I am finally at the end of my story: the last Israeli Perspective – the myth. When I started on my Israeli journey I did not think that I would become an instrument or mouth piece for Israel or its people.  I had always wanted to go to Israel because of its Biblical and historical significance in the life of a Christian: me. Instead I found a story within several other stories that have never been told because through time and political upheaval, the truth has been  distorted into false “facts”. Since my return from Israel I have kept the Bible close as reference into the historical and political evolution of Israel. To some extent countries have always shaped their own destinies whether by natural evolution, war, or force of nature. Europe has morphed so often through myriad of wars and conflicts, that some of its countries’ borders have returned to what they had been prior to WW I. Israel is on a different level of evolution. In 1948, Israel managed to form itself into a country with much consternation and opposition from super powers like Britain. Britain stifled Jewish immigration because it determined that Jewish immigrants were evicting Arabs in the region. This was done despite historical data to the contrary; disproving this notion that Arabs in the region ever held a “state” or country. Arabs were transients who moved within areas and territories belonging to Judea, or pre-Roman Judea. Then how did we come up with a “Palestine” and an Arab identity of a Palestinian? How indeed!

Going back to pre-Roman times, the first inhabitants of Judea were the Canaanites.  These first inhabitants lived in  what eventually was Israel and who historians refer to as Phoenicians. Their language was close to Hebrew being  predominantly Aramean. They were not Arabs and did not speak Arabic. They were the forefathers of the Lebanese who still do not refer to themselves as Arabs.  As we move a few hundred years forward, we find the Peleshets whose name is derived from the verb “pelesh” or “to invade.” They were sea faring and came from around Asia Minor. They were eventually expelled from Egypt to the Mediterranean where after many defeats some ended up as King David’s bodyguards and dropped off from history entirely. But what about Palestine? How can there be a Palestine without a people called Palestinians? This is when the Romans “shaped” Israel’s destiny and Palestine was created.

Nobody liked to tick off the Romans because payback was generally dilapidating. There is no historical mention of Palestine until Hadrian, who,  because he became infuriated with the Jews and their revolts, decided to erase Israel or Judea, from existence. He despitefully gave the land the Latin name of Palæstina: the land of the Philistines. The Philistines had long been extinct from that region but common knowledge had it that they were bitter enemies of the Jews. It could be said that the Philistines had a commonality with the Romans by hating the Jews to the point of extinction. This brings us to the current world-wide spin and myth of the Palestinians as a nation. What nation? Can we trace any historical significance to a genre of people called Palestinians? The answer is; no. We can however determine when Palestine was created and by virtue of a Roman’s revenge; Jews in that region were the new Philistines or Palestinians. The derogatory labeling gives the current world-wide assumption that Palestinians have always been Arab an absurdity to the point of embarrassment by those who continually propagandize it.

While in Israel, I was fortunate enough to spend three wonderful days with a Jewish woman who against all common sense took it upon herself to learn as much as possible about Israel and Palestine. She took on the task because she wanted to understand why her people are targeted by neighbors, politicians, and in recent years: the United Nations. She found old books; some dating back to the late 19th and early 20th Century Israel. The books had “before” and “after” pictures of areas that were formerly desolate and are now inhabited by Israel and thriving. Most were pre-1948 Statehood pictures where the land was barren and a desert. On their return to the “Promised Land” Jewish settlers built Kibitzes  and inadvertently discovered ways to beat the often harsh conditions and “work” the land. There were no Arabs in these regions, Palestinian or otherwise. These pioneers created methods of irrigation, planting, reaping, and an agricultural haven in a desert that had been abandoned for years. Driving through Israel one wonders at the fields, palm trees growing dates, olive trees, banana trees, and fresh garden vegetables one puts in a salad every day. Is it a wonder that the surrounding States are envious of what Israel has managed to accomplish? But back to Palestine and Palestinians. Joseph Farah, an Arab author of “Myths of the Middle East” writes: “There has never been a land known as Palestine governed by Palestinians. Palestinians are Arabs, indistinguishable from Jordanians (another recent invention), Syrians, Iraqis, etc. ”  The incongruity of being called a Palestinian Arab is clearly defined in the word Palestine, because it is a Latin word not Arabic.

