On a conversative Anglican blog I asked, “Why does the left hate Israel so much? Are they religious? Jewish? Arab? Muslim? Most of them are not – so why do they criticize Israel so relentlessly and ignore the sins of their enemies?” (Or something to that effect.)
Let me state up front that I generally (note the qualifier) support the modern state of Israel – but not for religious reasons. Nothing to do with “fulfillment of biblical prophecy” or anything like that. It has mainly to do with what kind of a nation they are particularly in contrast to her neighbors. (Okay a little bit to do with Israel being mostly Jewish.)
It seems everyone and their cousin has been criticizing and protesting recent military actions by Israel against? in? Gaza. Even when the critic admits (if in passing) that well yeah Hamas had been launching rockets against Israel for about the last three years still… the response has been “disproportionate”. (Leaving us to wonder what exactly would a “proportionate” response be.) At best I discern a kind of “moral equivalence” argument.
In a recent column entitled “The Necessity of Israel” (poor title when you actually read it) Charles Krauthammer splashes a healthy dose of cold wat- I mean reality on those who have been condemning Israel:
Late Saturday, thousands of Gazans received Arabic-language cell-phone messages from the Israeli military, urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons. — Associated Press, Dec. 27
WASHINGTON – …
Israel is so scrupulous about civilian life that, risking the element of surprise, it contacts enemy noncombatants in advance to warn them of approaching danger. Hamas, which started this conflict with unrelenting rocket and mortar attacks on unarmed Israelis — 6,464 launched from Gaza in the last three years — deliberately places its weapons in and near the homes of its own people.
This has two purposes. First, counting on the moral scrupulousness of Israel, Hamas figures civilian proximity might help protect at least part of its arsenal. Second, knowing that Israelis have new precision weapons that may allow them to attack nonetheless, Hamas hopes that inevitable collateral damage — or, if it is really fortunate, an errant Israeli bomb — will kill large numbers of its own people for which, of course, the world will blame Israel.
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Think about that. Israel warns Palestinian civilians. Does Hamas warn israeli citizens? Heck – does Hamas target only the Israeli military (and sometimes kill civilians with collateral damage)? Or does Hamas target indiscriminately Israeli civilians? And – keep going here – does Israel target civilians? Or does Israel target combatants (and sometimes unfortunately kill civilians with collateral damage)?
Moral equivalence (the Palestinians and Israelis are just as bad/good) in this context results from intellectual failure.
Should we be concerned about civilian casualties? You bet. Should we care about the “Palestinian cause”? Sure.
Oh wait – about that “Palestinian cause” thing Krauthammer reminds us of some hard facts that nearly everyone ignores.
What ensued [after Israel gave Palestinians their first sovereign state ever]? This is not ancient history. Did the Palestinians begin building the state that is supposedly their great national aim? No. No roads, no industry, no courts, no civil society at all. The flourishing greenhouses that Israel left behind for the Palestinians were destroyed and abandoned. Instead, Gaza’s Iranian-sponsored rulers have devoted all their resources to turning it into a terror base — importing weapons, training terrorists, building tunnels with which to kidnap Israelis on the other side. And of course firing rockets unceasingly.
The grievance? It cannot be occupation, military control or settlers. They were all removed in September 2005. There’s only one grievance and Hamas is open about it. Israel’s very existence.
On NPR I heard a telephone interview with a “Palestinian negotiator” in the West Bank. She made it quite clear who she thought was “right/good” and who was “wrong/bad” – Israel. Not even moral equivalence. She used words like “liberation” and “occupation”.
How can one speak of “occupation” and “liberation” therefrom when that ended in September 2005? Who was the first to give Palestinians at least some of what they wanted – their own state? Other Arab nations? Nope. Israel did.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying Palestinians are bad people. Or that they have no legitimate needs complaints or concerns. Or that Israel is always the good guy. The focus here is on this specific episode. Israel bombing Hamas targets in Gaza and now invading Gaza (temporarily according to Israel). Much of the world condemns Israel for this. Palestinians good Israel bad – the usual refrain.
But that just does not square up with history or reality.
