Should the Wars in Israel and Ukraine Be Treated the Same?

 

Should the Wars in Israel and Ukraine Be Treated the Same?

Americans are divided over the wars in Israel and Ukraine and how much foreign aid should go to each of the countries. Victor Davis Hanson claimed that the wars are similar but different conflicts “in more ways than we can imagine.” He then proceeded to explain why they are similar yet different. 

Ukraine was invaded by a huge Russian state, with a population three-and-a-half times greater, a gross national product 10 times larger, and an area 30 times its size.

Hamas, by contrast, is a terrorist clique of about 50,000 to 70,000 gunmen and terrorist kingpins who run Gaza. It is dwarfed by the Israeli population (20 times larger), economy (27 times greater), and area (60 times larger).

Most of Europe, the United States, and the West understandably supported arming Ukraine to repel Vladimir Putin’s Russian aggression.

By contrast, such support for democratic Israel was strangely mixed.

In many elite political, academic and media circles, Israel is criticized for its massive retaliation after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

The Western attitude towards the two wars grows even more inconsistent, if not incoherent.

There are constant calls for Israel to be “proportionate” in Gaza following the massacres of nearly 1,200 Jes, the vast majority civilians.

But Westerners understandably seek to give Ukraine more and better arms than Russia to ensure a disproportionate response necessary to win the war.

Israel is faulted for collateral damage from its efforts to destroy Hamas – even though terrorists are burrowed in and beneath hospital, mosques and schools.

Hanson’s article is much longer with even more reasons for the difference between the two wars. He explained that Hamas launches rockets into Israel without any warning, but Israel is expected to drop leaflets into Gaza to warn the Gazan civilians to stay out of the area. In the other war, no Westerner expects Ukraine to warn civilians in either occupied Ukraine or across the border in Russia of impending attacks. Yet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is blasted for its “disproportionate” retaliation in Gaza.

Netanyahu is watched closely by Americans “for any sign of absolutist rule or failure to create” the right type of Cabinet. Yet, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has actually “suspended elections during the war but also declared martial law over his entire country.”

Hanson continued his explanation by recognizing that “Zelenskyy remains a rock star in the West,” while Israel “has not declared martial law” but “has formed a bipartisan coalition government with members of the opposition.”

According to Hanson, the media and politicians in the Western world “discount Russian propaganda … especially its unsubstantiated claims of relative Russian and Ukrainian casualties or Ukrainian setbacks or atrocities.” Yet, “many of these same Westerners oddly take Hamas’ casualty totals at face value” even to believing that “the Islamic jihad rocket that hit a Gazan hospital was an Israeli bomb.” Hanson stated that “Hamas has proven to be no more honest, and perhaps far more inaccurate, than even Russia state-controlled media.”

So, why are there so many “strange disconnects in Western attitudes toward these two wars?”

Here are Hanson’s reasons: It has nothing to do with who started the war or which country is more democratic or the most atrocities. It is about the rising of antisemitism in the West. Hamas’ killers are romanticized as “freedom fighters” while all Russians are considered as villains. “Middle East oil money and massive immigration into Western countries dwarf the influence of an ailing Russia.” Therefore, “Left-wing politicians in Europe and the U.S.” court Muslim nations while not worrying about the Russian lobby.

This means that the disconnect continues and “grows into absurdity.”

Does America Stand with Israel or Not?

            Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and several other Senators traveled to Israel recently because they wanted to see for themselves what was occurring between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group. Cruz later joined “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss what he saw. One thing that he learned is that Hamas located its headquarters in the basement of a hospital and used innocent people as human shields.

It’s their own terrorists killing their own people, because they wanted to kill Israeli civilians, but they just weren’t very good at it, and shot their own people instead….

The press utterly ignores that…. The other civilians that are injured are predominantly the result of a decision that Hamas made to use Palestinians as human shields. So, they deliberately fire their weapons, fire their rockets from heavily populated civilian areas into heavily populated civilian areas.

It’s actually a double war crime. Shooting in a civilian area is a war crime, but shooting from civilian areas is also a war crime….

The Hamas headquarters was in the basement of a hospital in Gaza….

