by Dr. Haim Shine
Two young men posed a real threat to
Israeli soldiers during a Nakba Day demonstration and were killed. The U.N.,
U.S. and Europe are demanding an investigation.
On numerous occasions, the
Palestinian propaganda machine has produced edited or staged films to
incriminate Israeli soldiers. But even though we have seen this script before,
the Israel Defense Forces has an obligation to conduct a thorough probe to
uncover the facts, as in past similar incidents. Such is the case when human
lives are cut short.
The world is hypocritical when it
comes to the desire of the Jews to live in peace and security. In Syria,
hundreds of people, women and children among them, are being killed every day.
Since the Syrian uprising began three years ago, hundreds of thousands of
Syrians have been slaughtered, including by chemical weapons, but the world is
silent. In Nigeria, Libya, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, east Asia and many other
places around the globe, heinous crimes are committed, and the world says
nothing. But when Israeli soldiers try to protect themselves from violent
rioters, the world cries out.
Anyone who has studied Jewish
history, particularly from the Middle Ages onward, knows one basic fact. The
Jews have always been accused of being responsible for all sorts of crimes and
social ills. At first, this was done by the Catholic Church, which encouraged
the persecution of Jews as punishment for the crucifixion of Jesus. Over the
years, various political entities adopted this practice. This terrible
propaganda campaign dehumanized the Jews and led to the extermination of one
third of the Jewish people in the Holocaust.
Hypocrisy and hatred toward Israel
are a continuation of this age-old anti-Semitism. The new form of anti-Semitism
places Israel at the center of most of the world's troubles. In numerous
countries, including ones considered to be enlightened, many people believe that
if only Israel would disappear or return to indefensible borders, world peace
would break out. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would sit down for a cup of English tea
with Queen Elizabeth, while U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President
Vladimir Putin would do a Ukrainian folk dance together as the Red Army Choir
sings in background. Time and time again, it has been proved that lies and
delusions, if repeated often enough, become perceived as truths.
It is very difficult to cope with
this new form of anti-Semitism. It is hard to sway someone who has a fixed
mindset. Why do we blame the foreign media for its hostility toward Israel when
there are those among us who for years have supplied it with the most potent
ammunition? There is no type of hatred that is juicier or more interesting than
self-hatred.
The establishment of Israel changed
the course of Jewish history. For thousands of years, the Jews had been written
out of history. They were a passive group whose sole purpose in life was to
survive. The chosen people, talented and moral, had become a nation of
survivalists, paying a tough price to maintain their faith and will to live.
Dying a sacred death became ideal due to the conditions in exile. Israel brought
the Jews back to history. We returned to being an independent, active, living,
vibrant and, sometimes, kicking nation. It seems that the world pays more
attention to Israel than it does to the U.S. and China together.
Our desire to live is the basis of our
willingness to fight to hold on to our homeland. This is our home. Here, we were
born, and we have no other place. The hypocritical world can establish
investigative committees, send emissaries and write false and biased opinions.
In response, Israel must strengthen itself, believe in its mission and path, and
give all the necessary backing to the soldiers defending our homeland.
Dr. Haim Shine
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=8489
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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