Dear President Trump, look how far handling of the Gaza issue has strayed from the realms of plain simplicity, of sturdy old common sense: “Palestinian rule is critical to the Gaza strip!!” “Qatar: Thousands of Palestinian officers must be deployed!!” “Implementation has caused partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza!!” “Hamas controls Gaza City!!” “Khalid Meshaal: Hamas won’t disarm!!” and more.
Sometimes it takes an iconic biblical story to restore clarity, as you prepare to meet Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Before that, let’s refresh our memories about who the Gaza Strip belongs to. Surprisingly, it’s Israel. If you read UN Charter’s Article 80, it guarantees that Mandatory Palestine, including 100% of Gaza, belongs to the Jewish people. Not (just) under ancient Jewish tradition - also according to modern international law.
What about the “Palestinian Arabs”? They belong to the ancient Arab Umma, the best endowed nation, territorially, on the globe, which enjoys many large, sparsely populated states, as opposed to the Jewish nation’s single tiny, crowded state (the Land of Israel).
Back to the iconic biblical story: The Bible says the famed Prophet Nathan came and told mighty King David about two men - one rich, one poor. The rich man had many sheep and cattle; the poor man had only one single tiny ewe lamb. But when the rich man wanted a meat meal, he looked not to the throngs of sheep already in his purview. Instead, he pounced on the poor man’s tiny ewe.
King David, burning with anger, denounces the rich man who took the poor man’s little ewe without pity. Yet Nathan dramatically denounces King David: “YOU are the man!”. Thus was King David, great leader of the eternal nation, confronted with the fact that he - he! - was despicably taking the poor man’s only sheep (the beautiful and accomplished Bathsheba).
Dear Mr. President, you were held in high regard for being resolute, courageous, and just. You led the world and recognized the ancient capital of Israel - cleverly bypassing boorish criticism from cowardly “leaders” the world over. When you knew it was right, you allowed your Administration to rescind anti-Semitic “illegality” falsehoods that a Yale Law School dean had indeed debunked as nonsense.
Now it’s time to apply the same courage to Gaza. Gaza is in the Land of Israel, the proud but territorially poor Jewish nation’s single little ewe. The “rich man” -wealthy Arab nation - has endless land. The Jewish people will hold onto its little, tiny ewe. We will build there. We will live there. Israel’s leaders support this. Polls support this. Israel’s senior government favors this. You should thus tell the microphones, during Netanyahu’s visit, that Gaza (Western Negev), a mere half-hour’s drive away from the Weizmann Institute of Science - must be in brave Jewish hands, not held by barbaric mercenaries fronting for land-rich Arab tycoons. And that there is no question that Gaza's Hamas terrorists must be disarmed before any other steps are taken.
Sometimes, someone rises at a Likud meeting (Netanyahu’s party) to remind those assembled that: “We are all religious people”. And we are. So, it behooves us all to remember what G-d warned the rich man who had no pity, the great King David, ‘Out of your own household, I will bring calamity on you’. Out of concern for you - and for the sacred Land of Israel - I write to remind you to pity the little ewe - and Gaza is a very little ewe.
Your plans for Gaza have not yet moved in the right direction, unlike your past historic decisions. But now is the time to make amends. Because the end of the story of the little ewe is the most dramatic of all: King David, who like you veered from the path, utterly rectifies his wrongdoing, courageously admitting to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord”. Responsively, Nathan the great Prophet replies, “The Lord has taken away your sin”.
President Trump, act correctly: Acknowledge the Jewish people’s right to its little ewe - to the tiny Land of Israel of which Gaza is a minute portion. It’s a sin to do otherwise, and an even greater sin to continue allowing Free Palestine” marauders, crazed slayers of children and of venerated elders, to call the shots (literally!) in Gaza. Your courageous voice, recognizing Gaza is Jewish, will quell the Al-Aqsa flood that seeks to drown civilization in blood and gore. And Nathan the Prophet, who comforted King David, will then have been talking about you.
Susie Dym is spokesperson for Mattot Arim (mattot.arim@gmail.com), an Israeli NGO working toward peace-for-peace since 1992