            Why would Hamas locate their headquarters in a Palestinian hospital? They took a calculated risk because it is a win-win situation for them. “Either the [Israeli Defense Forces] will refrain from attacking their headquarters, in which case, that’s great. That’s what they want. Or in the alternative, if the IDF does attack the headquarters, it will kill a significant number of Palestinians, and they’re literally using Palestinian women and newborn babies.”

            Cruz explained in the interview with Rachel del Guidice that he took three days to travel to Israel over the Memorial Day weekend. This was his fifth trip to Israel since he was elected to the Senate. He “went on this trip in particular because of the military conflict they just had, the rocket attacks from Hamas.”

We saw over 4,000 rockets fired from Hamas terrorists into Israel. And I wanted to go to really express America’s strong and unyielding support for the state of Israel. I also wanted to go in particular because the current Democratic administration, the Biden administration, I think, is in very real ways responsible for this Hamas rocket attack.

Pause for a second and just step back. Nine months ago, we were in a very different world. We had peace flowering in the Middle East. We had the Abraham Accords, historic peace agreements signed between Israel and multiple Arab nations. First peace agreement in the Middle East in decades. I was there at the White House the day the Abraham Accords were signed. Fast-forward nine months later, and we’ve got war in the Middle East.

And what changed? And what changed was several things. All of which the Biden administration did. Historically, Democrats and too many Republicans believe the right approach to the Middle East was deliberate and strategic ambiguity, was blurring the lines of, sometimes we support Israel; sometimes we support the Palestinians. We like both. We don’t know. I think that is an absolutely failed approach.

I think it has been demonstrated over and over again. It doesn’t produce peace. It produces endless conflict and warfare. And what I had been urging for the nine years I’ve been in the Senate is clarity, unmistakable clarity to say, “We stand with Israel, period, full stop, the end.” And that clarity produces peace. In the Trump administration, there were two decisions that set the foundation for the Abraham Accords.

No. 1, moving our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. No. 2, pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal. Both decisions were hotly contested within the administration. In both instances, the State Department and Defense Department opposed making those decisions. And in both instances, I made the case directly and repeatedly to President [Donald] Trump in the Oval Office, and he agreed with me in both times and overruled his own State Department, his own Defense Department.

Those two decisions produced, I believe, the Abraham Accords. On the day of the signing of the Abraham Accords, I spoke with foreign ministers and ambassadors from UAE and Bahrain, both of whom said almost the exact same thing.

They both said a variant of, “We now understand that the United States stands unequivocally with Israel. We want to be friends with America. Therefore, we will be friends with Israel.” So what did Biden do? He came in, and he immediately returned to that deliberate ambiguity. He immediately began undermining Israel.

Within the first few weeks of his administration, he sent over $100 million to the Palestinian Authority, in violation of the Taylor Force Act that prohibits funding organizations that fund terrorists. The Palestinian Authority is in bed with Hamas, and paying terrorists, the families of terrorists for murdering Americans and Israelis.

The Biden administration set out their top foreign policy objective is reentering the Iran nuclear deal, and sending billions of dollars to the Ayatollah Khamenei. That combination emboldened Hamas, because they knew when they fired rockets that the Biden administration and the press would side with them, and blame Israel for defending itself. And so, I wanted to go and express to [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, to the leadership of the government, to the Israeli people, that even if the current administration in Washington is not supporting you the way they should, that the American people stand with you.

                Cruz continued the interview by talking about the personal stories behind the violence in Israel. A Hamas rocket hit the home of an elderly woman. She managed to get out of the home, but her caretaker did not and was killed. The Iron Dome stopped 90% of the rockets, but this home was hit by one of the 10% of the rockets that were not stopped. The rocket exploded the roof and demolished most of the home.

            Cruz spoke about the resolution being sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. They are trying to stop U.S. arms sales to Israel. Cruz considers “the rise of the angry anti-Israel left” as “one of the most dangers things we’ve seen in today’s Democratic Party.” People like Sanders and the so-called “Squad” in the House of Representatives were once “relegated to the fringes.” However, today they are “leading Democratic members of Congress who are virulently antisemitic” and have “gone mainstream.”

            It is not difficult to see that such members of Congress are a danger to our nation as well as a danger to Israel. The United States is walking an extremely thin line by not being firm in its support of Israel. History has proven that every nation that opposes Israel ends up losing big. Will America stand with Israel or not? That is the big question!

