Why I'm Not "pro-Israel"
Now I know my title has caused the majority of you to have slight heart failure, or maybe just the usual biting of nails or slight shake of the head. Striking an emotional chord, your mind has already been enthusiastically thrown into the task of giving me a well-deserved rebuttal. Maybe for a moment you could harness these thoughts, grab your preferred beverage, and hear me out. I hold no agenda for personal gain, I’m simply driven by a moral obligation created through my personal discovery of facts, and my attempt to live by biblical scripture: “Speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” Proverbs 31:8.
I write this in one way as a clarification for those who have misunderstood me.Gathered from the limited number of characters that you can type in your facebook status, some have constructed the idea that I am an ardent supporter of Islamic political organizations, and even a supporter of terrorism (side note-Why does the former automatically link me to the latter?). I do think that some Islamic political organizations are wrongly demonized, being falsely, yet conveniently lumped together with the likes of Al-Qaeda. Although they may not posses an ideal political system, some Islamic political groups display legitimizing aspects - an array of social services, active political participation, ect… - which should enable them to be recognized as legitimate political groups. I mean there is something to be said when Hezbollah offers better health care than most U.S. companies. (Calm down, I’m not advocating Hezbollah.) With that said, I do NOT support terrorism, whether it comes in the form of a suicide bomber, or in the form of an F-16.
I write this in another way in hopes to educate, or at least spur interest or even debate to the degree one would look past their traditional sources. I am by no means an expert on the complexities of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, nor am I of an age the offers me the title of being “wise”. I’m simply a student of Political Science, an advocate for the oppressed, and a 26 year old who still has much to learn.
We only get two choices?
Because I’m not “pro-Israel” does not mean I’m “anti-Israel,” or even that I’m completely “pro-Palestinian”, based on the general definitions. It does not mean I’m anti-Semitic, and it certainly does not mean I support terrorism. For some reason we are plagued with viewing world affairs through nice boxes, where we attach nice labels. Seeking simplicity in a world of complexity, everything is presented with two choices: Pro/Anti, Conservative/Liberal, Republican/Democrat, Western/Non-Western, Good/Evil, Us/Them. So when I make comments that are critical of Israel’s policies, I’m perceived as a crazy, young, unpatriotic liberal who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Some may even have a hard time viewing me as a Christian. I think those people don’t realize that a Christian holds no political obligation, meaning you don’t necessarily have to be a Republican, you may have views that would be considered liberal, and you might be adamantly opposed to the fear projecting news stations that are simply political tools for some elites trying to push their parochial interests over the actual interests, like…I don’t know…Fox news.
If I could label myself, I would love to attach “pro-solution” through non-violent means. But then I’m probably tagged as a deranged, idealistic hippy trying to escape the realities on the ground. No. I see past the “constructed realities” and actually see the realities on the ground. So if you want to dumb this issue down to pro-this or pro-that, I’ll take the pro-Palestinian label. Why? Because in the U.S., there is only one narrative to this conflict, and the daily humiliations and violations of human rights against the Palestinians is never included. This narrative is projected through multiple conduits, all in harmony with the other. Whether it is through the mass media or from the pulpit, each affirms the other.
One question I like to ask people is: Why do you support Israel? Some view this politically, saying, “Because Israel is a crucial ally in the “War on Terror.” Others view this religiously, “Because they are God’s chosen people.” Many cross these two because they are Bible believing Republicans and “that’s just what we do!” Some may not have an exact reason why, but they know they should. The most common answer by one poll was “because they are like us.” I think these answers stem from the fact that there is only one story being told in the U.S., and all the outlets that are telling this story are easily accepted by most as undisputable authorities. Nothing is questioned. Why would it be when your favorite news channel, your own pastor, and the top-selling feature film are all saying the same thing. Although, the last one is done with ridiculous special effects and a love story to go with it.
Constructing the Boundaries
Lets look at the mass media. Most of you have your favorite news network or newspaper, and you trust that news source because it fits well with your politics. If you are a Republican you probably watch Fox News and either read your local paper or maybe the Wall Street Journal. If you are a Democrat you probably prefer CNN or the New York Times, maybe even the Huffington Post. But with this issue, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict or anything pertaining to Israel, the mass media are of one voice. Now the Fox crowd is saying, “No way, the liberals at the New York Times and CNN are way to critical of Israel.” False. On Israel, the liberal media serve the crucial function of setting the “left”, or “pro-Palestinian” boundary. Meaning whatever they say that might come across critical of Israel serves as the most critical thing you could say of Israel. So if you go past what the liberal media are saying, you are considered fanatical.
