"This land is mine, God gave this land to me..."
From the song Exodus
The later half of the 1940's was an interesting period in world history. Quite a few things happened, that were of utmost importance. Just to name some of the bigger ones:
- Germany surrenders - May 8th, 1945
- Trinity nuclear test - July 16th, 1945
- Japan surrenders - September 2nd, 1945
- Cold War begins - sometime in 1946
- State of Israel established - May 14th, 1948
- Country of South Korea established - August 15th, 1948
First some history that many of us might already know. The Holy Bible describes the persecution of the Jewish People. Time and time again, they were driven out of ancient Israel. The last time was 2,000 years ago. Jerusalem, as well as other parts of Israel, are considered to be holy by both Christian and Jew alike. Jesus, who was Jewish, was born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is located in Israel about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. He also died, was buried and resurrected in or around ancient Jerusalem. Much of the roots of the Jewish religion also takes place in ancient Israel.
During the Holocaust in World War II, the Jewish people were once again scattered. Many that survived Nazi gas chambers or firing squads, were either hiding in Europe or living in the United States. The one thing the remaining Jews had in common was simple - they wanted to return to Israel, a land they had not been able to call home for 2,000 years.
Ownership of Israel was messy to say the least. Without going into too much history, in 1922, Israel became part of the Mandate for Palestine, as established by the League of Nations. It then became a British Protectorate.
In November of 1947, the United Nations adopted Resolution 181 which was also known as the Partition Resolution. This resolution would divide the Mandate for Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1948 when the British mandate was scheduled to end. Finally on the 14th of May in 1948, by decree of the United Nations, the State of Israel was born. Jewish people from all over the world began to return to their homeland.
Flash forward to today. Israel, which is located on a tiny piece of land the size of New Jersey, has gone through two major wars and numerous smaller battles. Israel is surrounded by Arab countries and the sea. As Bebe Netanyahu has said many times, "Israel lives in a very rough neighborhood."
Many Arab nations have denounced Israel's very right to exist. Some in this country also feel negative towards Israel. They question why we support her.
Regardless of how our current Administration acts at times, Israel is our staunchest ally in the Middle East. My feeling as an American is straight forward - Israel not only has a right to exist, but also to thrive. They have the right to live in peace. They have the right NOT to have rockets rain down on them from Gaza.
Some people talk about Israel's lack of restraint in the latest Gaza incursion. The fact Israel sent in ground troops shows incredible restraint. By sending in ground troops, Israel knew some would not come back to Israel alive. Israel has the military might to end this Gaza incident in two days. If they were barbaric, they could. They could level Gaza and neutralize the threat. Because they were attacked first, they would be in their right to do so. But they do not. They want the threat ended, to return to peace, however with a minimum of casualties.
A good book to read if you have not as yet is Exodus by Leon Uris. For me, it was an eye opener. It described in great detail the plight of the Jews just prior to their return to Israel in 1948. I support Israel. I support her right to exist. I support her right to live in peace. Bottom line - I stand with Israel!
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