There is something ugly brewing in the Middle East, and it is noticeably spreading to the rest of the world. Or perhaps it was always there.
Europeans, university students, Arabs, and even some Jews are condemning Israel for defending itself. Facing possible annihilation, Israel is looking into a world which has turned its back on it. With the exception of the cautious United States, there are no real friends of Israel.
I am not Jewish, and chances are, you are not either. So why should we care about the fate of six million Jews in a land far away from us? Israel is the only freely elected democracy in the Middle East, and it is surrounded by autocratic “thugocracies.” Quite simply, they are our friends and most Arab nations are not.
Moral relativism pervades our society and media and demands that we not judge between good and evil. Nihilism is easier for those who are squeamish about making value judgments. We refuse to say that those who purposely attack innocent women and children in markets or on buses are truly evil. They are. Furthermore, the people that support them have absolutely no moral qualms with these acts. Saudis, Kuwaitis, Iraqis and others are busily compiling money for bombers’ families.
What would our reaction be if they collected money for the families of the nineteen men who attacked us in September?
Americans should never forget the image of Palestinians dancing in the streets of Ramallah on September 11. Supporting these people is like supporting the Japanese during World War II.
The axis of evil is alive and well in the Middle East. Underestimating its hatred is a tragic mistake. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain thought he could cooperate with Hitler. During a period of British appeasement, Hitler’s confidence grew. Each concession from the British was interpreted as weakness and thus paved the way for World War II.
It is arrogant for President Bush to issue demands on Israel. It is clear that if Canadians attacked us with suicide bombers, there would be hell to pay. Bush believes he can broker peace with a terrorist.
Columnist Charles Krauthammer says most suicide bombers are from “Arafat’s own Fatah movement.” When Arafat says he wants peace, he really means he wants a “piece” of Israel. Henry Kissinger has said Arafat probably considers interim agreements as “a stage to the ultimate destruction of the Israeli state.”
Besides the brutal bombings, there is a chilling development appearing worldwide. It is not just that some people have embraced anti-Zionism; they have embraced anti-Semitism.
“There has been a strange silence about the virulent and disgusting anti-Semitism,” writes columnist Mona Charen. “Will the world once again flinch in the face of genocidal anti-Semitism?”
The Europeans harp on Israel, yet they are the very reason there is such a state. According to author Mark Mazower, Palestinians lost their land because of “Europe’s reluctance to absorb its diminished Jewish population.” After the Holocaust, Europe shut its borders to the wandering Jewish refugees. And with that, Israel was born.
Palestinian supporters argue that their land was stolen. Perhaps it was, but history shows us this is not a unique situation. The British took land from the Irish. China took land from Tibet. The North Vietnamese took land from the South. Turkey took land from Greece and so forth. Life is tough. However, there is no excuse for murdering innocents. Whether they fight for Sinn Fein or Arafat, every bomb they make is laced with the hate they feel. There is no negotiation when a gun is pointed to your head.
Evidence of anti-Semitism mounts–synagogues are being burned. During a pro-Palestinian rally on a California campus, NBC News reported that someone threw a brick into a Hillel center. Night after night, the BBC issues biased reports on the conflicts. The station spends ten minutes covering the suffering of Palestinians, and then go over to the Israeli side and ask one question: “When are you getting out of here?”
Ron Rosenbaum of the New York Observer warns that a second Holocaust is a real possibility for a nation whose population is vastly outnumbered. “It is coming sooner or later; it’s not whether, but when … [The] Europeans’ consciences, as always, will be clear and untroubled.”
It is truly unfortunate that some people only respect violence. But in Utopia there is compromise and reason during heated disagreements. Israel was founded with the motto “Never Again.” The Jewish people needed a homeland, which would protect them from a hostile world.
As we witness hate-filled Arab rallies and the disturbing silence among Europeans and Americans, one thing is clear: Israel is alone in a dark and scary place, and a “hostile world” was never far away from reality.
Anna Gould ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science.