The existence of anti-Semitism across Europe, Canada, the United States and the rest of the developed world, particularly on college campuses, is growing and will soon be beyond control and spread throughout society. The first waves will soon break out as today’s college students being steeped in anti-Israel, anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic programs and virtual pogroms graduate and bring their toxic views into the political world and then the workplace and society as a whole. These indoctrinations are presented as presumed pro-Palestinian protests such as Israel Apartheid Week, mock checkpoints, demonstrations blocking campus access portraying the Israeli security barrier as the modern version of the Berlin Wall or the Warsaw Ghetto Walls as well as faux eviction notices placed on Jewish and pro-Israel students’ dorm rooms claiming their rooms are to be demolished as protest of terror home demolitions and simple, straight out physical intimidation of Jewish and pro-Israel students. For further observations and documentations one can start with these two articles; Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain and Hotbeds of Anti-Semitism in British Academia or use the results from a simple search engine results for anti-Semitism on college campus we performed as a free service to make life easier.
This article is not out to bang the drum which already has been accomplished to the point that a complete percussion section has been added to the anti-Semitism orchestrated noises around the world just covering college campuses and in some cases it spreading to public high schools. This is following a normal progression for many politicized items as has been tracked with other subjects such as global climate change, equal opportunity, affirmative actions, LGBTQ rights and other highly charged political subjects from our modern societies. We will be taking a different tact driving to perceive what is probably the one major change which if taken would help rid the entire developed world from this pernicious evil. We will leave the proof to the links above and what will probably be more than sufficient numbers of articles which are sure to continue to surface. That could change and do so with a rapidity that would astonish the world and could be right around the corner if only some specific events and particular actions taken by some crucially critical people would materialize, but such things are unfortunately not looking ready to occur. So, let’s dive in and see what needs to be shaking.
Anti-Israel Protests
One of the first items which everybody a week ago thought was fair accompli and about to happen as soon as all the arrangements were done and ground was broken was the repeated statement once more by a candidate for President of the United States that the American Embassy in Israel would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Candidate Donald Trump promised, and we quote, “We will move the American Embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem,” speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in March. Further he stated this important add-on stating, “The Palestinians must come to the table knowing that the bond between the United States and Israel is absolutely, totally unbreakable.” Well, here we are in week one and already the moving of the American Embassy to Jerusalem has gone from we will to a process where ramifications and complications must be weighed and a cost/benefit analysis performed and all the other irrelevant items being spit out all in an effort to say we are going to do the same old same old. We have already heard of Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and other Arab allies having warned the White House of severe repercussions should it proceed with the move. The threats included a threatened review of bilateral relations with both the US and Israel plus warnings of an upsurge in violence should the embassy be relocated. Please do not tell us that the Trump campaign were not aware of these ramifications when they followed the well-worn path of lying to AIPAC knowing full well that they would turn everything over to the State department and Pentagon and either or both would come back with a report warning against such rash actions as they would inflame the world and the ramifications far outweighed any benefit if there could even be an argument that there exists a benefit. Further, they would question the expense and warn that such simply was politically risky should any of the threats of violence be traced to having moved the Embassy, which the State department would warn they would most likely find as the cause of any terrorism targeting American facilities overseas.
So, Trump is not going to be as pro-Israel as advertised, and why should he? Expecting President Trump to be more pro-Israel than Israel is ridiculous, as it should be. We learned this centuries ago and it was most succinctly stated by Rabbi Hillel who wisely asked, “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” When, as we mentioned yesterday, the Israeli Security Cabinet voted unanimously to delay discussion on any law annexing Maaleh Adumim, can we expect for President Trump to stick his neck out and move the American Embassy to Israel to Jerusalem when the Israelis main decision makers unanimously refused to even consider annexing just a suburb of East Jerusalem? Of course that would be ridiculous. For proof just read Hillel above and it plainly states that step one will always be us being for what we hold dear before we can expect others to act similarly in our interests. Perhaps it would be a good idea to inundate the members of the Knesset’s e-mails with copies of Hillel’s quote followed by a simply Yiddish question, “Nu?” implying to ask what have you done recently which changes anything. Israel acting weak and timid reflects on everything worldwide simply because Israel is the exemplary representation of Jewish pride and strength and of late Israel has shown neither for quite some time.
