by Dr. Reuven Berko
According to Oz, a fanatic is anyone who loathes uncertainty. Based on his definition, it's actually the Left, which detests "management of the conflict" (as uncertainty), who are the fanatics.
The UNESCO resolution
declaring the Cave of the Patriarchs a Palestinian World Heritage Site
is in line with the stance of the organization that denies any links
between Judaism and Jerusalem and, by doing so, absurdly obliterates the
history of Christianity, whose savior Jesus worked close by the Temple
in Jerusalem before it was destroyed.
These resolutions were
passed despite the fact that the citizens of many U.N. member states are
Christians, and rejecting Judaism's primal rights to these sites is a
rejection of their own citizens' identity.
Meanwhile, the blind
eye UNESCO turns to the mass slaughter and destruction of world heritage
sites by Muslims is particularly noticeable.
The Arch of Titus in
Rome tells the story of the failed Jewish revolt and the expulsion of
the Jewish priests from the Temple and its treasures, and there is
hardly any Jew who does not shed a tear when standing beneath it. But as
Jews, we ignore it to avoid upsetting the gentiles. In the past, we
explained the hypocrisy of Western nations as stemming from anti-Semitic
Christian education and their dependence on Arab oil. Now, we express
an understanding of their stances given the Islamic threat they are
facing at home, and are even giving them the benefit of our experience
fighting Palestinian terrorism, the only Palestinian global startup to
date.
In light of Israel's
painful experience with depending on the nations of the world and its
understanding of our enemies, its leaders are acting cautiously by
managing the conflict. It's no coincidence that Amos Oz's book "Dear
Zealot," which presents a refreshing spectrum of views on pluralism,
democracy, and fanaticism, and even sheds some light on the Jewish
actors in the conflict, is getting a boost in this tumultuous time.
But Oz's project sets
Israel up as a lone actor and fails to hold up a mirror to the
Palestinian and Islamist enemies. Since Oz is powered by Jewish
optimism, he concludes that taking any action for its own sake will
bring the desired results.
A failure to understand
our enemies and their motives led Oz to make the claim -- erroneous in
my opinion -- that global Islamist terrorism is rooted in a "bitter,
desperate idea." The legacy of radical Islam is a "sweet" one and
promises paradise and safety under Allah's wing, as megalomaniacal,
imperialist Islam continues to spread.
Oz also gives the
Palestinians a pardon, arguing that there is "no truth" to the Israeli
government's claim that the Palestinians are part of the same gang that
produces Islamist murderers and fanatics.
Is that so? The
murderers in Hamas and plenty in the PLO believe that the Islamic legacy
and the wheels of history destine us Jews to be slaughtered and
disappear just like the Crusaders.
The Palestinians don't
beat themselves up. When history poses a challenge to their claims, they
invent an alternate one and destroy "hostile" facts. That's what
Islamist radicals have done in Arab countries, and that's what
Palestinian terrorists do to our heritage sites.
Since the days of the
Soviet propagandists, "propaganda" has developed into fake news and fake
history, much like George Orwell envisioned in "1984."
The media functions as a
tool the Palestinians use to turn false claims into reality. No
Palestinian can justify the Palestinian claim to Jerusalem as their
capital on religious, historical, or national grounds, and yet no
Palestinian is forgoing the claim of a right to return. In the face of
fanaticism like that, Oz tries not to cause anyone any pain.
International pressure is supposed to give the country to the
Palestinians, while the Jews, its legal owners, disappear.
According to Oz, a
fanatic is anyone who loathes uncertainty. Based on his definition, it's
actually the Left, which detests "management of the conflict" (as
uncertainty), who are the fanatics. When I compare Oz's vision to that
of armed Palestinian fanatics, who glorify and fund shahids [martyrs]
and aspire to "return," I have more faith in the Palestinians.
Dr. Reuven Berko
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=19411
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