Israel must Choose Life

by Dr. Haim Shine

In December 1981, then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin brought a bill to the Knesset that would apply Israeli law to the Golan Heights. On the day the bill was discussed, a wheelchair-bound Begin came to the Knesset to ensure the bill would pass the three required readings to become a law. The U.S. government boiled over with rage and decided to impose sanctions on Israel. In response, Begin explained to the U.S. ambassador in Tel Aviv that Israel was neither an American vassal state nor a banana republic.

Ronald Reagan is no longer president and Samuel Lewis is no longer ambassador. The Golan Heights is an integral part of Israel, and there is no one today who denies that the annexation of this area was almost prophetic in light of the events taking place now across the border in Syria.

This week, another dispute broke out between U.S. President Barack Obama and the Israeli government. The Obama administration, which has displayed an utter lack of understanding of events in the Middle East, is pressuring the Israeli government to accept a Turkish-Qatari cease-fire proposal that is meant to rescue Hamas from the IDF's claws, which are grasping Hamas tightly from all directions -- on land, at sea and in the air. The IDF, for understandable reasons, is not publishing the level of destruction it has caused in Hamas strongholds, but everyone knows that the Dahiya neighborhood of Beirut can now be considered luxurious compared to certain violent neighborhoods in Gaza.

Israeli leaders must act in the interests of our country, even if those interests are inconsistent with the wishes of the U.S., which during the Obama era has not know how to differentiate between good and evil or light and darkness. In every place in the world where the U.S. has interfered, only scorched earth has been left behind. However, unlike other countries, we, the Jews of Israel, do not have a mulligan. We must stand determined and united in defense of our right to exist.

Unfortunately, Obama's advisers gauge the Israeli public's mood by reading the English edition of Haaretz, a newspaper that portrays Israeli society as hopeless, weak and submissive. Due to this, Americans do not understand the courage and mental fortitude of Israeli society. It is true that Israelis want to live well, travel abroad, buy new cars. We want a strong stock market and a flourishing economy. This is perfectly natural for a country with a normal people who want to live, not to commit suicide. 

However, once Israelis realize they are fighting a true war for their home, there is no Left or Right, no rich or poor, and no divide between residents of Tel Aviv and residents of the rest of the country. The various strands of Israeli society, usually loose, come together as a deadly fist to strike those who rise up against us.

Israeli citizens are grateful for the generous support American governments have provided during both times of peace and times of war. This support allowed for the development of the Iron Dome anti-rocket system. The U.S. has also helped Israel stay on its feet in the international diplomatic arena against a hostile world, which, instead of being anti-Israel, has become anti-Semitic. But given the choice between protecting our right to live and showing gratitude, Israel must choose life. Choosing life is the ultimate Jewish commandment.

The U.S. must think wisely about its moves, before Western civilization collapses in the face of the Islamic assault. It would be a great shame if Obama is remembered in human history for the dereliction of his duty to defend the values of freedom and liberty.

Dr. Haim Shine

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=9379

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