After the six-day war of 1967, the “Palestinian” issue was further exasperated by the conflict in the region, and a misguided United Nations definition of a Palestinian: an Arab who has spent at least two years in “Palestine” before 1948. This identification required no proof. It also extended to descendents of these “Palestinians”. Ironically: when politicians or the United Nations mention Palestinians, they only refer to  Arabs. They either fail to mention or are utterly ignorant of the regional history;  because as I mentioned before, the original Palestinians were the Jews in Hadrian’s time. Going through the Middle East in the late 19th and early 20th century was a desolate experience; especially for westerners. The area was what the Bible called the “wilderness.” In his 1867 “The Innocents Abroad”; Mark Twain bemoaned the fact that from  the Valley of Jezreel in Galilea, to Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Bethany, not a soul could be seen.  He further reiterated that although in some areas the land was fertile, only shrubs and weeds were  left to grow. He called it “a pity.” This is the area that the United Nations and pseudo intellectual political elites tell us should belong to Palestinian Arabs because they were “evicted” by the Jews. Really? When? Before Mark Twain? If the land had always belonged to these Arabs, why didn’t they work it and make it flourish as the Jews managed to do?  So when did these new “Palestinians”  live there? Why did they make a sudden miraculous appearance when Jewish settlers started to build a home and a State?

Israel does not want to evict Arabs, it wants to live in peace with Arabs. Israel has little beef with the “so called” Palestinians; it just wants them to honor and recognize Israel as a country and a State. Israel also expects the same considerations it gives other religions to be given to the Jews and Christians. Israel has little or no issues with Christian faiths; how come Muslims have a problem with Israel? Muslims can worship freely and have been allowed to build Mosques in areas long considered Christian Holy sites. So why the problem? Why the discrimination against Christianity and Judaism in a country that allows freedom of religion and respects it? Why not the reciprocation? Why is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem suddenly only sacred  to Muslims? Only since the 7th Century after the death of Mohammed has this particular site become a contention between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Why? The huge Mosque sits on Mount Mariah; directly over the spot where Solomon’s Temple was built and destroyed several times over. Regardless: this site is first and foremost a Jewish place of respect and worship. Because it was also the site where the Temple was rebuilt and where Jesus actively visited; it is also a Holy site for Christians.  Why are Muslims allowed to restrict access to the other faiths and not respect their claim on the site?  Israel has minute discomfort with the Mosque on the Temple Mount, but it has a big problem that the rest of the world cannot worship either. This site is currently a “hot bed” for confrontation between Arab forces and Israeli forces who attempt to keep the peace. A  visit to the Temple Mount for non-Muslims can be as futile as chewing on water. As I went through security it reminded me of the days when we used to visit East Berlin during the Cold War. We were told not to recognize the East German authorities because they were not the legitimate “authority” in Berlin. We were briefed that if stopped by East German officials to demand  to see a  Russian official! Russia had control of that sector. However, that also sent a message to the self-proclaimed East German government that the civilized world did not recognize its legitimacy. The United Nations should implement the same concept with Arab authorities who refuse access or impose Muslim “conduct” on the Temple Mount. But that train has left the station a long time ago. The United Nations has given credence to the Palestinian myth and has become its surrogate puppet. The United Nations and other western leadership has bitten into the disingenuous claim that Palestinians have the “right” to claim Jerusalem as their capital because of Muslim Holy Sites. Really? Whether true or not, where is it written that Jerusalem was or has ever been a historically religious and significant site to the Arabs?

My journey through Israel took me through the truth. Not as written by someone else, but as I witnessed it through my own experiences and encounters with both Jews and Arabs. Those who really want peace in the region know the truth and speak it. Those who pander to an agenda for political gain; spin, twist, and conjure up history to satisfy a narrative. First and foremost; the truth lies in the Bible. Secondly; it lies in the millennia of archeological findings that support Biblical narrative historically and geographically.   Third; it lies in the Israeli Jew who through perseverance, tenacity, and faith in God, struggles to strike a balance between a normal existence and continual vigilance against the destructive elements of evil. The truth lies in logic and common sense and not the gradual distortion of history. The truth lies in the land: the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, Caesarea, Tiberias, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Masada on the Dead Sea, and Jerusalem. With every step that I took in Israel I knew that under my feet was the truth. This was the truth of Solomon, David, Herod, Hadrian, and Jesus Christ. I started my perspective by saying that one cannot be a Christian without first being a Jew. I will end by saying that equally so: one cannot be a Palestinian without first owning up to being a Jew.