On the Palestinian/Israeli issue, both sides of the boundaries of debate are narrowly focused with Israel in the middle. Israel has been granted a free hall pass from the mass media. They get to roam freely through the halls, knock over lockers, and punch the principle in the face. After all that the media provides a nice frame that places responsibility and moral obligation on the other, or if it’s really bad you just never hear about it. Events such as:
- The expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians from their homes to create the State of Israel in 1948. This horrific event that not only forced 700,000 Palestinians to be homeless but involved numerous mass murderers and rapes, is now celebrated as Israel’s independence day.
- The Lavon Affair, an Israeli terrorist attack on U.S. facilities and other public places in Egypt in 1954.
- The 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty ship, which killed 34 U.S. Navy men
- The Deir Yassin Massacre: 250 defenseless Palestinians were slaughtered, including more than 100 women and children by the Irgun Tsvai Leumi, a Zionist terrorists organization led by Menachem Begin. The same Begin who would be the Israeli Prime Minister in 1977.
- The 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem that killed 91 people carried out by the LEHI (the Stern Group) led by Yitzhak Shamir, the same Shamir who would be the Israeli Prime Minister in 1986.
- The Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982: Where the Phalangist, a Lebanese Christian militia, raped, tortured, and murdered 700-800 innocent civilians in a refugee camp. The Israeli Defense Force authorized and provided protection for this operation. http://www.countercurrents.org/pa-fisk180903.htm
- The 29,000 children who required medical treatment from being beaten by IDF soldiers during the First Intifada (1987-1991). One-third sustained broken bones, and one-third were aged 10 and under.
- The 1996 massacre in Qana: Israel bombed a UNIFIL base killing 106 civilians who were seeking shelter from the Israeli operation “Grapes of Wrath.”
- The 23- year old American women who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003.
- Operation Summer Rain of 2006, An Israeli attack on Gaza where collateral damage totaled to 100 civilians, including 44 children.
- The civilian casualties from the Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006, 43 Israeli’s & 1,109 Lebanese civilians.
- The civilian casualties from the 2009 Israeli attack on Gaza, 9 Israeli’s & 1,417 Palestinians, including 313 children. You probably saw these last two in the media, but they framed it just right where these civilians were accepted as necessary collateral damage. “Israel had to make a tough decision and its unfortunate that these civilians had to die.” The only problem with this thinking is the numerous testimonies by Israeli soldiers who explained the horrific acts they were ordered to carry out. You can find those testimonies here: http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/database
The images and ideas that occupy your mind about a foreign land are constructed from the images and texts you have been exposed to in the mass media.Humanitarian emergencies and civil conflicts are serious events, but they do not exist for the majority of the world unless constructed as an event that has been interpreted through the media. Further, foreign enemies are terrifying and mysterious, but they do not exist for Americans unless constructed as a dangerous and imminent threat.Stop letting the 30-second frame you see on your favorite news channel construct “reality”. The mass media are great at rewriting “bad” history. How many Vietnamese were killed in the Vietnam War? Go ahead, take a guess. The average American response is 50,000. I wonder where they got that number? The actual number is 3 to 4 million.
“Because they are God’s chosen people”
For the people who answered, “because they are God’s chosen people,” probably refute that the media guide their views, and base their support solely on “what the Bible says”. Well when you look at what the Bible says, their reasoning is in direct opposition to what the Bible says. This group likes to view the world through an Isaac/Ishmael prism. They like to look at Us, as good, moral Christian’s who descended from Isaac. They like to look at Them as bad, barbaric, crazy, Muslim Arabs who must have descended from Ishmael. These “bad Muslim Arabs” live in the “scary, unstable Middle East”, from India to Morocco. Of course this view, which was shaped by either Mark Twain, National Geographic, Fox News, Aladdin or the latest Bruce Willis film, doesn’t account for the Egyptian Sunni-Muslim who is Arab, the Egyptian Coptic Christian who is Arab, the Iranian Shi’ite-Muslim who is Persian, the Lebanese Maronite Christian, the Lebanese Druze, the Palestinian Christian who is Arab from Ottoman descent, the Kurd who could be Muslim, Jewish, or Christian and residing in numerous countries, and the many other different, diverse groups of people that reside in the Middle East.
