WHY IT IS SO HARD FOR SOME AMERICAN JEWS TO SEE THE BASIC FACTS ON ISRAEL.

The desire for universal peace for all people is a deep Jewish creed for untold time. It was stated by our prophets and supported by our faith despite many odds. We also abhor killing. After the Nazis were defeated people from other nations in the death camps killed as many German as they could. However, the Jews abhorrence to killing is so strong that Jewish survivors did not kill their tormentors, but just enjoyed their freedom. We hate to see any body suffer or being treated badly irrespective of their nationality or religion. It is especially sad to us Jews when a member of our faith behaves in an immoral way; we all feel some shame.

We want to be so faultless, so righteous, that we often ignore what does not fit our wishes.

So, what do we feel when we see the real suffering of Palestinians and the hundred of deaths they encountered in the last eight months? Some of us believe that the Israelis are using undue force against these innocent civilians.
However, despite our dream for a world of peace we have to live with current reality. Judaism is based on accepting reality, we do not assume people are angels, just human, subjected to all the potential of humans, but also to the limitations human have. We must accept facts and act according to them.

When we see act A being done, it would be a mistake to say, no, really it is B. If we would continue it for long the same thing would happen to us that happened to the German Jews before W.W.II. The facts were plainly in front of them, but many of them could not give up the life they had and rationalized that the German people would eventually reject Hitler.
THOSE THAT ACCEPTED REALITY ESCAPED AND SURVIVED.

There is another reason why good, caring Jews have great difficulty accepting reality in Israel. We see how each side is suffering, but despite the facts we do not want to be a part of those who inflict harm. As Golda Meir said to Sadat, "We can forgive you for killing our children, but we are unable to forgive you for making us kill your children."

This thinking is part of the reason why sensible, logical, caring Jews and other liberal people, have immense difficulty accepting the facts of the Middle East, that many Arabs have very little problem with killing people, either their own, or others.

Does it shock you to read this?

Are you still unaware of the suicide bombers and the encouragement that key Muslim clergymen give them, and the support they get from their community at large?
Did you see the joy of the murderers of the two Israeli reservists some months ago, displaying their bloody hands to the cheering crowds?

We often do not want to remember these events. They are so gruesome.

HERE IS REALITY, AS DIFFICULT AS IT IS TO LOOK AT: When someone tells you that they are going to kill you and proceed to attack you, a logical person would try to protect himself, and be prepared to defend him/herself better. May be the first time it would be a surprise, but if it is a surprise the second time, one could question his ability to accept reality. And when this attempt to kill is repeated verbally and in action, and ignored, the person is clearly unable to see reality and eventually would be killed.

Luckily for Israel, collectively they muster the strength to defend themselves from repeated attempts to kill them and annihilate Israel.

I can understand those Israelis that do not want to accept the facts that for more than 50 years many Palestinians, and other Arabs, want to eliminate Israel and kill as many Jews as they can. If those Israelis accepted these facts it would mean that they are not likely to have peace in their lifetime.

People must have hope to survive emotionally.

The impossibility of any peace is very heavy burden to carry. It is much easier to ignore the facts and continue to live with an illusion. This is a well-known psychological phenomenon of denial. We reject facts that are too overwhelming for us to handle. Take one simple fact, how many of us are willing to live with the reality that one of these days we will die like every one else. We ignore that basic fact and live as if there will always be a tomorrow.

There are American Jews who do not want to accept the reality that the Palestinians want to murder as many Israelis as they can and eliminate Israel as a nation. These good Jews wish that the Israelis, their brothers, would be beyond reproach, and live according to the dreams of Judaism - peace between all nations, the lion shall lie with the lamb. You see, we are most irritated when a family member is immoral, because it reflects on us. We tolerate the immorality in strangers, but we are indignant, angry, if a member of our own family lives an undignified life. And the expectation of many Jews of Israel is completely different from the expectation they have of the Palestinians and other Arabs.

The lion lying with the lamb is a dream of Judaism; it is not reality. In this world, and Israel is part of this world, the most important element is not morality, but power, be it economic, or military power. I wish it were different, but how long can we ignore the facts?

If the Arab nations who started war after war to eliminate Israel had the military power in 1948, in 1967, in 1973 and on other occasions, such as the current rebellion, they would have destroyed Israel and kill many Jews there. They tried and they did kill many Israelis: one percent of the Israelis were killed in the War of Independence, a war imposed on Israel, a war that so many people choose to ignore now. However, Israel had more effective military power, as weak as it was, (I experienced our weakness, one gun and five bullets for five people.)

Israel survived not because it was morally right and the Arab wrong. Each side believed that God was on their side, and each side believed that they had the moral high ground.

Germany and Japan lost W.W.II not because they were murderers and morally corrupt, but because the US was stronger economically and had a huge war production capability, leading to a strong military power.
The same with Saddam Hussein, Iraq, and Desert Storm. The US won in 1991 because we brought in so much military power that it overwhelmed Saddam's Army.

THE CURRENT MINI WAR IN ISRAEL IS NOT ABOUT SETTLEMENTS, HEBRON, THE BORDERS, OR ANY OTHER THING, BUT THE CRAVING AND PLANS OF MOST PALESTINIANS AND MANY ARABS TO ELIMINATE ISRAEL. PERIOD.
EVERY THING ELSE IS AN EXCUSE THAT ANY REALISTIC INDIVIDUAL SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE CLEARLY.

I hear people say: If the Israelis will give up the settlements, or do this or that, the Palestinians will want peace

FOR ISRAEL TO SURVIVE IT MUST BE MILITARILY STRONG, AND NOT GIVE UP ANYTHING TILL THE PALESTINIANS DEMONSTRATES A CLEAR DESIRE FOR PEACE.
* * * *
Written originally 5/25/01