References:

(Myths, Hypothesis and Facts, Concerning the Origins of Peoples, The True Identity of the So-Called Palestinians. Retrieved 12/15/2016 from: http://www.imninalu.net/myths-pals.htm)

If the United States is a melting pot; then Israel is a boiling pot. Out of its almost 8,000,000 inhabitants, Israel is also home to approximately 2,000,000 Arabs; 82% of whom are Arab Muslim enjoying the same freedoms that Israeli Jewish and Christians enjoy. Free education, free health, freedom to start a business, and freedom to worship.  However, unlike Israeli Jews who must serve; Arabs do not have to. Not a bad deal one would think? So what’s the beef? Why the indignation of the Western world to include disingenuous organizations like the United Nations and UNESCO that continue to pressure Israel into submission? Why has the world accepted the Arab Palestine and Arab Palestinian talking points so easily and readily? Is it possible that our current world leadership is so historically ignorant that it ignores all archaeological, biblical, and written word (remember the Dead Sea scrolls?) but instead chooses to play into the Palestinian mantra disregarding all else? At this time I will refrain from addressing the Palestine myth in lieu of the double standard in religious claims that the West and the Muslim world currently impose on Israel. This is a first-hand encounter with what Christians and Jews endure on a daily basis to comply with pseudo “peace” arrangements set in place by those who are “reality” deficient. I will discuss Jerusalem because it is the crux of what is wrong with the blatant disingenuous role of a world leadership so biased and border-line anti-Semitic that if it weren’t so corrupt it would be laughable.

Without invoking either Biblical references or archaeological findings, it should be considered reasonable to assume that freedom of worship is a concept everyone in the free world should stand behind. In a predominantly defined religious denominational country, the populace religion of choice should be respected, or so we hope. In 1948, the State of Israel was created for Jews under the auspice that after the war, Jews displaced from all over the world, mostly European, would finally return “home” to their land where they can exist without fear of persecution. To some extent, Christians have been reasonable custodians of Biblical Holy sites; because after all one is a Jew before being Christian. Christ was born a Jew and died as a Jew. Christianity rose from His death and what some of us prefer to belief: his resurrection. Anyone outside the Judaeo worship parameters is a citizen guest in Israel. Israeli Jews have no problem with other faiths outside their own; they continually exercise mutual respect, cooperation, and support with Israeli and Christians.

Jerusalem is a city divided into four quarters: Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Muslim Arab. Without going into the convoluted history of Jerusalem, one quickly realizes that this is a city like no other. This is also the capital city of Israel; yet the United States chose to keep its embassy in Tel-Aviv. A slap in the face to the country. Israelis are hoping that the US President-elect will move the embassy where it should belong: Jerusalem. Such a move would validate Israel’s sole claim on Jerusalem.

Currently, any attempt to walk the Via Dolorosa or Way of the Cross without being assaulted by Arab merchants is near impossible. Unfortunately, because this is in the Arab quarter, this Christian holy road is riddled with Arab stores selling cheap “holy” souvenirs to pilgrims hoping to pray at the marked stations. Does anyone think that if a Christian visits a Muslim “holy” site he or she would be afforded the same leeway of disrespect? Hardly. Point in fact: it took us two days to attempt a significant visit to the Temple Mount. For one to understand the significance of this site, one must go back millennia when Solomon built a temple on a platform on top of Mount Mariah. Herod extended the platform; this was substantiated by cataloged archaeological findings  dating back to Solomon’s times. The temple was destroyed twice: once by Babylonians and then by the Romans. Fast forward to the large Golden Dome Mosque that sits on the site of the Solomon’s temple but determined by Muslims to be the only true “temple” denying that Solomon’s  temple ever existed on the Mount! One might ignore the ignorant banter but the situation is tenuous at best and dangerous at worst. The first time we tried to visit the Mount we couldn’t; we found out that Arab authorities are in the habit of denying access without notice to anyone except Muslims; and any time they choose to do so unhindered. Remember: this is a pre-Roman walled platform which by virtue of its location belongs to Israel. The Arabs in the region have been allowed to disrespect and threaten the world with terrorist rhetoric that disallows Christians and Jews to visit, worship, and pray at a site considered “holy” to all Christians and Jews in the world.

