There was a time not too long ago when us Jews of the Diaspora would gaze enviously at our brethren across the ocean who had settled in the homeland. We would make plans to take our families for a visit to Jerusalem. We would dream of making aliya. We were awestruck at the raw power of faith in its destiny that enabled a tiny nation with limited resources to completely destroy, time and again, armies of vastly superior numbers and weaponry. The Six Day War, in which Israel utterly smashed its enemies and greatly increased its territory, completely took our breath away. We knew then that God was on the side of the Jews. The gentiles knew it too. They may not have liked us, but they respected us.
Nowadays, things are very different. Israel no longer believes in itself and its magnificent heritage. It wants to give away to thugs and terrorists what rightfully belongs to all Jews. Likewise, Israel no longer has confidence in its ability to defend its people or to chart its own course. It builds ridiculous fences through its own territory; it arms the very enemies that attack it; it entrusts its security to others; it allows hostile forces to determine its foreign policy and future course.
For many Jews in both Israel and the Diaspora, it is a very frustrating time. We see that Israeli politicians of both the left and right have shamelessly abandoned the very principles that made Israel a great nation. Likewise, the majority of the Israeli populace have lost their sense of proportion. They?re more concerned with financial and labour issues than the fact that their very survival is on the line. They allow politicians to do what they like. Jews outside of Israel now think very carefully about paying their homeland a visit or making aliya, even though conditions are worsening for Jews in many once-safe havens.
Israel now has a leader that was voted in because he had a reputation for uncompromising toughness and commitment to the territorial integrity of his nation. The party he leads has a clearly stated policy that affirms Israel?s terrorist enemies will not have their own state within Israel?s boundaries. The leader and a few of his cronies have inexplicably betrayed their party and the people who voted for them. They have adopted the policies of their left-wing opponents. They have agreed to let others tell Israel what to do. They acquiesce with the uncompromising demands of their enemies without so much as a whimper. The big talking dissenters within their party have gone weak at the knees. They don?t even have the intestinal fortitude to vote according to their conscience and bring their leader to account.
There have been many instances in history when the Jews have ignored the warning signs of impending disaster. The warning signs are once again upon us. Anti-Semitism is on the rise throughout the world. Israel is, as always, considered by all and sundry to be a pariah state. For Jews, however, Israel has, for the past 55 years, been our homeland, a place we can always go when things get rough elsewhere. The unrighteous gentiles don?t want us to have such a place. Neither, so it seems, do many of our own people.
A comparison between the Israel of 2003 and 1967 is a fascinating exercise. Back in1967, Israel had roughly half the population or today, a smaller and much less well-equipped defence force and virtually indefensible borders. Unlike today, it was completely surrounded by well-armed enemy states, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Yet, when an Arab army of nearly half a million attacked, Israel, with its back to the sea, rose like a giant fist and pounded the Arabs into the ground. Today, Israel, with a sophisticated and much more powerful defence force, is confronted by a less well-equipped, but more vicious and cunning, enemy. That enemy has studied Jewish history. It knows the way to beat Jews is to chip away at their resolve and get them to lose faith in themselves and their God. That is exactly what is happening in Israel right now.
I would like to believe that Israel?s leaders and a majority of its citizens will very soon come to their senses and steer away from their impending doom. It was once unthinkable that a dictator could arise in Israel and hijack its foreign policy, while the citizens sit back in their armchairs and meekly accept the dire consequences. It has become clear that what has happened to the disillusioned citizens of this once proud and fiercely independent nation is a massive loss of faith. They need to get it back and very soon if they want to keep their feet on dry land.
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Stan Beer, a business and technology journalist, lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Nowadays, things are very different. Israel no longer believes in itself and its magnificent heritage. It wants to give away to thugs and terrorists what rightfully belongs to all Jews. Likewise, Israel no longer has confidence in its ability to defend its people or to chart its own course. It builds ridiculous fences through its own territory; it arms the very enemies that attack it; it entrusts its security to others; it allows hostile forces to determine its foreign policy and future course.
For many Jews in both Israel and the Diaspora, it is a very frustrating time. We see that Israeli politicians of both the left and right have shamelessly abandoned the very principles that made Israel a great nation. Likewise, the majority of the Israeli populace have lost their sense of proportion. They?re more concerned with financial and labour issues than the fact that their very survival is on the line. They allow politicians to do what they like. Jews outside of Israel now think very carefully about paying their homeland a visit or making aliya, even though conditions are worsening for Jews in many once-safe havens.
Israel now has a leader that was voted in because he had a reputation for uncompromising toughness and commitment to the territorial integrity of his nation. The party he leads has a clearly stated policy that affirms Israel?s terrorist enemies will not have their own state within Israel?s boundaries. The leader and a few of his cronies have inexplicably betrayed their party and the people who voted for them. They have adopted the policies of their left-wing opponents. They have agreed to let others tell Israel what to do. They acquiesce with the uncompromising demands of their enemies without so much as a whimper. The big talking dissenters within their party have gone weak at the knees. They don?t even have the intestinal fortitude to vote according to their conscience and bring their leader to account.
There have been many instances in history when the Jews have ignored the warning signs of impending disaster. The warning signs are once again upon us. Anti-Semitism is on the rise throughout the world. Israel is, as always, considered by all and sundry to be a pariah state. For Jews, however, Israel has, for the past 55 years, been our homeland, a place we can always go when things get rough elsewhere. The unrighteous gentiles don?t want us to have such a place. Neither, so it seems, do many of our own people.
A comparison between the Israel of 2003 and 1967 is a fascinating exercise. Back in1967, Israel had roughly half the population or today, a smaller and much less well-equipped defence force and virtually indefensible borders. Unlike today, it was completely surrounded by well-armed enemy states, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Yet, when an Arab army of nearly half a million attacked, Israel, with its back to the sea, rose like a giant fist and pounded the Arabs into the ground. Today, Israel, with a sophisticated and much more powerful defence force, is confronted by a less well-equipped, but more vicious and cunning, enemy. That enemy has studied Jewish history. It knows the way to beat Jews is to chip away at their resolve and get them to lose faith in themselves and their God. That is exactly what is happening in Israel right now.
I would like to believe that Israel?s leaders and a majority of its citizens will very soon come to their senses and steer away from their impending doom. It was once unthinkable that a dictator could arise in Israel and hijack its foreign policy, while the citizens sit back in their armchairs and meekly accept the dire consequences. It has become clear that what has happened to the disillusioned citizens of this once proud and fiercely independent nation is a massive loss of faith. They need to get it back and very soon if they want to keep their feet on dry land.
--------------------------------------------------------
Stan Beer, a business and technology journalist, lives in Melbourne, Australia.