A Response to Secretary of State Kerry

This is written by an anonymous friend (a Democrat no less) in response to Secretary of State Kerry's comment about the State of Israel becoming an apartheid state - a fantastic piece.

And why everyone who is coming to Mr. Kerry's defence is missing the point.

Peace comes only when both parties want it. Peace cannot be imposed. So long as the Palestinian interests are represented by those who expressly refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, there will be no peace. The world had better get over their age-old perception of the Jews as something less than equal members of the human race, and accept the fact that Israel is and always will be a Jewish state. No less so than Saudi Arabia is a Muslim state, with its own religious laws imposed by a majority onto any minority living therein. No less so than England is a Christian state, with its monarch as the titular head of the Church of England.

Jews are never again going to be led into ovens because there is no other nation willing to accept them. Jews have a state and it is Israel. So long as that simple reality is beyond the acceptance of the Palestinians and other neighbouring Arab countries, there will be no peace. So long as Mr. Kerry and Mr. Obama and any of the other players on the world stage cannot get that simple fact in their heads as an absolute, then there will be no peace.

Apartheid? Let any Arab, any Palestinian, live in Israel and be a citizen - they can vote and they can live just as freely as any Jew. They can worship in their own mosques. They can go to school. They are full citizens within Israel. Funny, but a Jew living in virtually any Arab state would not have that same right. Most Palestinians would not even be given that right in most Arab states - if there is such empathy for their plight, why are those oil rich states not spending their dollars to enrich the lives of their brethren?

Apartheid? Because Israel has the right to decide that its existence is founded on it being a Jewish state? Does not every other nation have that same right of self-determination and self-definition?

Get over it, world. Come to grips with the fact that we are not going to let you apply a double-standard any longer. Israel is a Jewish state. Period. Jews have a homeland and Jews will defend themselves. Jews are not going to be told what is, or is not, acceptable based on standards not applicable to any other nation.

The day a Jew can live freely in an Arab state, maybe then we can consider peace. The day that the Palestinians stop teaching their children that Jews are vermin to be exterminated, and that the Holocaust is a myth perpetuated by Jews, then perhaps peace is possible. The day that Israel is no longer singled out for defending its borders after a rocket attack from the territories, while the world turns a blind eye to thousands of innocents being slaughtered in African nations, then maybe peace has a chance.

Until then, peace is not going to happen. Because so long as the Palestinians and the rest of the world refuse to acknowledge that Israel is a Jewish state, then there is no room for discussion. Nor should there be. Denial of that basic fact - and yes, it is a fact - is a denial of the security of every Jew in the world. Without Israel as a Jewish state, there is no security for any of us. There is no protection from the horrors of what took place only a generation ago in Europe. Because the Nazis and their followers, and a good number of ordinary citizens in European nations, were God-fearing Christians, and they had no moral issue with exterminating the Jews and sending them to ovens and gas chambers, And the Cossacks were also good, God-fearing folk, who commenced systematic harassment and murder of the Jews through pogroms. And the Spanish Inquisition had the church behind it when Jews were forced to convert for fear of death. And history keeps repeating itself and would continue to do so, with the exception that now there is a Jewish State, Israel.

When a human being can be branded with a number on their arm, like cattle branded before slaughter, then to be perfectly honest, those being branded lose their ability to trust in the inherent goodness of others. The fear of God did nothing to stop millions from being slaughtered by their neighbours. And so when trust in human decency fails, and no place can truly be called safe, or home, we look to shape our own security. Our own home. Our own defence.

Mr. Kerry, get over it. Tell your boss the same thing, and have your ambassador to the United Nations listen up too. Israel is a Jewish state. And until you can get the Palestinians and their supporters to accept that, then you are wasting your time flying to the Middle East.

We, as Jews, are not asking you or anyone else to change your beliefs. Pray to Jesus if you are a Christian - Israel affords you that right, unlike many Arab nations. Pray to Allah if that is your belief too - in Israel, you can be who you are. And as your neighbours here in the Diaspora, you won't find us uttering a single word about what you believe in. We don't claim to have a monopoly on what is right or what is the truth. We accept that everyone has the right to worship God as they see fit, so long as it does not harm anyone else. Be who you are.

Afford us the same dignity, however. And if you cannot, or will not, then that is all the more reason why we as Jews need Israel as a Jewish state.

And as the only real democracy in the Middle East, you need Israel as a Jewish state too.

It might be a duck... or a terrorist in a suit

It's being reported that Mideast "peace" talks are being suspended by Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority. The reason being given is that Israel will not extent its settlement building freeze. Mind you, these "settlements" are those that would be included in Israel "proper" if an Arab state is established on the lands of Judea/Samaria (aka West Bank).

Instead, the PA is thinking about opening talks with the well established terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. If the Palestinians are supposed to be the "moderates" and Hamas are the "extremists" what does this tell us?

Are the "moderates" of the Palestinian Authority and the "extremists" of Hamas different than each other? In what way? Hamas is clear - Israel must be destroyed. The PA claims it only wants a state. Is the creation of another Arab state just a stepping stone toward the destruction of Israel?

Looking at the Palestinian Authority's revised charter we have to wonder if anything has really changed. While the terms "Israel", "Zionist" and other similar words are no longer included in the charter - it begins with these statements:

Revolution is our path to freedom, independence, and construction
It is a revolution until victory

It goes on to say:

This internal charter has been adopted within the framework of adherence to the provisions of the Basic Charter.

In reality, this "new" Palestinian Charter is an addendum to the Basic Charter - which includes the destruction of Israel.

Article (19) Armed struggle is a strategy and not a tactic, and the Palestinian Arab People's armed revolution is a decisive factor in the liberation fight and in uprooting the Zionist existence, and this struggle will not cease unless the Zionist state is demolished and Palestine is completely liberated.

How is this different from from the new charter?

You must prepare yourself to inspire the spirit of organized revolutionary work in every Arab soul that is sincere to Palestine and that believes in its liberation. Let us train ourselves to be patient and to face ordeals, bear calamities, sacrifice our souls, blood, time and effort.

Fatah is the armed wing of the Palestinian Authority. We see what their interests are by their symbol.

Their background includes a map of the whole of Israel - not the so called West Bank or just the Gaza Strip. Of course the additions of the machine guns and a grenade are nice touches.

The Hamas charter is not much different from the PA Basic Charter.

The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up.... There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by Jihad.... "I swear by the holder of Mohammed's soul that I would like to invade and be killed for the sake of Allah, then invade and be killed, and then invade again and be killed." (As related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Take a look at the Hamas flag.

Compare the Hamas and the PA flags - both have the whole of Israel on their flags. Both believe that "from the river to the sea Palestine will be free". Both believe in jihad and "liberation" through the murder of Jews.

Tell me again what differentiates the "moderates" from the "extremists" exactly?