The Golden Dome on the Temple Mount was built to be the tallest building in Old Jerusalem; for obvious reasons. It was built right on top of Mount Mariah, the site of Solomon’s first temple. Hence it kept its name: Temple Mount. Not Mosque Mount. Not Big Giant Golden Dome Mount. But Temple Mount. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is dwarfed next to it. The Herodian Roman fort of Marc Anthony is now a school for Arab children. Outside of that school is one of the Stations of the Cross. We had no access to it. To say that security is tight would be an understatement. Israeli Special Forces keep the peace outside the mount, whilst Arab forces are on the mount. Both aware of each other and both eager for nothing to happen. One must also remember that outside the wall is the Wailing or Western Wall; one of the most sacred walls to the Jews. Right outside the Wall, actually touching it; is another tall mosque. On Sabbath evening, the most holy day of prayer and the week for the Jews, the mosque still finds it necessary to loudly “call to prayer.” As my dear Jewish friend so succinctly put it: “Do you Mohammed used microphones a hundred years ago to call to prayer? Why is it necessary to blast their prayers so loud, disrespecting other religions worshiping in the same area?” Good questions. Why? But I digress again. Prior to attempting a second visit to the Temple Mount  we had to leave back packs and handbags on the bus; hide any crosses or religious symbols found to be offensive; refrain from bodily touching; cover our bodies to include our ankles and necks; and not demonstrate any outward signs of Christianity or Judaism. These are the conditions that the Israelis are forced to abide with to keep the so-called imposed “peace” in their own country. I would like to know how many Americans would put up with that crap without some demonstration and burning in the streets!

Walking through the Via Dolorosa was as unsavory as going to the Temple Mount; more offensive in my opinion. There was no question of  worshiping or praying at the Stations because most of them are situated between market stalls or not available. I touched a section of wall were presumably Jesus rested his hand on his way to Calvary. I had to touch the wall through colored shawls and harem pants! The disrespect toward our faith continued as while attempting to pray, one is pulled aside or aggressively hassled to buy plastic rosaries or fake olive wood crosses. Isn’t it ironic that those who are offended by our faith are making a profit through it? What hypocrisy! What injustice! What world leadership weakness; is it possible that there is not one Western leader, Christian or Jew with balls big enough to demand reciprocation and respect of other religions or face dire consequences? The Israelis are well aware of the predicament. They go along with it because they know that if an incident happens in the Arab quadrant, the Mount being the epicenter; they would be left alone to deal with it. They would have to keep at bay and fight all the Arab nations surrounding them just to survive. They also realize that in the past few years western support and allegiance has only been given lip service. Israel is worried because it knows that not even the United States has shown any muscle in keeping Israel’s enemies at bay; instead it has all been about compromise. How pathetic!

The disrespect does not end on the Temple Mount! Our Israeli guide could not accompany us to Bethlehem because it is under Arab authority. Israelis are not allowed in Bethlehem. That’s “human rights” for you.  Christians are only condoned because they bring in revenues. The dollar and the euro are idols. The Church of the Nativity (which presumably lies on the spot where Jesus was born) is nestled in a corner on top of a steep hill. Opposite is a large mosque. Our temporary Arab guide was adequately pleasant but could not help telling us how Arabs love Christians! I could not help telling him that they loved our money more than they loved us! That was met with silence. The Church of the Nativity is “secured” by Arab security and consequently, border-line disgusting. While attempting to worship at the manger and Christ’s birth site, we were loudly and rudely told to “get out.” The guide had told us that if we are told to leave to ignore it and remain until he makes the decision to leave. However, the shouting and obnoxiousness was so pervasive that we decided to leave anyway. The shouting and insults did not stop at the door. We were followed out into the courtyard still shouted at. These are the Arabs who love Christians? Well go figure!

Where are the “human rights” activists? The “equal rights” bull horns? The proverbial tear-jerking anti-bias groups who go out in our streets to burn and pillage in the name of justice? Where is the United Nations? Where is UNESCO; the heritage custodian of the world? Where is the Pope? He is big on justice. Where is the supposedly most powerful nation in the world: the United States? Where is the outrage?  Where is the anger of every righteous religious individual to the left and right of the spectrum? Where is the courage of the world? Where are the “good” Muslims we hear so much about?

The continual world political pressure on Israel has reached unsustainable proportions. Israel is not a man-made mythical country born out of a presumptuous claim. Biblically and historically: Israel is the rightful owner of its land. Others in conflict with this ownership make false claims like Babylonian gods. If they want to coexist, they must coexist peacefully and respectful of all faiths and religions. An organization like the United Nations needs to justify its existence by waking up from the deep Kool Aid stupor it has sunk into; because it has become deficient by virtue of its blatant bias against Israel, which has the ultimate right to exist. Israel is coveted because it demonstrated to the world that it could sustain itself in a harsh climate where others failed. If Israel had failed in leading the world in patents, agriculture, and technology; nobody would be interested in it, and nobody would be fighting for their “rightful” claim religiously or otherwise.

