Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East.
(From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Rejoice, Rejoice, As The Miracle Nation Turns Sixty-Three

Sixty-three years ago, the State of Israel was born, offering as its natal message "peace and amity" to its neighbours and readiness "to contribute its full share to the peace and progress of the Middle East".  Alas, we all know how those noble sentiments were received - spurned by implacable foes bent on the infant nation's destruction.  And we all know how fraught with danger - yet also with exhilaration and triumph - the past sixty-three years have proved. 
I can think of no more moving tribute to the Jewish State than that paid last year by the distinguished British historian Andrew Roberts at the London launch of the Friends of Israel initiative:
"... the State of Israel has packed more history into her 62 years on the planet than many other nations have in six hundred. There are many surprising things about this tiny, feisty, brave nation the size of Wales, but the most astonishing is that she has survived at all. The very day after the new state was established, she was invaded by the armies of no fewer than five Arab countries, and she has been struggling for her right to life ever since. And that is what we are here for today, to reiterate Israel’s right to self-defence, inherent in all legitimate countries....
Very often in Britain, especially when faced with the overwhelmingly anti-Israeli bias that is endemic in our liberal media and the BBC, we fail to ask ourselves what we would have done placed in their position? The population of the United Kingdom of 63 million is nine times that of Israel. In July 2006, to take one example at random, Hizbollah crossed the border of Lebanon into Israel and killed eight patrolmen and kidnapped two others, and that summer fired four thousand Katyusha rockets into Israel which killed a further forty-three civilians....
Now, if we multiply those numbers by nine to get the British equivalent, just imagine what we would do if a terrorist organization based as close as Calais were to fire thirty-six thousand rockets into Sussex and Kent, killing 387 British civilians, after killing seventy-two British servicemen in an ambush and capturing eighteen. There is absolutely no lengths to which our Government would not go to protect British subjects under those circumstances, and quite right too. Why should Israel be expected to behave any differently?
It was a profoundly moving sight, for it was the sovereign independence represented by that flag which guarantees that the obscenity of genocide – which killed six million people in Auschwitz and camps like it - will never again befall the Jewish people, to whom the rest of Civilisation owes so much. I said at the start that I was speaking to you as an historian, and so I say: No people in History have needed the right to self-defence and legitimacy more than the Jews of Israel..." Source: http://www.friendsofisraelinitiative.org/article.php?c=61
Bibi proudly reminds us that Israel really is the one true democracy in the Middle East:


Notes Israel's president, Shimon Peres:
‎"From the debris of the War of Independence arose one of the best and most moral armies in the world. The desert turned into a model of state-of-the-art agriculture admired by all. Israel's development in fields such as hi-tech, science, technology and medicine has placed her at the forefront of advances in these areas the world over.
On the day of the proclamation of the State of Israel, it was stated that this newly founded nation would be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel. We abide by the Jewish code of moral values instilled in us.
We are still facing evil forces, especially those that emanate from Iran. This call, by a regime that is a danger to the entire world, should be met by an uncompromising mobilization of the international community. We are determined, together with our supporters everywhere, to fight antisemitism and delegitimization.
The State of Israel is prepared to do its share, even at a painful cost, to achieve peace with our neighbors. We are hopeful that the winds of change sweeping our region will herald new opportunities of peace, security and prosperity for all." http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2011/Israel_Independence_Day_greetings_President_Peres-May_2011.htm
And Jerusalem Post columnist and former senior vice-president of the World Jewish Congess Isi Leibler observes:
"...we are saddened that peace with our neighbors remains a distant dream, and that much of the world has turned against us. We also realize that far from advancing democracy or human rights, the turmoil in the Arab world will almost certainly strengthen Islamic fundamentalism and intensify hatred against us and the West.
And as many of us predicted, our "peace partner" has united with Hamas, and in September will endeavor to obtain global endorsement for a Palestinian state dominated by genocidal terrorists....
In 1948, 600,000 Jews created a people's army which successfully repulsed repeated unprovoked onslaughts by its Arab neighbors. And to this day it remains on the front lines of the global battle against Islamic terror....

... the PA-Hamas merger is not necessarily a negative development. Many of us were always convinced that the corrupt PA - which murdered more Israeli civilians than Hamas - would never become a genuine partner for peace because its primary objective has also always been the elimination of Jewish sovereignty. The difference is that while Hamas speaks the truth, and its charter unashamedly promotes genocide, the PA expresses sentiments of peace and moderation to the West, but internally incites the vilest forms of anti-Semitism.
The merger will clarify to our friends why we could never sanction a state pledged to our destruction. Should the Palestinians abort the Oslo Accords and gain recognition in lieu of negotiating with us, it would provide grounds for us to annex at least the major settlement blocs..
We harbor no illusions about achieving peace in our time, but must remain strong and resilient until our neighbors accept us as a sovereign Jewish state. We should exult that having overcome greater challenges in 1967 and 1973, when we genuinely faced annihilation, today we are better able to defend ourselves.
We are therefore entitled to take pride in our achievements." Read the rest: http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=2934


May we never lose sight of this man's message, and may more and more people come to heed it:

5 comments:

  1. As the former Spanish President said:

    ENOUGH IS ENOUGH !!

    Where can I join "Friends of Israel"?

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  2. Here's their website, Rita - follow their menu bar because there's a petition to sign
    http://www.friendsofisraelinitiative.org/

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  3. Ed West has a good article here:
    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100087267/what-have-the-israelis-done-for-us/

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  4. Daphne, I think your logic is off target. The relative population size is irrelevant.

    Hizbollah crossed the border of Lebanon into Israel and killed eight patrolmen and kidnapped two others, and that summer fired four thousand Katyusha rockets into Israel which killed a further forty-three civilians....

    Use exactly the same figures as above and attacks on the relatively unpopulated coast of Scotland. Britain sent her army, navy and airforce just about as far as is possible to go to the Malvinas, an island of admitted no economic or strategic importance.

    ... but that was under Thatcher. Cameron would ask for permission from the Union of South American Countries and the UN before calling on NATO for help.

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  5. Thanks, as always, for your comment, deegee. That point re Hizbollah comes from Andrew Roberts' speech, though, not from me.

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