Soccer Dad

Tony and tacky

Israel Perspectives ran his list of top (or, more precisely bottom) 10 essays in honor of Yom Ha'atzmaut. Ironically the top (bottom) two have problems geting their stories straight. The first, by Tony Judt, argues that Israel is an adolescent that has yet to grow up; the second, by Yossi Klein, portrays Israel as poorly maintained middle aged man. With its critics Israel's just can't win.

Of course Tony Judt is a professor someplace. But his station in life is no guarantee of wisdom. Read Tony Judt: Gee, if only Israel were liked again by Meryl Yourish to see what an amateur can do against a well credentialed scholar. With two paragraphs she neatly summarize her complete argument

Essentially, his argument is one of sheer anecdotal evidence. Since he remembers that people on his college campus actually liked Israel back then, obviously, that was how the world was. Physical evidence of anti-Israel resolutions notwithstanding, Judt has declared Israel to be popular — until shortly after the Six-Day War, when the territories came under Israeli control. (As for college students not caring about events nine years previous, well, uh, duh. College students, hello!)

But Israel tried to give the territories back. With the exception of Jerusalem, they were ready to give Jordan the West Bank, and Egypt Gaza and Sinai. All they asked in return from their neighbors was peace. But the Arab nations refused. By putting that responsibility solely on Israel’s shoulders, Judt ignores the Arab nations’ infamous “Three No’s of Khartoum“: No negotiation, no recognition, and no peace with Israel. Judt ignores the fact that the occupation is mostly the fault of the Arabs, and that Israel did not want to control the West Bank and Gaza.

And if one doesn't want a complete rebuttal, there's always It's almost supernatural who generally sums up Israel's many accomplishments. And while not addressing Judt, Jewish Current Issues' recounting of Israel's growth serves as another rebuke to the confused professor.

And if I may add my own observation: In recent years Israel has sent rescue missions to Christians in central America; Muslims in Turkey; Hindus in India; Europeans in Georgia; and Africans in Tanzania and Kenya.

In other words, Israel, instead of acting like an adolescent and turning inward when it's been besieged, Israel has learned lessons from its embattled status and used those lessons to help others regardles of religion, race or nationality. Mr Judt's characterization couldn't be more wrong.

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Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.