I looked at both sides of the fence; one is fertile and the other is thrashed. Religion has very little to do with the Arab-Israeli “situation”. That is a convenient excuse. It is a mindset; the grass is literally greener on the Israeli side because Israelis did not wait for the world to give them the “good life”. Israel had an intrinsic desire to create a self-sustaining society without outside help. If the West has still not realized Israel’s potential, then we deserve the upheaval in the Middle East. We should be encouraging Israel to maintain its strength and fight for its right to exist and not make it compromise for it. We should be thankful that there is Israel in the midst of all the Arab states; because it is only Israel who can help the rest of the world control the Middle East effectively and sustain-ably. Shalom.

“Never again” is the “battle” cry for Israelis. Israel  sprung from a 1948 British  mandate and has lived in the shadow of those bent on its destruction  ever since. ישראל or Israel happens to be also the name given to Jacob as he encountered the Angel of God. El is an abbreviation of Elohim or God in Hebrew. The name is significant because it encompasses more than biblical nuances; it defines the country and its people. In a ten-day whirlwind journey through Israel, I discovered that the people of Israel are one with their name, land, history, Biblical traditions, and Elohim.

The journey cross-referenced biblical text with archeological findings that substantiated claims on land and sites. This trip was significant because it swiftly turned fact into myth, and dispensed with the stereotypical political spins that we have grown so accustomed to in recent years. Travelling from Haifa to Bethlehem, I learned that Israel has been the brunt of inaccurate journalism (to put it mildly) and blatant journalistic distortion to satisfy a global political agenda, comfortable only to those who hide behind the “peace” mantra, but  for reasons far more insidious.

My perspective of strife got a “reality check” in Haifa on a seamlessly harmless walk down the side of a hill toward Elijah’s cave. In the 9th century and during the reign of King Ahab, Elijah the prophet was said to have lived on Mt. Carmel in a cave situated on a hillside overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean port city of Haifa.. A simple cave cut into the hill almost at street level across which is a beach dotted with restaurants, museums, and port authorities. The cave is now a synagogue by virtue of its significance to the Israeli Jew and every Jew in the world. A cable car on the beach side  takes tourists or those too tired to walk back up the hill to an observatory site, the church of Mt. Carmel, and restaurants.  Our good friend and “guide” is a long time resident of Haifa who soon found herself compelled to give a personal insight into the lives of Israelis and Israel. As we drove through Haifa, she pointed to the gentle sloping hills of Lebanon on the opposite side of Haifa; without missing a beat her hands “traced” the path that missiles took from those hills toward her town  and her neighborhood during the many skirmishes in the past few years. This was not an effort to “shake” us or impress us but to explain how Jews, especially Israelis, take on the concept of danger on a daily basis.  To “bring it home”, she  pointed to a beautiful restaurant on the beach and slowly related an unbelievable event.  Not long ago, an Arab woman went in for a meal and after she paid her bill calmly proceeded to blow herself and everyone else in the restaurant. I was dumbfounded because I could not recall any such incident on any major network. Well, it seems that I and everyone else in the western world has been missing a lot of real news from Israel on major networks! We have been drinking the proverbial Kool Aid. But I digress. A memorial etched with the names of those murdered stands outside the restaurant  side by side to the daily menu. A  testimonial to the evil Israel and Israelites are accustomed to. Similar memorials stand outside schools, office buildings, restaurants, churches, and temples: each terrorist attack invoking the cry of “never again.” “Never again” is a hitorical sign of defiance and tenacity against a world that seems to care more for the assassins than the victims. Everything is put in perspective as we walk back up a steep Haifa hill to our friend’s apartment with a breath-taking bird’s eye view of the port and the beach. As we looked down at the beautiful Mediterranean and the hazy hills across the way, it was hard to understand the terror that our friend, her family, and her country must have gone through. It seems that in Israel one takes on terrorism as one takes on a bad meal at a restaurant: you take your chances but still go out to eat. That is the defiance that uplifts this nation of eight million people.  Three events define “never again” for the Israel Jew.

