Monday, August 19, 2013

John and Catherine, Meet Isaac and Ishmael



by Dr. Haim Shine


Channel 2 provided an important service to Israelis by reporting on "peace summer camps" for children in the Gaza Strip and in Palestinian cities in Judea and Samaria. These summer camps are paid for by the U.N. as part of its aid to refugees. Children in the camps speak, sing and draw pictures of their highest truth: They want to return to Jerusalem, Jaffa, Lod, Beit Dagan, Yavne and above all to the beaches of Tel Aviv, which the Jewish wolves stole from their grandmothers and grandfathers. It is in these summer camps that the next generation of shahids, suicide bombers and terrorists is being indoctrinated. 

A thousand smiles from Mahmoud Abbas or the tortuous words of Saeb Erekat cannot disguise the fact that what really lies at the heart of the historical disagreement between us and the Arabs known as Palestinians is the right of return to Jerusalem and control of that city.

Children in refugee camps and their jihadist camp counselors demonstrate no interest in settlements. Concern over Ariel and Beit El is an internal Israeli discussion. Rather, they are interested in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the central objects of their longing. It's safe to assume that even Justice Minister Tzipi Livni will not agree to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians near her home in Sheikh Munis (Ramat Aviv) or to the compound of the Abu Kishk tribe (Ramat Hasharon). 

Only the radical Left is willing to recognize the Palestinian right of return, as long as that right is realized in the southern neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, where a new Africa has already sprung to life. 

Despite significant differences, there are parallels, at least outwardly, between the 2,000-year-old Jewish hope to return home and the new young Palestinian dream. When two national, religious aspirations passionately claim the same piece of land, there can be no negotiations for compromise. The real dispute is over who the legitimate heirs are of our forefather Abraham, who received God's promise that his descendants would inherit the Land of Israel. 

It is a battle between the sons of Isaac and the sons of Ishmael. It is well known that internal family battles over inheritance can go on for many generations. John Kerry, Catherine Ashton and the Scandinavian crusaders for peace will never fully understand the historical argument over Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. Their terms will end before they plumb the metaphysical depths of this ancient dispute. For them, this is a battle over real estate, which can be traded, bought and sold. They themselves would be unwilling to give up a single square meter of their own countries for the sake of world peace. 

The battle between us and the Arabs known as Palestinians will be won by whoever is most determined, strong, steadfast in their belief, tenacious and ready to fight. 

Our history in this land shows that we must be ready to fight so that in the future we won't have to fight anymore. This is a war with no alternative, and it started since the rise of Zionism.

We realize, following the horrors of the Holocaust, that Jews without a strong state of Israel are like a flock of sheep trying to survive surrounded by 70 hungry wolves. 

The dispute is not over the 1967 borders [sic], but over our basic right to live as free people in our land in security and peace. The Israeli Left is constantly citing the threat of the demographic balance. The Arabs, led by a Holocaust denier, have adopted Yasser Arafat's solution: to destroy the Jews demographically. It's a pity that there are good Jews among us who are willing to lend a helping hand to a suicidal withdrawal. There is nothing more dangerous in the Middle East than holy naivete.


Dr. Haim Shine

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=5403

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.

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