Got this in an e-mail this morning:
{{Why are you a friend of Israel? Just curious.}}
Which got me thinking . . .
Israel is one of only two democracies in the Middle East. The fact that both of these democracies were created with the intervention of the United States makes them, in a very real way, our spiritual step-children. Democracy has the greatest potential for the greatest good for the greatest amount of people, and is a cool drink of water compared to the Arab thug-ocracies in the Middle East. Israel is the closest thing to an American-style democracy anywhere else in the world — in many ways, they have surpassed American-style democracy and encouraged a merit-ocracy. Pilots in the Israeli Air Force lead by experience, not rank.
The people of Israel – the Jews – have been at the forefront of intelligence and enlightenment for 5,000 years. Jews were instituting education, farming, crop rotation, and optional military service thousands of years before anyone else even thought of them. Jews wrote many of the first commentaries on religion; and the first diacritical thought . This is in spite of being some of the most persecuted peoples in the world for their encouraging intelligence, education, and higher standard of living. Jews have been systematically eradicated from cultures as varied as Nazi Germany, Medieval Spain, Nebuchadnezzar Babylon, and and multiple points in-between. Even today Israeli Jews face daily acts of terror — rockets from Gaza, suicide bombers, and rioting Arabs — on a daily basis — and persevere.
Shoot, that’s damn near heroic. Americans love underdogs, and admire heroism. Israel is chock-full of both.
Does Israel do things wrong? Sure. Does America make mistakes? Oh yeah, absolutely. But we both learn from our mistakes. We practice some level of restraint when we use force. (Israel did not obliterate Gaza during the recent military force there — although they easily could have.) Israel as a state is the best hope and example for the rest of the Middle East.
Which is why I’m a friend of Israel. Israel is most likely to be a friend to me.
~~ACP~~
I am a Christian who have a Star of David around my neck, to display my support for Israel. There are many reasons why the World should love Israel. As you write, the best Jewish minds have been a blessing to the whole human race. They also gave us the Law of Moses, (10 commandments), which most of the free nations have build their legal system up on. But most important: God gave us the Messiah, whom He raised as a Jew in a Jewish family. Thanks for your support for Israel. I thank the Lord for blogs like yours. http://ivarfjeld.wordpress.com
{{And Thank You, Sir!}}
I wear a Magen David because I AM Jewish. I do not “wear” a cross in support of Xtians. They have an agenda, one that most Jews are well aware of. Xtians want to CONVERT all Jewish people to xtiainity so they can get jesus to come back and we all go to heaven.
Support? Please.
Xtian, go back and proseltize Muslims, who are related to Hebrews, and keep out of our affairs.
AF the pundit here. Israel is more a theocracy than a Democracy. A small number of ultra religious Jews control politics which annoys the rather large majority of secular jews, who want to be left alone. Desite of that, Israelis are in the lead in Tech and venture capital projects that would but the USA to shame. Of course, a small number of ultra religios xtians try to control politics here in the US too, but smartly, a larger number of Americans stop them, otherwise we’d be a Theocracy, too.
When Israel is a true democracy, then I’ll support them, with or without the pesky xtians.
[…] Part III is “Why am I a friend of Israel?” […]