Butting Out of Israel’s Business

“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride…”

– John Ray, 1670.

Recently I had the unfortunate experience of meeting with a group of liberal Jews who believe Israel is some kind of evil occupying government and the poor Palestinian people (actually a figment of the Arab public relations propaganda machine) deserve to have Israel’s land.

After being viciously attacked and being told I was full of crap for my opinions on Israel by a Nazi camp survivor, whose anger at Israel is palpable, I came to some hard and fast conclusions once my shaking was under control.

Israel is none of our business.

Of course every Jewish person should be dedicated to ensuring it remains a viable Jewish State for so many reasons I would not have enough space to list them. However, when I hear the anger and rhetoric espoused by the liberals I realize what harm the American Jews are doing through this significant divide.

In the Arab world, compromise is translated not as a virtue, but an opportunity.

Anger and strength are the languages they process. Concessions are seen as a sign of weakness and a chance to pounce and gain more ground in the negotiations.

Giving land for peace has done nothing more than creating new demands for more land with far less peace. The real argument is no longer about borders, it is about the religious fanaticism Hamas and Hezbollah espouse and are dedicated to spreading throughout the Middle East.

Arabs are by nature bargainers, and they do it well. Whether in the marketplace haggling for a rug or scarf, or on the world stage fighting to destroy a neighboring state, they excel.

I am not criticizing their methods; I am only stating the obvious. When an Arab is in negotiation and smells weakness, he knows he will soon taste victory. He has only to wear down his opponent and wait him out until he wins the battle. It is an art perfected over centuries.

Jews, however, are weak. We fight amongst one another, spew hatred toward anyone or any ideas that exhibit strength and try to beat down our own best interests.

Perhaps it is because the Jewish people have always had to “get along” to survive, we so easily fold under pressure. The Jewish mantra has always been “make nice, shush still and get along.” I suppose that is why there are so few of us left in the world. Actually a mere 14 million give or take. Good news to all the haters, I am sure.

Ironic, it took the murder of six million to awake the beast inside. Shouldn’t the murder of one Jew be enough for us? Did it really have to take six million to incite our fury?

The Arab world is well aware that they have only to wait and the Jews will fold and cave in to their demands.

They have new strong allies for their cause in the new Administration being guided by the liberal Jewish elements of the pro-Israel agenda.

Although ZOA (Zionist Organization of America) is battling to keep the proponents of a strong Israel alive and viable, I am afraid the body is weakening. Zionism has been rewritten and carries a negative and evil connotation, even to many Jews.

J Street and Peace Now have become a powerful voice and are firm in their resolve and anger toward Israel and their determination to ensure the Palestinians a state. This week, the labor party in Israel threatened to leave Netanyahu’s coalition government if no peace progress is made. Jews, it seems, battle one another on every continent.

Using convoluted liberal logic, they advocate the message that only by giving in Israel will survive and be accepted into the world community.

It sounds good in theory, however it is an exceptionally good example of faulty logic.

“If Israel gives in to the Arab world, it then follows that the world will embrace Israel.”

I have a difficult time seeing the logic in that theory.

The propaganda machine against Israel has been far too effective the last 62 years. With Hitler and his surviving Nazis’ help, the Arab world has been taught well the benefits of repeating a lie often enough to make it take on an aura of truth.

At the recent meeting we attended, it was even pointed out to me that if Israel behaves, Iran may well abandon its plans to bring on a new world order in the Middle East and cast aside its radical Islamic tenets.

And all it would take to make this happen is for Israel to give up more land and Jerusalem. It would seem Israel has a great deal of power for a tiny patch of land in the desert. Imagine what it could achieve if we could only find that lost Ark of the Covenant and unleash that power source.

Would that life were so simple.

Would that the religious fanaticism of this century could be dispelled by a single act of weakness on the part of the Israelis.

If I could have one wish for world peace, I imagine I would wish for that outcome. However, last time I looked no one was doling out wishes on street corners or in stores.

Although I applaud the naive beliefs of the liberal sector of the Jewish Israel supporters, life and history have taught me otherwise.

Negotiations are only successful when backed by a strong hand.

The new group of supporters may simply be too young to have lived to see the world quite so clearly as those who have witnessed the negative consequences of Jewish appeasement. Optimism is a great thing when it is not tempered with a strong dose of delusion.

Every Jew must and should feel optimistic about Israel’s existence. It is imperative to our survival as a people and a religion. However, when I see an end to the constant barrage of evil propaganda coming from the Arab world aimed at the next generation of haters, my optimism will flow more freely.

Refusing to face the harsh realities of the world and exhibiting the painfully tragic “people pleasing, insecure side” of the Jewish nature will only result once more in destruction and pain.

Israel is no longer just a Jewish issue. It is standing in the way of a plan to reorganize the Middle East under a radical Islamic, religious regime.

It is no wonder the few moderate Arab nations are secretly pulling for Israel to remain in place and in the belly of the beast. Without Israel nothing stands in the way of these extremists coming closer to securing the strength to carry out their evil goals against the western world and their own Arab neighbors.

Each time the Jewish people argue amongst themselves, and each time a Jewish group maligns Israel, the extremists gain more strength. Our dissention and anger toward one another is our enemy’s infusion of life’s blood for their struggle.

Perhaps if we cannot refrain from attacking one another, the Jews of the world must now back off. We only fuel the fire of passion to destroy Israel through our actions.

Only by speaking with one strong voice in favor of Israel can we emit the energy to affect the Jewish State in a positive and meaningful way.

After what I witnessed recently at that meeting, I have grave doubts about our ability to keep from self-destructing.

We need to speak with one voice or shut our mouths entirely.

Knowing my people … I would say the odds are one million to one against that happening. Let’s face the reality of our lives: Jewish people are their own worst enemy. They always have been, and from the unpleasant attack I personally experienced, they still remain so.

Perhaps, since it is the Israelis whose lives are on the line each day, Jews in the Diaspora should just simply butt out. In my humble opinion, at this point we are doing more harm to one another and Israel through these divided and negative efforts.

The Jewish people need to achieve harmony and respect for one another. Then and only then might we have the right to advise Israel on issues of peace.

Norma Zager
Norma Zager is a Jewish woman who lives in the USA.In the series "Postcards from Israel," Ari Bussel and Norma Zager invite readers throughout the world to join them as they present reports from Israel as seen by two sets of eyes: Bussel's on the ground, Zager's counterpoint from home.Israel and the United States are interrelated - the two countries we hold dearest to our hearts - and so is this "point - counterpoint" presentation that has, since 2008, become part of our lives.