Israel, By Land or By Sea

 

I am assuming you have watched both the "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Munich," two diverse portrayals of the Jewish mindset. If it is possible to sum up movies with one word each, it would be, of course, "tradition" and "justice," respectively. This might be one of those rare instances where Hollywood actually got it right.

So you were quite possibly as outraged with the news of Israel's response to ships heading for Gaza a couple of weeks ago as I was. Imagine: A flotilla of ships bound for the Gaza strip, reputedly carrying humanitarian aid, only to be stopped in their tracks by a bunch of Hebrew henchmen.

You might say some of that armada (or would that be "army-mad-at"?) were caught dead in the water.

But my outrage may not be the same as others' outrage, especially when the so-called aid on that first wave (no pun intended) of shipments turned out to be munitions, weapons, and other terrorist paraphernalia. My outrage, then, was not against the nation of Israel; rather, my outrage was against the shallow reporting of the biased media and the mindless gullibility of the general populace.

I believe I could agree with them that the boarding of ships in international waters is wrong, but sometimes the good must be countered by the better. Modern day application: If I was aware that someone was on their way to blow up my house, it would be in my best interest to head them off before they did any serious damage to me and mine. And if I was wrong, appropriate apologies would be in order; but if I was right, appropriate punishment would likewise be in order.

I don't know if you have read any follow-up stories in this Israel-versus-the-world saga, but there have been a number of Israeli ship-boardings since that infamous one, all very amicable, all very peaceful. No blood, no gore, but also no coverage. Not sure if the left-leaning, pro-Arab media has spent any time reporting those accounts in any detail.

After all, why report on an Israel that is doing something right?

This nation is a marvelous study in so many ways. When you consider the topography, economy, and politics of Israel, to say nothing of its durability against all odds, I find it all most fascinating – whether I agree with its ethnicity and religion and quirks, or not. They certainly have a lot of pluck and gall, and many of their military victories against all odds, undercover feats around the globe, and incredible scientific developments, are lost in the morass of the bad press they get by simply defending their fellow-countrymen.

I am not oblivious to many of their strong-armed tactics. Some of their greatest heroes were former leaders of various terrorist organizations. I am aware of that. But what nation doesn't have a rogue element to it, including our friends to the south? If we had any idea about the undercover agencies within, say, the USA and Britain, I believe we would be rightfully alarmed. No sense sticking our heads under the covers, if the undercover...oh, forget it.

Where I have issues with the world media is their complete bias against Israel, without presenting all the facts. I personally am not Jewish, and I hardly know any Jews, but I do dabble in history – both secular and Biblical – and I am fully convinced that Israel deserves to be where it is and has a mandate to carve a viable, contemporary nation out of that wasteland. And that they have done, very admirably, I may add.

I would love to see some responsible reporting, for example, on how the Jews treat the Arabs in the areas of education, health, and economics. Suffice to say, most Arabs are far better off existing under the rule of progressive Jews than they are under their own people.

My interest in monitoring the Israeli situation has been piqued by a visit that an American family is paying to the southern Alberta this week, including right here in Bow Island. I don't know these people personally, but local posters indicate they have a vision for the small farmers in Israel and are planning to share their experiences this coming Thursday, June 17^th, at the Bow Island Legion.

It will be refreshing, I'm sure, to get a genuine, behind-the-scenes account of what a normal Jewish family does on a normal Jewish day – flotillas notwithstanding.