Nation of Miracles

                On May 14, 1948, an independent Israel was born.  This new state was a miracle of history because Israel was the first nation to be destroyed, its people scattered across the world, and then re-gathered to their homeland to become a distinct nation once again.

                The re-birth of Israel was closely followed by another miracle, “The armies of seven Arab nations marched on the newborn State, boasting that they would `push the Jews into the sea.’  Outnumbered 100 to 1, Israel not only repelled the invaders but acquired more of Palestine than was granted in the UN partition plan.”  Yigael Yadin, Israel’s commander of operations in that war, called the victory a miracle.  This site lists five particular miracles that took place during the war plus other miracles.

                Israel is once again at war and battling for its very survival.  Once again, miracles are taking place.  This article from the Blaze describes two miracles of nature that protected Israeli soldiers fighting with Hamas in Gaza.  Col. Ofer Winter, a brigade commander, described in an interview with an Israeli newspaper a miracle that could have come right from the Bible:  “He said that a predawn raid that was intended to make use of the dark as concealment was delayed, forcing the soldiers to move toward their objective as the sun was about to rise.  The soldiers were in danger of being revealed in the light but, Winter recalled, a heavy fog descended to cover their movements until the objective was achieved.

                “`Suddenly a cloud protected us,’ he said, making a reference to the clouds that the Bible says protected the Israelites as they wandered in the desert.  `Clouds of glory.’  Only when the soldiers were in a secure position did the fog dissipate, he said.”

                The Blaze article described a second miracle that was “reported by a group of religious Jews” who harvested their wheat in accordance with the biblical mandate to allow land to rest every seventh year.  The farmers harvested their wheat without knowing the future significance of their actions.  On July 17, when the fighting between Israel and Hamas was most fierce, “13 Hamas militants infiltrated from Gaza via a tunnel into Israel at the exact spot near Kibbutz Sufa where the men had been farming.  The terrorists were shocked to discover that their natural camouflage – the giant wheat field that they were counting on – had disappeared.  The now empty field allowed IDF surveillance to spot them as they emerged from their holes and to repel their attack by dropping a bomb on them from above.”

                Still another miracle was reported in this article out of Jerusalem on July 26, 2014.  “During the war in Gaza, a bullet was fired from a Kalashnikov rifle towards an IDF soldier.  The bullet was stopped by a hand grenade in his pocket.  The grenade did not explode and the soldier was saved.   Apparently the bullet came from a long distance and with rather low velocity and was unable to penetrate.

                “The grenade is a specially made grenade made by Israel Military Industries and was developed after a series of safety issues causing grenades to explode upon being hit with a bullet or shrapnel.  This special type does not explode because of outside impact.”

                Not only the Israelis believe that God is protecting the Jews.  This article quotes a statement made by a terrorist from Gaza “when asked why they couldn’t aim their rockets more effectively:  `We do aim them, but their God changes their path in mid-air.’”

                With that kind of knowledge, I would expect Hamas to stop fighting against Israel and start learning why God protects them.  I believe God does protect Israel by miracles and will continue to help the Israelis in their battle for survival.  I pity any person or nation that fights against Israel and their God.  Their God – my God – is all powerful!

Israel at War

                Israel has been at war many times since they became a nation again after World War II.  The latest war involves terrorists (Hamas) living in its own territories and funded by the United States.  This war apparently started with the kidnapping and killing of three teenage boys followed by the retaliatory killing of a Palestinian teenager.  Israel located and dealt with the murderer of the youth from Gaza, but Hamas began unrelenting rocket attacks on civilian population centers in Israel.  Israel had no choice but to defend its people and began an aerial campaign to stop the attacks.  Israel began its ground offensive when Hamas used a “homicide tunnel to infiltrate thirteen terrorists, armed with anti-tank missiles, machine guns, grenades and thousands of rounds of ammunition within a few hundred meters of a civilian farming community.”  The latest report on the number of rockets fired at Israeli cities is “more than 1,820 explosive projectiles in the past 14 days, an average of 140 per day, according to the IDF.” 

                The war continues at the present time because Hamas will not agree to the cease fire brokered by Egypt, supported by the United States and other nations, and agreed to by Israel.  Israel has agreed to stop this war if Hamas will stop firing rockets; therefore, the continuing deaths are the fault of Hamas who refuses to comply with a cease fire. 

