplies to Gaza even as rockets rain down on Israeli cities. I have seen examples of Israeli aid groups assisting those displaced by the Syrian civil war. If Israel wanted these people eradicated, why would they act this way?

Other examples of my concern that much of Gaza isn't interested in leaving Israel alone:

• Launching of rockets in the midst of a cease fire (the IDF did not retaliate until the deal collapsed diplomatically)

• The unyielding hateful commentary by supporters of 'Palestine' on pro-Israel blogs. It is more than a little hard to gain my sympathy with spiteful commentary. Seriously, what does hate get you? Hatred will destroy you, not your 'enemies.'

Perhaps another reason why the conflict in Israel grabs my attention is because it is David and Goliath. (In this case that statement isn't just a metaphor.)

Perhaps I am romanticizing the conflict in this case, but it really is quite a story. A group of people escape slavery in Egypt with help from God and his messenger Moses. They wander the desert for 40 years and are led to the Land of Israel which according to the Torah/Bible was promised to them by God Himself. The Bible explains ancient Judea's history in detail, but to get to the point ... after being occupied by the Romans, the Jews attempted to rid themselves of their brutal overseers and found their temple in Jerusalem destroyed and their people scattered around the world. Jewish history refers to this period as the Diaspora. The Jews attempted to preserve their history and traditions in a world that didn't want them. They were constantly mistrusted, alienated, expelled, or were simply not welcome. This culminated in the Holocaust before and during World War II in Europe. The rest of the world ignored their pleas for help, even the US turned a boat carrying Jews from Europe away because of "immigration quotas" or some other reason.

After the travesty of the Holocaust they yearned for a place to call their own and desired to return to their ancestral homeland in Judea. Refugees streamed into Israel and for a time, the people living there had no problem with the Jews' arrival, until Israel became a sovereign nation. Israeli officials offered a two-state solution to allow the Arabs to live alongside Israel, but the Arabs rejected it and attacked instead. Ever since, Israel has fought repeated attempts by the Arab world to exterminate it. They are also fighting a war of public opinion as much of the world is still anti-Semitic and any perceived or actual slight against Palestinian civilians is aggressively used against the Jewish state. Even though Israel is now at peace with Jordan and Egypt, Israel is surrounded by people hostile to the State's and the Jews' existence. I believe Israel has every right to exist and protect that existence and has done much to accommodate others in and around its territory. They have overcome long odds just to simply want to be left alone. Israel isn't much larger than the US state of New Jersey, Muslims control everything else in that part of the world, so what is so hard about letting the Jews have their homeland?

I want peace just as much as anyone else - in fact I would describe myself as borderline pacifist. I do not define pacifism as avoiding confrontation at all costs, but rather as taking the action most likely to result in a peaceful outcome. Sometimes that means standing your ground and stopping the threat against you. Giving your attacker what they want only puts you at risk and encourages further violence against you and others. If danger was on your doorstep or if your country came under fire, would you not want to do something about it?

It is not in Israel's best interests to stand down until the threat against it is removed for the reason I stated above. Hamas has already shown they will continue to fire their rockets even with a cease fire in place. As such, violence against their citizens will continue if the IDF does not respond. Continuing to cave to global pressure to relinquish strategic territory (e.g. the Golan Heights), have 'proportional' responses to the threats against it, and to 'exercise restraint' only gives Israel's enemies incentives to keep fighting. The Iron Dome missile defense system is an impressive piece of technology and is doing an incredible job of stopping rockets being launched towards Israeli cities, but how long can that go on?

If Hamas and other groups stop lobbing explosive laden projectiles into Israel, the IDF would stand down. The IDF's conduct in this conflict thus far leads me to conclude they would do just that. Even Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE who do not believe Israel "has a right to exist" are willing to ignore it - partially because they have bigger fish to fry, like the "Islamic State" wanting to topple regimes throughout the middle east. I think they understand that if they leave Israel alone, Israel leaves them alone.

To those who support "Palestine" - I think you can have what you seek, but it requires you to do something you don't want to do. You need to let go of your hate and stop firing missiles at people who mean you no harm. You also need to accept the fact that Israel isn't going anywhere and will do everything in its power to protect its people. If you stand down and focus on building roads, schools, homes, and infrastructure within your territory, Israel would probably be willing to ease its blockade and be willing to talk about settlements and greater self rule.

Also, stop using civilians as cover - Hamas puts its weapons and military infrastructure in densely populated civilian areas and actively encourages its citizens to stand in the line of fire. I am not buying that Israel is murdering innocents, though I concede that there are a couple of strikes (like the one in a Gaza cafe' that killed a few people watching the World Cup) that need to be seriously looked at. If you want me to believe that Israel is targeting civilians deliberately, start by getting them out of harms way!! Too idealistic from an ignorant American? Maybe, but I know preaching death and destruction will lead you to just that. If you keep attacking Israel, don't be surprised if they retake Gaza .. permanently. If there are those among you who do seek a peaceful resolution, I do tip my hat to you and wish you to continue to efforts.

Below is an example of why I do not trust that peace is what Hamas seeks, using human shields to protect their military assets:

If there is one thing I understand about Israel and its people, it is that when they say "Never Again," they mean it. Love Israel or hate it, the Jewish State will do what must be done to defend its people. They will never again count on the rest of the world to guarantee their safety. I think 2000+ years of being mistreated may have something to do with that.

They took a barren desert and turned it into a world class country, they revived a "dead" language, and have managed to preserve their culture and traditions over more than 2000 years of persecution and exile. If I visited Israel, it would be quite a culture shock, but I could move and believe freely without fear of retribution. I doubt I could get the same treatment in much of the surrounding territory. Is Israel perfect? No - no country is, no person is, but every person, every people, every country has a right to protect their existence.

There will always be someone who is different, takes offense to you, or believes differently than you. They have just as much right to live and exist as you do. We all have free will and as such we are free to make our own choices and reap the consequences of those choices. You cannot claim freedom for yourself, then deny it to others and claim to be a proponent of peace. Blessed are the peacemakers - isn't that how it goes?

To those Israelis who may read this: may you find the quiet you desperately seek and may you find prosperity in your ancient homeland. My regards to IDF soldiers who stand between extremism and the innocent. This is for you:

I Stand With Israel.