It really does seem to be true that Jews and gentiles mix about as well as oil and water. Every time we Jews try to assimilate, or simply endeavour to be good neighbours, with our gentile brethren, they spurn our efforts.
I learned this lesson early in life as one of the few Jewish students attending an Anglican Church private school. Even though I looked, spoke and behaved no differently than other students, I was constantly made aware that I was different. Gentile students went to great pains to remind me that I was a Jew, more often than not in exceedingly unpleasant ways. The more I tried to be one of them, the more they reminded me I wasn?t. It is often said that this is God?s way of reminding Jews that we are meant to live as ?a people apart.?
Israel in the modern era illustrates this principle perfectly. Since its miraculous rebirth 55 years ago, no nation has tried harder than Israel to be a model citizen of the global community. For its trouble, this thriving, productive democracy has, from day one, been made to feel like a pariah state. Barely a day goes by when the Jewish State is not made to suffer slanderous accusations, lies and name-calling by representatives of other nations. Often, Israel?s tormentors are not just its barbarous adversaries in the Arab and wider Islamic communities; fellow democracies (and their media) have never been slow in coming forward to publicly chide, lecture, accuse and condemn Israel in the most outrageously humiliating ways possible.
Despite all the flack it has received over the past five and half decades, Israel continues to strive for acceptance in the global family of nations. It still has not acknowledged that, no matter what it does, what concessions it makes, what agreements it signs, how much positive PR it can muster, Israel will never be considered one of the gang. The time is fast approaching, however, when the realisation that Israel does truly stand alone in the world will be thrust in its face.
A stark reminder of this fact came to the fore recently during question time in the British House of Commons. A member of Prime Minister Blair?s Labour Government rose to ask Blair about plans to address the Israel-Palestine conflict after the war in Iraq ends. The member asked what would be done about dismantling ?illegal Israeli settlements?. Blair smiled and replied with words to the effect that he was sure that the Israel-Palestine conflict would be solved once Iraq was over and done with. He didn?t attempt to balance the remarks about the so-called illegal settlements with statements about Palestinian terrorism.
The fact of the matter is that the world is about to gang up on Israel once again. This time, Israel?s adversaries consist of representatives of the so-called Roadmap Quartet - the US, UN, EU and Russia. Together, these four groups represent just about every nation on the planet. Collectively, their plan is to force Israel to accept the establishment of a new hostile Arab state on its borders. This new state would be led and populated by people who have never contemplated Israel?s right to exist, who have aided, abetted and spawned terrorist scum that deliberately target and blow up innocent children, and who right now are plotting Israel?s destruction. Oslo was very bad, but the Roadmap is infinitely worse. The Roadmap is essentially a cobbled together appeasement plan, effectively designed to reward terrorists for all their ?good work?.
Israel has always been prepared to make concessions, compromises and sacrifices for the sake of peace with its neighbours. Therein lies the problem. Israel?s neighbours don?t want peace; they want Israel. The rest of the world knows this and they don?t care. For them, if Israel disappeared off the face of the Earth tomorrow, it wouldn?t be too soon. Israel has always known this, but, to this day, still lives in denial. It still wants to be nice in order to gain acceptance. Land for peace? Sure, as long as you can guarantee that we?ll be able to live within secure borders. The only way Israel can live within secure borders is to keep the land it fought for and won so bravely in 1967.
Israel very soon will be forced to make a decision. It can once again put its very existence on the line by attempting to buy off its enemies with offers of land. Or it can give the rest of the world the middle finger salute and say: ?Yesha is Israel?.
After all, what will it have to lose - friends?
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Stan Beer, a business and technology journalist, lives in Melbourne, Australia.
************
Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.
I learned this lesson early in life as one of the few Jewish students attending an Anglican Church private school. Even though I looked, spoke and behaved no differently than other students, I was constantly made aware that I was different. Gentile students went to great pains to remind me that I was a Jew, more often than not in exceedingly unpleasant ways. The more I tried to be one of them, the more they reminded me I wasn?t. It is often said that this is God?s way of reminding Jews that we are meant to live as ?a people apart.?
Israel in the modern era illustrates this principle perfectly. Since its miraculous rebirth 55 years ago, no nation has tried harder than Israel to be a model citizen of the global community. For its trouble, this thriving, productive democracy has, from day one, been made to feel like a pariah state. Barely a day goes by when the Jewish State is not made to suffer slanderous accusations, lies and name-calling by representatives of other nations. Often, Israel?s tormentors are not just its barbarous adversaries in the Arab and wider Islamic communities; fellow democracies (and their media) have never been slow in coming forward to publicly chide, lecture, accuse and condemn Israel in the most outrageously humiliating ways possible.
Despite all the flack it has received over the past five and half decades, Israel continues to strive for acceptance in the global family of nations. It still has not acknowledged that, no matter what it does, what concessions it makes, what agreements it signs, how much positive PR it can muster, Israel will never be considered one of the gang. The time is fast approaching, however, when the realisation that Israel does truly stand alone in the world will be thrust in its face.
A stark reminder of this fact came to the fore recently during question time in the British House of Commons. A member of Prime Minister Blair?s Labour Government rose to ask Blair about plans to address the Israel-Palestine conflict after the war in Iraq ends. The member asked what would be done about dismantling ?illegal Israeli settlements?. Blair smiled and replied with words to the effect that he was sure that the Israel-Palestine conflict would be solved once Iraq was over and done with. He didn?t attempt to balance the remarks about the so-called illegal settlements with statements about Palestinian terrorism.
The fact of the matter is that the world is about to gang up on Israel once again. This time, Israel?s adversaries consist of representatives of the so-called Roadmap Quartet - the US, UN, EU and Russia. Together, these four groups represent just about every nation on the planet. Collectively, their plan is to force Israel to accept the establishment of a new hostile Arab state on its borders. This new state would be led and populated by people who have never contemplated Israel?s right to exist, who have aided, abetted and spawned terrorist scum that deliberately target and blow up innocent children, and who right now are plotting Israel?s destruction. Oslo was very bad, but the Roadmap is infinitely worse. The Roadmap is essentially a cobbled together appeasement plan, effectively designed to reward terrorists for all their ?good work?.
Israel has always been prepared to make concessions, compromises and sacrifices for the sake of peace with its neighbours. Therein lies the problem. Israel?s neighbours don?t want peace; they want Israel. The rest of the world knows this and they don?t care. For them, if Israel disappeared off the face of the Earth tomorrow, it wouldn?t be too soon. Israel has always known this, but, to this day, still lives in denial. It still wants to be nice in order to gain acceptance. Land for peace? Sure, as long as you can guarantee that we?ll be able to live within secure borders. The only way Israel can live within secure borders is to keep the land it fought for and won so bravely in 1967.
Israel very soon will be forced to make a decision. It can once again put its very existence on the line by attempting to buy off its enemies with offers of land. Or it can give the rest of the world the middle finger salute and say: ?Yesha is Israel?.
After all, what will it have to lose - friends?
--------------------------------------------------------
Stan Beer, a business and technology journalist, lives in Melbourne, Australia.
************
Spend Passover with Arutz Sheva at a resort in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Kfar Pines (near Hadera). Click here for info.