                An article written by Dan Gordon, a reserve captain in the IDF, and another article by Sharona Schwartz explain how Hamas uses a series of tunnels to get into Israel to advance their agenda to “attack, kill, and kidnap Israeli civilians.”  Captain Gordon’s article describes tunnels dug/built by Hamas:  “The IDF Military Spokesperson Unit announced that the Israel Defense Forces have uncovered thirteen tunnels with thirty-four access points to them across the Gaza Strip.  To perhaps put a finer point on that, reliable civilian news outlets have stated that the IDF has uncovered and controls a dozen tunnels which lead under the border from Gaza straight into Israeli territory, directly threatening Israeli communities within Israel’s pre-1967, internationally recognized borders. 

                “Just so there’s no confusion here, we’re not talking about `Occupied or Disputed territories.’  Nor are we talking about smuggling tunnels.  The tunnels have been burrowed from Gaza, underneath the internationally recognized border of the State of Israel, and have exit points that put them in close proximity to civilian communities.

                “As has been widely reported in the international press, Hamas has three types of tunnels.  One type is used for smuggling everything from luxury automobiles to advanced anti-tank missiles.  Those tunnels are built by private Gazan contractors, who get rich off them, and are in turn taxed by Hamas, which makes a large part of their income from these smuggling operations.

                “The second type of tunnel which Hamas digs are the ones they dig for their leaders, to allow them to operate safe and sound from Israeli air strikes or artillery.  These have been reported to be built beneath such institutions as Gaza’s largest hospital.  The point not to be missed here is that Hamas knows how to build, not only smuggling tunnels, but sophisticated, air conditioned, structurally sound bomb shelters.  And it does so … for its political and military elite….”

                Captain Gordon describes the third type of tunnel as “homicide tunnels meant to provide the means to kill and kidnap Israeli civilians.”  These “holes literally opening up within a few hundred meters of your home and armed terrorists coming up out of the earth, like zombies in a horror movie, heading straight for your home, for you, for your children.

                “Once again, just so there is no mistake, these homicide tunnels are OFFENSIVE weapons.  There is nothing defensive about them.  They are built, not to defend Gazan civilians from Israeli attack, but to attack, kill and kidnap Israeli civilians.”

                Ms. Schwartz’s article gives more information on the Hamas tunnels.  “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday at the start of the ground operation that the main objective was to dismantle Hamas’ terror tunnel network.

                “`All of Gaza is an underground city, and the amount of infrastructure Hamas built up over the years is immense.  There are tunnels, extended bunkers, weapons storage facilities, even within urban areas.’ Israeli military spokesman Capt. Eytan Buchman told the Washington Post. 

                “Human rights groups have for years decried Israel for limiting the amount of construction materials into Gaza, but Israeli officials have insisted the cement was being diverted for terrorism use, not homes and businesses.  The latest revelation of the extensive, concrete-fortified underground structures would appear to bolster the Israeli claims.”

                I understand that some of these tunnels are more than one hundred feet underground and more than a mile long.  The IDF recently discovered an opening of a tunnel in the dining hall of Kibbutz Kissufim, a community in southern Israel.

                Before you decide which side to support, please remember the moral difference between Israel and Hamas.  Israel is defending its right to exist while Hamas fights to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.  The IDF puts itself between Hamas and Israeli civilians while Hamas puts its civilians between themselves and the IDF.  Steven Bucci explains this moral difference.  He served as an Army Special Forces officer and top Pentagon official before joining The Heritage Foundation.

                “Hamas sets up rocket launchers – as well as supply dumps and command-and-control sites – in the midst of apartment buildings, mosques and schools.  From these sites, its fighters launch dozens of rockets in salvos, targeting population centers with no discrimination at all.  They have been firing almost continuously of late.  But normally, they fire when Israeli school children move from their homes, which have safe shelters, to their schools, which also have shelters.  They do this deliberately to try to catch the kids in the open.  They don’t seek to minimize collateral damage – they seek to maximize it.

                “Israel, on the other hand, fires only at specific, intelligence-derived military targets.  Since these targets are deliberately intermixed with the civilian population by Hamas, Israel must take steps to minimize the collateral casualties.