Now some Arab’s may be ethnically linked to Ishmael, but many are not. Ishmael’s decedents were known as the “sons of the east,” known for their Godly wisdom. The original Arabs descended from Shem, the son of Noah. Shem had a descendent named Eber who had a son named Joktan who populated the Arabian Peninsula. So to be clear, Arabs were around long before Ishmael. It’s a shame the current neighbors of the modern state of Israel are viewed as the ancient enemies of Israel.
Back to my point. Stephen Sizer and Gary Burge do a much better job than I ever would at explaining why the Bible does not support this argument. Here are two articles that all Christians should read when assessing their support for the modern state of Israel.
http://www.stephensizer.com/2011/08/seven-biblical-answers-to-zionist-assumptions/
http://www.christianzionism.org/Article/Burge02.pdf
Knowing some of you might not read those articles, I would still like to highlight a few things of why I do not agree with the “because they are God’s chosen people” argument.
- Many within this group like to quote Genesis 12:3, “God bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel.” But they like to ignore other scriptures like Galatians 3:16,28-29, “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”God’s blessings come by grace through faith, not by works or race.Ethnicity nor nationality hold no currency for salvation!
- “The Jewish people are God’s chosen people.” Wrong. God’s chosen people are of every race based on grace through faith by Jesus Christ. This is explained in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 23:7-8, Psalm 87:4-6, Isaiah 56:3, 6-7) and the New Testament (Romans 2:28-29, Romans 9:6-8, Colossians 3:11-12) “Chosen” means those who follow Jesus Christ.
- “The land of Israel was given by God to the Jewish people as an everlasting inheritance” False. The land is God’s and residence is conditional, (Leviticus 25:23). As Christians, our inheritance is heavenly not earthly. His Kingdom is not of this world.
- “Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people, and should never be divided”. This argument has NO scriptural basis. But Psalm 87 says Jerusalem must be shared.Again, as Christians, we are looking to the heavenly Jerusalem.
- “God has a separate plan for the Jewish people apart from the Church.” This is supported by ripping Romans 9-11 out of context. Paul defines the word ‘Jew’ in Romans 2, “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.”
The armpit, if you will, of this argument comes from one of the top leaders of the Christian Zionist movement, John Hagee and his organization, Christians United for Israel. To be blunt, if you took out the words Christian and Muslim from Hagee’s and Ahmadinejad’s theological statements, you would not be able to tell one apart from the other. Pastor Hagee likes to think that our all sovereign God and his plan is dependent on U.S. foreign policy. How do you preach from the bible I read and call for a pre-emptive strike against Iran, and justify this strike with some twisted end of times theology that has no scriptural support! God does not need you or I to carry out his plan, but he does want to use us too serve the poor, the meek, the orphaned, the widowed, and the oppressed. All of Hagee’s efforts are aimed at lobbying the U.S. government to pursue a certain policy that apparently will help God with his plan. All the while these efforts are at the expense of the sick, the poor, and the oppressed, the people Jesus repeatedly told us to care for. Instead of preaching the gospel, Hagee and his organization push money around to bulldoze the homes of Christian and Muslim Palestinian families, so a Jewish family can have a new illegal settlement. You may want to cover your eyes for this next statement. When it comes to world affairs,Hagee is a more dangerous actor in this world than any terrorist group that the media has constructed in your mind.
This is getting long, lets jump into politics.
You will not find a single, current U.S. politician that will be critical of Israel. Why?Because being critical of Israel is political suicide. Now some of you are saying, “Obama is critical! He called for negotiations based on the 67 borders!” Yes he did say that, and no, he is not critical of Israel. The conservative media wants you to think he is, but he’s not. He’s made a few good speeches and then returned back to his big, white house where the Israeli Lobby holds him hostage. American Presidents have been calling for negotiations based on the 67 borders since Nixon stated it in 1969.Since then, every President has agreed with Resolution 242, which calls for Israel to return to the 67 borders. Not the new ones that have been made throughout the last 40 years, but the original 67 borders. So no, Obama did not say this crazy radical statement; the conservative media just wants you to think he did. It doesn’t matter anyways, Obama is already campaigning, so he’s not even going to think about touching this issue. For those of you who are furious with what I’m saying, don’t worry, Obama is going to do the politically expedient thing, not the right thing.
