Today at noon Central Time, the Federal Plaza was the scene of this rally. It was, not coincidentally, the scene of another rally I attended, this one against Prop 8. The numbers of both rallies were similar. There were thousands of people in support of each cause and only a handful of counter protestors. 
The most pro Israeli supporter was one Nir Muller, an an attorney from Chicago. 
This was one of what the sponsors said were thousands of rallies all throughout North America over the next week.
This was one of what the sponsors said were thousands of rallies all throughout North America over the next week. I had several thoughts about the rally. First, I believe that Israel, and those that support her, spend far too much time justifying their action. Only Israel gets shelled with rockets constantly and then has to be the one to justify its actions.
Second, there is a town in Southern Israel called Sderot.
Sderot has been the victim of shelling from Hamas rockets FOR EIGHT YEARS.
Anyone that stills screams about proportional force should consider that an Israeli town has faced consistent attack FOR EIGHT YEARS.
The reality in my mind is that Israel spends far too much time justifying their actions and not nearly enough time protecting their own citizenry. Israel doesn't merely have the right to defend its citizens but they have the duty to defend them. Israel has spent far too much time kow towing to world opinion and not nearly enough energy protecting the town Sderot.
One speaker spoke of speaking in an elementary school in Sderot when the sirens went off. Once the sirens go off, citizens have 15 seconds to find a safe place. Children were screaming as the school was shuffled into the protection of its basement. This is what the citizens of Sderot have faced constantly for 8 years. Enough is enough.
Israel needs leaders that have more Vladimir Putin in them. Putin spit on world opinion and did what he needed to do. Israel is perfectly justified in doing what it does, and they should care less if the UN attempts to condemn them through useless resolutions. Instead, Israel has one job to do and that is to stop the constant rocket attack that has paralyzed the town of Sderot. It's time for Israel to put world opinon to the side and crush Hamas. World opinion is frankly irrelevant. The world stood in unison in condemning Russia when it went into Georgia, but ultimately did absolutely nothing to stop Putin. Israel should take that lesson. Let the world scream and condemn, but Israel needs to ignore the naysayers and concentrate on the only mission of any government, protecting its citizenry. Rather than being concerned with world opinion, Israel should be concerned with the protection of the citizens of Sderot. That those citizens have seen no peace for eight long years is shameful and unacceptable. 
Maybe if Israel hadn't taken Palestinian land over the last 40 years, built illegal settlements, built a separation wall, blockaded the Palestinians and refuse them food, water, electricity and medical aid, then Sderot wouldn't be under constant rocket attacks.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Israel was created sixty years ago. The land you are talking about was created by the United Nations and Palestine was, at the time, a territory, so nothing was stolen.
ReplyDeleteThe so called illegal wall keeps Israel safe. Almost no terrorists get through the West Bank and that's because of the wall. Israel doesn't refuse anyone food, and maybe if Palestine wasn't ruled by folks who's only goal in life is to destroy Israel then Israel wouldn't need so many heavy handed tactics.
Actually, John is right about the 40 years. Not the way he intended, though.
ReplyDeleteCheck some credible history books, John. There never was an Arab state called "Palestine." But it was in 1968 that the Jordanian and Egyptian Arabs living in the territories suddenly decided to call themselves "Palestinians."
Their strategy was to tap into Western liberal aversion to colonialism. Forget all about the fact that their countries attacked Israel with genocidal intent. Revise history and paint them as the victims of imperialism.
John, if you are sympathetic to Hamas, then you would have been sympatheic to the German Nazis in the 1930s. It's that simple.
John..did it ever occur to you that if Jordan hadn't attacked Israel in 1967 in response to Nasser's BS that he was winning that war,Judea, Samria and Jerusalem would be exactly how you'd like it...without a single Jew?
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of which,according to Jordanian law, every inhabitant of
Judea and Samaria ( AKA the West Bank) is considered a Jordanian citizen 'unless that person is a Jew' to use the exact language of the statute.
So we have an interesting spectacle here, where a country is refusing it's owncitizens entry!
Bet you didn't know that,did you?
The so-called 'refugee' crisis happened fo rone reason, because the Arab countries illegally attacked Israel in 1948...so why is it Israel's responsibility to solve a problem the Arabs created? Are the Arabs out of land or something?
Please leave the room when the grownups are talking,OK?