                “Before the Israelis strike a building, every home in it gets a call on its landline phone, as do all the cell phones associated with the inhabitants of the building – the cells additionally get text messages – telling them that in a few minutes the building will be targeted.  Finally, to make sure everyone gets the message, Israel drops a dud bomb – one containing no explosives – onto the roof of the structure.  Minutes later, the building is destroyed.  There is no instance in modern military history where a force has taken greater measures to give the innocents as much change to get out of the way.  It is as `discriminant’ as a modern military can be.”

                Mr. Bucci’s article continues with an explanation of how Israel protects its citizens with its Iron Dome rocket defense system and its ‘Red Alert’ app for warning civilians of an attack.  He gives a simple explanation of why Israel is at war:  “Israel just wants to be left alone; Hamas wants the destruction of Israel.  There is no moral equivalence there, and the tactics of the two sides prove the point.”

                Prophets for thousands of years foresaw present-day Israel and how the world around it will try to destroy it.  Ancient prophecies are being fulfilled, and the scene is being set for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  A cease fire may end this specific war, but Israel will continue to fight wars.  I will continue to support Israel because God protects them.  No one can win against the God of Israel!

Ariel Sharon

                Ariel Sharon, the former Prime Minister of Israel, passed away on Saturday afternoon, January 11, 2014, at the Sheba Medical Center at age 85.  He was born on February 26, 1928, in Kfar Malal, Israel, to Dvora Scheinerman and Shmuel Scheinerman.  He was known by at least two other names:  Bulldozer and Ariel Scheinermann.  He was married twice, first to Margalit Sharon (married 1953-1962) and later to Lily Sharon (married 1963-2000).

                Sharon was an Israeli statesman, a retired general who served as commander in the Israeli Army from its beginning in 1948, Defense Minister of Israel (1981-1983), and Prime Minister of Israel (2001-2006).  He was “one of the most important and controversial figures in Israel’s history.”  He “fought terrorists in his military career and rivals in politics” but “lost the final battle for his health more than eight years after the stroke that ended his six decades of public service.”

                Sharon’s body laid in state at Knesset before  memorial at 10:00 and a military funeral at 2:30 on Monday, January 13, on the Hill of the Anemones outside his ranch.  He was buried beside Lily, his wife of 37 years.

                “President Shimon Peres called Sharon a great and courageous leader who loved his people and was loved by them.  He said that Sharon knew no fear and that he would miss him personally as a friend.

                “Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed `deep sorrow’ over the death of Sharon, once a tough political rival, saying he was `first and foremost a courageous warrior and an outstanding general, one of the greatest commanders in the IDF….  Ariel Sharon played a central role in the struggle for the security of Israel throughout the years.

                I chose Ariel Sharon as my VIP for this week because he played an important role in the history of Israel in many ways for many years. I believe we should keep our eyes on Israel, not only because it is an important ally of the United States but also because great events will happen there in the not too distant future.   

Does US Stand with Israel

                    There is some question in my mind about whether the Obama Administration stands with Israel - the only democratic government in the Middle East and good friend to the United States.  Barack Obama has not visited Israel at all since he became the President of the United States, but he did find time to make a tour of apologies to several Arab countries.  He has also sided with the Palestinians and against Israel on several different occasions.  During the 2012 Democratic National Convention there was a big problem about whether or not that party should recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

The problems between the United States and Israel have broken out into the open lately.  Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, requested a meeting with Obama while he was in the US for the UN General Assembly, but the White House refused.  Obama's excuse was that the two men would not be in New York City on the same day, but Israeli sources say that Netanyahu offered to meet with Obama in Washington.

Netanyahu apparently wanted to discuss recent US statements about Iran with Obama privately, but he openly criticized them after the private meeting was refused.  Netanyahu criticized Washington's refusal to draw a line in the sand - a "red line" - a point that would trigger US military action if Iran crossed the line.

                    Netanyahu warned the world about Iran moving ever closer to having a nuclear bomb.  Netanyahu said at a press conference, "The world tells Israel:  `Wait.  There's still time.'  And I say:  `Wait for what?  Wait until when?'  Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel."  