Politically, I am not supportive of Israeli policies because they are illegal, they de-humanize an entire people group, they are nowhere near democratic, and their results leave innocent lives dead everyday. I do agree Israel has a right to exist in safety, but within their own borders, not the ones they stole in 1967. (Even though they stole that land in 1948, but you have to concede somewhere.) I do agree Israel has the right to their own democratic state, one that Palestinians recognize, not the one that requires Palestinians to call it a Jewish state, where citizenship is based on the principle of blood kinship. Someone explain to me how you are a democracy and a Jewish state? I don’t get it. Seriously, I don’t get it.
Wrong from the Start
The modern state of Israel was created in 1948. But like many imagine, they didn’t just go to an unoccupied land and stick a flag in the ground and call it Israel. No, they came to a land where a people group had been residing for 1300 years, and violently murdered, raped, and forced several thousand Palestinians from their homes.
Sharing the land was never an option. Israel’s first Prime Minister, Ben-Gurion stated in the 1930s, “After the formation of a large army in the wake of the establishment of the state, we shall abolish partition and expand to the whole of Palestine.” His “Greater Israel” plan could not work with all these Arabs, as he stated in 1941, “it is impossible to imagine general evacuation [of the Arab population] without compulsion, and brutal compulsion.” But he was well aware of his crimes. He told the World Jewish Council, “If I were an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural…we have taken their country…They only see one thing: We have come here and stolen their land. Why should they accept that?”
In efforts to create the new Israeli state, many Zionist organizations carried out a number of terrorists’ attacks against the British. These attacks were mostly coordinated by the Irgun and the Stern Group, with the primary tactic of placing bombs in public plances, targeting women and children (including a pre-school). The Israelis themselves do not deny this. Prime minister Yitzhak Shamir argued, “Neither Jewish ethics nor Jewish tradition can disqualify terrorism as a means of combat.” Rather, “terrorism had a great part to play…in our war against the occupier [Britain].” Just to be sure, Israeli’s were the first to carry out terrorist attacks, not the Palestinians.
“A U.S. Strategic Asset”
The U.S. gives over $3 billion a year to Israel. That’s one-fifth of all U.S. foreign aid. In per capita terms, the U.S. gives every Israeli citizen a direct subsidy worth $500 year.This is a country that has the equal wealthy per capita income to Spain. O well, we have the money right? Our economy is fine right? Wait…it’s not? Probably because we are in two wars we can’t afford (Iraq alone has cost over 3 trillion dollars, not to mention the 137,000 Iraqi civilians killed or the 4,000 American soldiers killed) and giving Israel $3 billion a year. Good thing Iraq is all fixed now and Afghanistan is coming to an end. Ok, sorry, I’m getting too sarcastic now. Putting the two wars aside, maybe we should listen to General Petraeus when he says the current U.S. policy towards the Israel/Palestinian conflict is the “root cause of instability” and “obstacle to security” in the region – which aids al-Qaida.” I don’t know, he seems like he has a resume’ that would imply he has more knowledge than you, me, and the U.S. Congress.
When observing the cost of Israel being a strategic asset, they are no longer a strategic asset, they are an expensive “friend” who offers nothing in return. Examples: The U.S. gave Israel $2.2 billion in emergency military aid during the 1973 war. This aid triggered an OPEC oil embargo, inflicting a tremendous amount of damage on Western economies. In return the U.S. could not count on Israel to secure Persian Gulf oil supplies after the Iranian revolution in 1979, causing the U.S. to create its own “Rapid Deployment Force”. During the 1990 Iraqi invasion, Israel became a “strategic burden,” because the U.S. couldn’t use Israeli air bases because this would have ruptured the anti-Iraq coalition. Same thing in 2003: Bush couldn’t ask for their help because he knew this would trigger Arab opposition, so they remained on the sideline.
“Ok, they may not have helped us during these wars, but they are still a loyal ally.”Not at all. Israel has consistently ignored U.S. requests to halt settlement construction and “targeted assassinations” of Palestinian leaders. Also, Israel has provided sensitive U.S. military technology to potential rivals, like China. A State Department Report called this “a systematic and growing pattern of unauthorized transfers.” For other examples just google Jonathen Pollard or Larry Franklin. Israel is not a strategic asset, it is an expensive friend that only takes, and their “alliance” creates enormous, costly complications for U.S. policy.