Masada: King Herod’s fort situated on a high plateau overlooking the Dead Sea. In Hebrew, Masada means a fortress. Climbing Masada is like climbing the side of a pyramid. Sheer cliffs cut through the rocks on all sides, making Masada almost impregnable.  Masada was an ambitious project by King Herod who at every opportunity attempted to demonstrate his “greatness” and wealth. Unfortunately for him, Masada was taken from the Romans and occupied by 960 renegade Jews nicknamed  the “zealots”. In 65CE these “zealots” were fleeing Jerusalem during the Judea Roman wars. For close to nine years they lived and thrived defying Roman authority; until the Romans got a flea under their collar and wanted Masada back: more from prestige than from necessity. An army led by then Governor of Judea Flavius Silva surrounded the fort and took it back but not without a fight and a long costly siege. According to Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian, the Jews held out until the very end. In desperation and to spare the women and children from slavery and fate worse than death; the “zealots “decided to kill the women and children; thenthrough a methodical countdown they would kill each other until the last man fell on his sword.   Masada became an oath of faith that “never again” would Jews have to chose between slavery and death. Even today, military recruits or those reenlisting, are taken on Masada to hear “the story” and take their oath of allegiance to their country; reiterating the cry of defiance: never again!

The Holocaust is very complicated for Israelis. It is a chapter of Jewish history that remains controversial especially for those born after WWII. Some wonder why their grandfathers, fathers, mothers, and relatives did not fight the Nazi regime but meekly submitted to kneeling on the edge of a mass grave for execution. The Holocaust elevates the second element to “never again ” to a totally different aspect. The Holocaust is the 20th century Masada; it took “never again” to new levels. Young Israelis visit the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem;  they walk expressionless and seemingly removed among exhibits of sounds and horrors that unfold with every step they take. As I walked beside them I wondered what they were thinking. I was told that survivors hardly ever talk about the Holocaust. It is a scar imbedded so deep in one’s psyche that any attempt to resurrect is met with cold refusals. Yad Vashem is the name of the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Yad Vashem means a “memorial and a name” as found in Isaiah 56:5.  Throughout the exhibits and pictures of victims, one word is repeated over and over again: murdered. No excuses. Not “killed” which is bad enough, but “murdered”. Stark and “in your face” description of how over 6,000,000 European Jews were systematically and willfully murdered  in a premeditaed method just because of who they were: Jews. As young Israeli soldiers are guided through the halls of Yad Vashem, they learn and become aware of the reasons  they wear the uniform and the reason they must always be ready to protect their country. They look at pictures and deep down is the cry: “never again” must Jews be subjected to a Holocaust.

Since 1948 the State of Israel has had to fight for survival. Although in recent years some Arab neighbors have been somewhat tamed  and are more neighborly than others; others are still bent on destroying Israel.  One cannot blame them for wanting what the Chosen People have. Israel  managed to turn the “wilderness” (so aptly described in the New Testament) to a state-of-the-art agricultural Mecca of the Middle East. The scientific ingenuity is hard to miss. Everywhere are fields growing produce that requires water. However, after the 1967 six-day war, Israel  did  become complacent and almost cost its obliteration. Yom Kippur 1973: and all the surrounding Arab countries banded together in one swooping attack on Israel;  hoping to take back what was lost in 1967. This could have been a General Custer moment, because the Arabs saw this as their ultimate chance to also gain momentum in the region.  But God’s Chosen People prevailed again. Elohim was looking out for them.  “Never again” must have pumped into every soldier’s and airman’s vein, because they not only held fast but also pushed the Arabs back into their territories; keeping their land and their promise: “never again”.

To understand Israel one must understand the Israeli Jew.  The Israeli Jew loves his country from the moment he opens his eyes in the morning until he closes them at night. The Israeli Jew seems to be one with the land because  the land is the “chosen” land. There is no doubt in his mind that his land is rightfully his and he will fight till death to protect it. The Israeli Jew has the Word of God on his side.  Biblical references to the Dead Sea (Genesis 14:3) and Jerusalem (Genesis 14:18) puts the Israeli Jew in the land of Abraham: a land now being “discussed” by world organizations as an option for Middle East peace. That is like telling New Yorkers that the Statue of Liberty is not in New York City because the Port Authority in New Jersey has maritine control. How many people plan a trip to New Jersey to visit “the lady”?  Why is the world not on Israel’s side? Why is pressure put on Israel and the Israelites to compromise, but those who try to kill them are given a free pass? Why would a country give back land that was won fairly and without provocation? Why is the world so blinded by political rhetoric that misses the historical chronological truths that give Israel the right to exist? These are not my questions. These are Israel’s questions. I ought to know: they were asked of me.