                    There may be a political reason for the increasingly open feud.  Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, and Mr. Netanyahu are old friends, and Romney visited Israel a few weeks ago.  With their support for Israel and their position with Iran, Republicans are hoping to draw Jewish voters to vote for Romney, particularly in key states like Florida and Ohio.

                    Romney has consistently criticized Obama for his soft touch with Iran and suggested there should be a hard line on Tehran's nuclear intentions.  Secretary of State Hilary Clinton stated that the US would not set deadlines for negotiations with the Iranian government.  Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta indicated that he felt no need to set "red lines" because the US would have at least a year to make a decision after Tehran decided to make a nuclear weapon.  "We know generally what they're up to, and so we keep a close track on them.  We think we will have the opportunity once we know that they've made that decision [to] take the action necessary to stop [Iran]."  

                    The apparent problem causing disagreement between the US and Israel is on their perception of the threat.  Israel is watching Iran's capability to make a nuclear weapon while the US is focused on whether or not there will be an actual weapon.  The Obama Administration does not want to use the military route against Iran and prefers to give the UN sanctions more time to force Tehran to give up its nuclear intentions. 

                    So the question remains:  Does the US stand with Israel while Obama is President?  I do not think so.  I can easily understand why Israel is concerned about Iran having nuclear abilities because Iran has consistently stated that Israel should be destroyed.  I believe the US should at least show Iran and the world that Israel is our friend and we will be on the Israeli side of any war.  I believe that a Romney Administration would be acting much more positively with Israel.  I firmly believe that the US must stand with Israel!  Israel is God's covenant people, and any nation that fights against Israel will lose.  Israel has won every war forced upon it in the past sixty years.  Israel wins because God is with them; even the most powerful military in the world cannot win a war against God!

USA and Israel

                    When I was a Seminary teacher, I often encouraged my teenage students to keep their eyes on Israel, meaning that they should stay aware of what was happening in Israel in order to understand how near we are to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  In following my own counsel, I am immediately interested in anything that mentions Israel.  I study the scriptures and the teachings of the prophets about the foretold gathering of the House of Israel and wrote about the gathering here.   I pay close attention to news items and current events about Israel and wrote about one such item of interest here.   

It was a natural thing for me to watch "Daylight:  The Story of Obama and Israel,"  a 30 minute-long video documenting how Obama has gone out of his way to impress Muslim nations while at the same time increasing the distance between the USA and Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East.  I encourage you to watch this video because it illustrates the whole story and shows our nation moving away from Israel.

The New York Times posted an excellent article, updated March 2, 2012, with an up-to-the-day summary of Israel's situation in the Middle East.  The article states that Israel has been "grappling with a radically transformed region" since the Arab Spring of early 2011.  It reminds us that Egypt ransacked Israel's embassy in Cairo, Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador, and the Palestinians sought statehood recognition at the United Nations - all by the fall of 2011.  "Israel found itself increasingly isolated."  What will happen in the Middle East in 2012?

Anyone who studies the history of Israel knows that this is not the first time that Israel has stood alone against the nations surrounding it.  Fantastic Victory - Israel's Rendezvous with Destiny by W. Cleon Skousen recounts the history of Israel - particularly its Six Day War that took place from Monday, June 5, through Saturday, June 10, 1967.

In the foreword to the Second Edition [June 2011] Paul B. Skousen relates how Israel "clawed its way from near extinction to a position of strength and respect that today rivals the most established nations in the world….

"Beginning with independence on May 14, 1948, Israel has faced six wars [First Arab-Israeli War 1948; Suez War 1956; Six Day War 1967; War of Attrition 1967-1970; Yom Kippur War 1973; War with Lebanon 1982], two intifadas (Arabic for `uprising') [First Intifada, 1987-1993; Second or Al-Aqsa Intifada, 2000 to death of Yasser Arafat in 2004], an on-going threat from suicidal terrorists, various boycotts that continue to this day, and continued attacks against civilian populations across its borders….

"At the time this book was written, Israel was a small, poverty-stricken country of only 2,745,000 people.  It was over-shadowed by many of its Arab neighbors such as Syria and Saudi Arabia with more than five million people each, and Egypt with more than 33 million.  By 2011, the state of Israel had grown to 7,475,000, and ranks 96th out of 237 nations in terms of population."