Israel’s Settlement Policy
Also called the expansion policy, or a gradual takeover of what the right-wing Israeli leaders call Judea and Samaria, is recognized by every nation as illegal, including the U.S. And being that Israel is the only country that does not have to account for how it spends U.S. aid, this money ends up funding settlements; the same settlements that U.S. policy says are illegal.
In the extremely disrespectful speech Netanyahu gave to the U.S. Congress a few months ago, he stated that the ‘Greater Israel” (the land from the Nile to the Euphrates) will never be given away. He declared this land is “all Israel’s.” When he said this, the entire Congress erupted in a standing ovation. Now either the U.S. Congress is that ignorant to cheer against their own foreign policy, or they are racists.Observing some of their comments, like Rep. Eric Cantor, “Sadly, it is a culture infused with resentment and hatred. But it is this culture that underlies the Palestinians and the broader Arab world,” I think it’s a little of both.
This policy includes the demolishing of Palestinian homes that have been there before the modern state of Israel was ever created. People like to think of the West Bank as this big chunk of land the Palestinians get to live on. Its not! It now consists of Palestinian islands. Picture below.
The Wall
The separation wall, which is twice the size of the Berlin Wall, is justified by Israel as a means to heighten its security. Some people would nod their heads at that in agreement. But the weird thing is the wall cuts deep into the West Bank, placing 200,000 West Bank Palestinians on the Israeli side of the wall. Now if you wanted to keep the “dangerous” Palestinians out, why did you build a wall that placed them on the inside? Maybe its because the wall is simply a way to steal more land, a crucial piece to the gradual expansion plan for Greater Israel.
Below is a picture of my parents, my wife and me, and our new friend Allen inside of his shop. That’s not his real name, but he goes by “Allen” so foreigners like me don’t butcher his real name. Allen is a Palestinian Muslim who lives in Bethlehem, Palestine.He is 25 and has never seen Jerusalem because he is not authorized to cross the wall.Jerusalem is only 5 minutes up the road. He told us “I’m not a terrorist, I don’t know any terrorists, so why does everyone outside of this wall think I’m a terrorists.” It was tough to leave him after we became friends, knowing he could never leave Bethlehem and we could drift about with our convenient blue passports.
Jerusalem
Jerusalem must be divided. I’m getting tired, this point is obvious.
For Israel’s sake
If the Israeli government were basing its decisions on national interests it would have already signed a peace deal giving Palestinians their own state. Israel will not be able to maintain their current position. If the Palestinian birth rate alone doesn’t create problems for their Greater Israel plan, international outcry will. They can’t afford it anyways. They just had a million Israeli’s protesting against them because of their faulty economic policies. Maybe if they didn’t spend $570 million a year to subsidize life in the settlements and tended to their own population they wouldn’t have a million people chanting against them.
There’s much more but I’m going to have to save it for another blog.
Closing
So, I do NOT support terrorism that is carried out by Palestinians, NOR do I support terrorism carried out by Israelis. I am NOT anti-Israel or anti-Semitic. From what I have observed, there is a strong non-violent movement that includes Palestinians and Israelis, who are Muslim, Jewish, and Christian, who are putting all their efforts into finding the elusive solution. That’s what I support. You can learn more about this movement in the movie Little Town of Bethlehem.
My hope is one day Israel, not the Palestinians, will tear down the wall, and people like Allen will be able to live in freedom like you and me.
"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” Ephesians 2:14
But more than that, I pray Allen finds a greater freedom. I’ll end with a passage written by my beautiful wife.
“One Day he [Allen] would not be persecuted for being Palestinian. One Day he would feast with Jesus not because of his race, but because of his faith in him. One Day “There will be the finest of wines and choicest of meats….” In Christ he has the promise of a new home, a new life, one that allows him to not be confined behind a wall. One Day he will be able to pass through that checkpoint and walk down “streets of gold”. One Day he won’t desire what you and I take for granted….to fly on an airplane, to go to a restaurant in Tel Aviv, to see his family or take his wife to a descent hospital. One Day, we will not be marked by borders and passports. One day all the Assyrian land will live in peace.” – Sarah Long
If you have any questions or want to challenge some of my information, I will gladly give you the appropriate sources.
Benjamin Long
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