So What Else is New?

Now admittedly, I have a soft spot in my heart for Israel. To be objective, however, it is important to note that it is the only totally free society in the Middle East area with a system of values and governance consistent with the United States and an ally in every sense of the word. If you could keep the religious and cultural aspects of the controversy out of the picture, there would be no quarrel with Israel as an example of true democracy. Unfortunately, we cannot put these complicated, historical and biblical issues aside and as a result, the world condemns Israel as the bully every single time as if there is no other side to the story. The recent commando raid looks bad on the surface. The media reporting this as an affront to humanity and the killing of innocent people. This has been the usual reaction so what else is new? The facts are clear. Israel is surrounded by people who have vowed to destroy it. The people of Israel are under a consistent existential threat. Daily, enemies shoot bombs into their territory. Daily, hatred spews out of the mouths of people in the area who have come to reject Israel's progress, people, innovation and hard work because they have not been able to duplicate such resilience. This supposed flotilla of aid involved ships that have been peacefully warned by Israel in the past, not to cross the blockade. The blockade exists because the Gaza Strip is run by Hamas, a terrorist group that vows to pursue Israel's destruction. How can much of the world ignore these facts? Think about your own lives. If they were threatened, wouldn't you react? For those who always condemn Israel under every circumstance, perhaps you should put yourself in its place. Less than one tenth of one percent of the land in the Middle East is Israeli land and yet the pressures for it to give more and to compromise more mount daily. It just isn't fair and it just isn't right. Interesting that these supposedly peaceful aid givers and Palestinian supporters were able to pull out weapons and beat Israeli commandos once they boarded the ships. Peaceful my butt. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?