The 1967 war set off a period of economical growth as well as growth in population.  The Israeli work ethic was instrumental in advancing the quality of life and the standard of living in the state of Israel.  Israelis place a high priority on education and had a literacy rate in 2004 of 97.1%, almost equal to America's rate of 99 percent and above that of its neighbors - Jordan at 89.9%, Saudi Arabia at 78%, Iran at 77%, Iraq at 74%, and Egypt at 71%.

Dr. W. Cleon Skousen wrote in detail about the miracle of the Six Day War as well as explaining the history of the ancient conflicts between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East.  Based on prophecies, Dr. Skousen explains how "these descendants of Abraham - the Arabs and the Jews - will one day live together in a historic brotherhood of peace and prosperity that will last more than a thousand years."

I was an adult at the time of the Six Day War and vaguely remember hearing about a war in Israel; however, I don’t remember paying much attention to what was happening.  In my own defense, I should tell you that my wedding was scheduled for less than three weeks after this war started.  I think it is safe to say that I was distracted from worldly events during those weeks!  I wonder how many teen-agers and young adults are fully aware of what is happening in our world today.

I will admit that I was totally fascinated with the information in Fantastic Victory.  Syria, with backing from Egypt, was attacking inside Israel's borders, and Syrians were firing cannons from Golan Heights into Israel.  There were ten United Nation posts - fifty officials - along the Syria/Israel border, but the agents did nothing except keep an official list of border incidents - over 100,000 occurrences.  While Jordan was trying to calm everyone down, Egypt was experimenting with poison gas.  The Arab nations were calling for Israel to be destroyed and the Jews to be exterminated.  Israel wanted peace and was attempting to avoid all out war while at the same time doing all they could to secure their own people.

The U.S. State Department was counseling Israel to be patient; the United Nations was powerless; the Soviet Union was backing the Arabs.  Israel was alone and decided to fight for her very survival.  On the eve of the war, Israeli commandos destroyed most if not all of the Egyptian/Arab airplanes and patrol boats, forcing Egypt to fight on the ground with tanks and soldiers.

 Israel urged Jordan and Syria to stay out of the fight in order to contain the war, but they insisted on joining Egypt in the fighting.  Israel was fighting a war on three sides with most of their military power concentrating on Egypt first.  They destroyed the Egyptian tanks and killed 35,000 Egyptians; Israeli soldiers took control of Gaza and went all the way to the Suez Canal with the opportunity to take Cairo itself - but stopped.  After Egypt was vanquished, Israel turned its strength on Jordan and fought for control of Jerusalem.  When Jerusalem was back in Israeli control, Israel went after the Syrian soldiers in Golan Heights.  Israeli prevailed after struggling for several days.

Israel - with its 3 million citizens - thoroughly trounced Egypt, Jordan, and Syria with their backing of other Arab states and the Soviet Union.   Over a period of six days, Israel "doubled her population and quadrupled her territory.  The borders of Israel had been expanded south, east and southwest until they had reached natural boundaries, which would be much more easy to defend.  The famous temple-city of Jerusalem was back in Jewish hands for the first time since the days of Rome.  In fact, by acquiring all of the territory west of the Jordan River, the Israeli government had not only come into possession of the sacred shrines of three world religions, but one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world as well" (141-142).

The war caught the attention of the world, and leaders were calling for a ceasefire.  The longer the war went on, the more territory Israel was claiming.  "Cairo, Damascus and Amman lay literally naked, defenseless and trembling before her" (87).

Israel was ready for a ceasefire after the second day of war, but Abba Eban, Foreign Minister, wanted to review some issues and to set forth some "ugly, incriminating facts" (87).  "Tens of millions" were watching on television or listening over radio as Eban presented his eloquent speech "in excellent Cambridge English" (87).  In his speech he made ten basic points.

First, "Israel had consummated her rendezvous with destiny" and would have a glorious victory.

Second, Israel was compelled to defend herself.

Third, Israel was forced to take action because "Egypt committed a deliberate act of war by forcibly blockading the Aqaba Gulf and leaving Israel economically gasping" for survival (87).

Fourth, Israel struck only when her "margin of security had been reduced to zero," and she had tried to "keep the war from spreading beyond Sinai" (88).

Fifth, Israel was disappointed when Jordan and Syria decided to join the war.

Sixth, Israel was disappointed in the United Nations for not doing their job to keep the peace.