When Israel acts decisively and boldly projects strength and confidence taking whatever steps necessary to protect their people and the future of the Jewish State, it becomes reflected in the actions by Jews in the world and affects the way Jews are treated. When Israel demands respect as she did during the first half of her brief history, the world respected the Jews and allowed for Jews to be proud and live holding their heads high. As Israel has mired herself and given concession after concession with nothing to show for any of it as the land for peace more represented land for terrorism and Israel appeared weak and Jews started to wear long faces and are soon, if not already, hang their heads and shuffle along giving once again the image of the Jew ready to be kicked and ill-regarded. The ghetto Jews, as it had been called throughout much of modern history, was again the view. The Jews were those people who are to be blamed for all the ills in the world, all the wars, all the hatreds, all the destitution, all of any and every evil imaginable and the Jew could be kicked and spat upon and they would shuffle off accepting any scorn. This persona has become accepted on all too many college and university campuses in the developed world. As Israel is demeaned and seen as threatened and not really taking actions to protect themselves, this places the Jews across the world in jeopardy of attack and other forms of anti-Semitism. These acts have already made numerous cities across Europe actually dangerous to Jews to even so threatening that, as in Malmo, most of the Jews are packing up and departing. The numbers of Jews making Aliyah from France this past year was the highest since the end of World War II and many times the average for any year in the past half century. Further, the Arab world is using their oil wealth to finance those NGOs who coordinate numerous campus groups in anti-Israel and anti-Zionist programs with very obvious and well-coordinated demonstrations and events demeaning Israel and Zionism and by an extension anti-Semitism as many times these actions also lead to direct targeting of the Jews on the campus sometimes placing their lives and health in danger.
As noted in the articles linked above, there are campuses in Britain where Jews do not even apply as the atmosphere is that toxic. This is a direct result of Israeli passive resistance to terrorism and apparent trepidation to acting boldly to suppress those acting against her. This has to end but for that to come to pass Israel will need to elect a far more active and bold leadership. This can be done but first an election is necessary and the Israeli Zionists and related activists will need find and promote someone to lead one of the existing parties and then support that party with sufficient votes that they either are the party making the coalition or be the main partner in a coalition with sufficient influence to force definitive action. The United States election set in place an opportunity of a lifetime. The election of Donald Trump as President and the fact that for the first time in memory the House of Representatives, the Senate, the White House and soon even the United States Supreme Court will be Republican or conservative making support for Israel, especially as a fair percentage of Democrats in Congress also support Israel, a given, freeing Israel to act without any ramifications from Washington. This is a situation which has not been seen since the founding of the modern state of Israel and may never return again should it disappear in the next election, a certain possibility as the opponents to President Trump will throw everything they have to at least take back the House of Representatives if not also the Senate. There are no guarantees in American politics but the stars and planets have aligned along with the Congress and White House to favor a bold and take-action Israel, now all that is necessary is leadership willing to take action which will define the state of Israel and the state of Israeli politics for the foreseeable future.
The unfortunate unanimous vote by the Prime Minister’s Security Cabinet to delay considerations on annexing Maaleh Adumim must be laid in the lap of Prime Minister Netanyahu as well as any leaders of the presumed Zionist and Religious Zionist parties who are represented in the Security Cabinet such as Naftali Bennet. There can be no excuse other than fear of retributions from European nations who are acting with ill will already towards Israel and also allowing similar disregards for their Jewish citizens throughout their college and university communities and even in many cities and towns. The BDS movement is making strides thanks to the recent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2334 which was facilitated by President Obama who had been rumored was personally involved along with his Secretary of State John Kerry as a means of tying incoming President Trump’s hands in dealing with Israel and in the Middle East. The best way to counter the disastrous implications of that UNSC Resolution is strong and defined actions performed as an in your face Israeli response. The UNSC will not be following up and passing any similar or other damaging resolution against Israel as President Trump will reinstate the American veto of such damaging resolution in the UNSC. The message must be delivered to the Knesset that the irons are hot and it is time to put the hammer to anvil and beat out a favorable fait accompli. The time to annex not only Maaleh Adumim, but Bet El, Ariel, Betar Illit, Modi’in Illit, Har Gilo, Gush Etzion at the least and all of Judea and Samaria returning the PLO, Fatah, and all other terrorist affiliated persons to Tunis or wherever in Europe they would be welcome and give the Arab Palestinians their first hopes for a bright and unencumbered future free of the kleptocracy which has stolen all hope from them for the past near quarter of a century. Will the world, particularly Europe, explode in indignation? Probably, but ride out their initial explosion and with time they will tire of complaining and when things here in Israel settle and the Arabs are slowly but surely incorporated into Israeli society and their lives improve immeasurably, there will be less and less reason to protest eventually leaving no reasons to protest. The future with a secure Israel, and this should be the sole consideration of the Knesset, is with Israel with all the lands promised us between the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea and not sharing it with any terrorist nest guaranteed to feed the world’s need to hate Israel, and by equal measure hate Jews. Israel could do more to guarantee her future and destroy anti-Semitism by simply annexing all of Judea and Samaria, removing those who would continue being a menace and reward those Arabs who desire living in peace with equality and security for all. By acting to assure Israel’s future and boldly protecting Israel, Israel would herself be combatting anti-Semitism in the world with better efficiency than any other actions could dream of accomplishing. The first question is can Netanyahu act or is he so damaged by the strains of leadership that he is no longer capable of acting definitively and securing the Israeli future? The last question is are the Zionist Israelis organized enough to start and continue programs and demonstrations demanding that the Knesset and the Prime Minister with his Security Cabinet act definitively with a minimum of delay as time is precious, and if we might repeat Rabbi Hillel, “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?”
Beyond the Cusp
Beyond the Cusp 