Israel- a nation suffering from the weight of hatred and history
"Never again" is a difficult promise to keep when Hamas is your adversary
Evil succeeds when good people do nothing.
Edmund Burke
When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.
Mahatma Gandhi
(I want to clarify at the outset that I’m not pro-Israel and anti-Palestine. I’m anti-terrorism and pro-people. And I believe good people should be able to find a solution for the future instead of remaining mired in the past.)
For those fervently coming down on the side of the Palestinian cause in the current Israeli-Hamas war, I would only ask one thing of you- review the history of anti-Semitism. Then, recall who started this war and the atrocities it began with.
In doing so, I think you’ll find that the Jewish state has a very particular and unique reason for existing as it does. Yes, I’ll grant you that, since the creation of Israel as a state in 1948, both Arabs and Israelis have much to account for. Both sides have considerable amounts of blood on their hands. Neither side has covered itself in glory over the past 75 years.
But the reason for the existence of Israel goes back much further than 1948. Throughout history, Jews have been persecuted, often violently so.
In the early 19th century, after many centuries of persecution and pogroms in Europe, Zionism- the belief that Judaism was a national identity and a religion- grew in importance and influence.
In the early years of the 19th century, thousands of European Jews moved to Palestine, then controlled by the Ottoman Empire. After WWI, that Empire collapsed, and the British and French carved up the Middle East, with the Brits taking control of what they called “The British Mandate for Palestine,” which lasted from 1919-1948.
The British Adminstration in Palestine allowed Jews to emigrate to Palestine, which led to increasing tension between Palestinian Arabs and Jewish immigrants. Both groups committed acts of violence against one another in frustration and anger.
In response, the British began limiting Jewish immigration, leading Jewish militants to create militias to fight both Palestinian Arabs and to resist British authority.
After WWII ended, when the scope of the Holocaust became known, many more Jews began emigrating to Palestine. Support in the US increased for granting Jews their own state in Palestine, and in 1947, the UN approved a plan to divide British Palestine into two states.
The UN wanted to allow the Jews a sovereign state. The British wanted out of a mess they’d long since lost the ability to control. The Arab States saw more European colonialism spilling over into their neighborhood so the Jews could steal their land. Long story short, the only people who came out of all this feeling good about anything were the Jews. Finally, after centuries of persecution, pogroms, and the Holocaust, they had their sovereign state- the nation of Israel.
The Arab states, many of whom had only recently won independence, declared war on Israel. If you look at a map of the Middle East, you can see that Israel against the Arab world was, and for many years remained, a classic David vs. Goliath match-up.
Israel won the 1948-49 war and, in doing so, captured much of the land the UN plan had allocated to the Palestinians. The Gaza Strip and the West Bank were left to the Palestinians, with Jerusalem remaining primarily in Israeli hands but still a significant point of conflict.
The 1948-49 war began what became known as the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, which has flared into significant wars in 1967, 1973, and today. There have been military skirmishes in between, of course, and Israel has never truly known a day of peace. With Hamas the de facto power in the Gaza Strip (the Palestinian Authority has become too sclerotic and corrupt to be effective), Israel has never been able to let its guard down. The terror attack staged by Hamas on 10/7 is ample proof of that.
When I lived in Cyprus, it was a country whose population was small enough that, while everyone may not necessarily have known everyone, the degrees of connection were very short. No one had to play “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” because two or three degrees were usually more than enough. Israel is much the same. Everyone in the country knows someone impacted by the terror attack; it affects every citizen. Even if someone didn’t lose a friend or a loved one, they know someone who did. Israel is, in many respects, like a large extended family. The connections run deep and wide.
The 10/7 attack has impacted every single Israeli, whether directly or indirectly. Every Israeli lost someone, and they mourn that loss. They know who and what is aligned against them and what that threat represents. Imagine living just a few miles from someone who’d slit your throat if given the opportunity. Some of the kibbutzim attacked were one, two, or three miles from the border with Gaza. That means constantly being close to those who’ve sworn to kill you.
Imagine living with that every day. I’m not sure that’s possible, and I’ve lived in a couple of war zones where it’s easy to become numb to the threat of physical harm. To know that there are people out there who hate you with a burning passion simply because of what you are- not who you are- is something I struggle to process. But that’s daily life in Israel, where I’d willingly and eagerly live if I had the opportunity.
Over the past few years, the Israeli government has been fortunate to sign peace agreements with several Arab governments, and there’s ongoing speculation that they may be about to sign one with Saudi Arabia. Progress is being made because Israel has much it can offer those countries willing to work with it. Sadly, Palestinians on the Jewish state’s doorstep, as demonstrated by the 10/7 attack, have never been further from peace than they are today.
Israel will fight back to protect its own. Many will die on both sides, including many non-combatants- women, children, and the elderly. It shouldn’t be this way, but hatred in that part of the world has proven a tough nut to crack. And it would appear that it will only get uglier and more complicated before it gets better.
Anguish is profound on both sides, but Israel didn’t start this war. They will, however, finish it, and it’s difficult to know how much of Gaza will be left when the fighting and bombing stop.
We can only hope Hamas won’t decide to use civilians as human shields.
If you’re able, pray for peace. A large-scale humanitarian disaster might be the alternative.
(All of my posts are now public. Any reader financial support will be considered pledges- support that’s greatly appreciated but not required to get to all of my work. I’ll trust my readers to determine if my work is worthy of their financial support and at what level. To those who do offer their support, thank you. It means more than you know.)
This was a tough write for you, because it's so personal. But for what it's worth, I think your take is sober and appropriately balanced. It definitely beats the hell out of those of the extreme Left, some of whom are literally, not figuratively, cheering on the murders of Hamas, it's disgraceful. But sadly, not surprising, because I've been warning about the antisemitism on the Left, my side of the political coin, for years. Now, we have confirmation of it, and it's repellent.