Seventh, Israel hoped that the "Arabs would now sit down with the Israelis and work out their mutual problems face to face" rather than going to the United Nations (88).

Eighth, Israel would welcome the cease fire if "certain conditions were met."  1) "The Arabs must recognize Israel as a sovereign political entity."  2) "The Arabs must agree that all existing or future problems will be solved by peaceful means and not by constantly resorting to big or little wars."

Ninth, Israel wanted the "big powers" to support principles rather than one nation against another nation - to be for peace, free commerce, "to exercise an even-handed support for the integrity and independence of States and for the rights of States" (89).

Tenth, Eban suggested that the United Nations could solve the question of who caused the war by answering some other questions:  Was it Israel or its neighbors who started the 1948 war?  Was it Israel or the United Arab Republic that closed an international waterway?  Is it Israel or the Arab States who refuses to negotiate for peace?  Was it Israel or Egypt who broke the 1957 pattern of stability?  Did Israel surround the area between Morocco and Kuwait or did troops from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait and Algeria join in confronting Israel?

Eban closed his talk by stating that Israel had shown its ability to fight a war and was now willing to show its ability to make peace.  The ball was then in the court of the Arabs.  They gave speeches and debated, but they were not willing to support the cease-fire resolution.  The Arab leaders accused the United States and Great Britain of supporting Israel.  The US Ambassador Arthur J. Goldberg told them to show their proof.  They couldn't - and the war went on until the Arab nations were forced to admit defeat after six days of war.  As we know, the Arab nations do not yet consider that Israel has a right to exist.

Israel could have taken more land, but it was interested in self-protection, not colonialism.  It wanted enough land in order to protect itself, and the Arab hatred for Jews provided them the opportunity to get that land.  The United Nations, the United States, and Great Britain stood aside.  The Soviet Union was supporting the Arab states with Russian personnel, tanks, etc. Israel acted alone - and won the war!  As for the war refugees:  Israel encouraged all Arabs to stay within the new boundaries of Israel; Arab nations encouraged the "refugees" to move out of the area in order that the territory could be retaken because Israel was there "temporarily."  The "refugees" are still living in camps because the Arab nations will not let them assimilate into their countries - get jobs, buy property, etc.  The Arab nations do not want to be responsible for them and have them compete with their own people for jobs.

Today the Arabs are still shouting their desire to drive all Jews into the sea and to wipe the nation of Israel off the map.  While reading Fantastic Victory I could not help but think of the situation that Israel faces today.  Palestinians are sending mortars into Jerusalem and other parts of Israel.  Some Israeli schools have closed in order to keep the children safe.  Israel and its citizens are constantly on alert for attacks.  How long will it be before Israel strikes again?  Will the United States stand with Israel or not?  Will it be just another Arab/Israeli war or will it be Armageddon?

I highly recommend Fantastic Victory for a historical view of Israel.  This book clearly shows why Israel has earned the right to all the territory it holds and why it cannot return to its 1967 borders and still defend itself.   I believe that the United States must stand with Israel, and most conservative Republicans seem to agree with me.  Do all Israeli supporters believe the prophecies about Israel as I do?  I believe that God is with Israel and no country that fights against Israel will win.  I hope and pray that the United States stands with Israel!

Passover

The Jewish Passover begins next week. Passover is a Jewish festival that begins in March or April on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. This festival celebrates the flight from Egyptian slavery for the Israelites. The word Passover originated in the Biblical record of the ten plagues brought by God upon the Egyptians for refusing to let the Israelites leave Egypt. According to the record in Exodus 12, God killed the first-born child in every Egyptian home but passed over the homes of the Israelites. Passover could also mean passing over from slavery to freedom. The Passover festival usually lasts for eight days, but it lasts only seven days in some areas of the world. Passover is celebrated in Jewish homes at a ceremonial feast called Seder. At this feast, the story of the flight of the Israelites is read or told. The foods that are eaten for this feast are symbolic. The most important part of the feast is an unleavened or unraised bread called Matzah. According to Jewish tradition, the fleeing Israelites did not have time to let their bread rise so they made flat unleavened bread. This is the reason Jews eat matzahs during Passover. Facts and information for this blog post came from an article by Jacob Neusner, World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 15, pp 191-192.