Soccer Dad

Zionist on the defense

Israel is under attack by its enemies on a number of fronts on the public relations front. Israel is portrayed as an aggressor, the world's foremost violator of human rights and international law and unwilling to compromise for peace.

There are responses to each of these charges and in the past few days, there have been some very good ones.

Ali Abunimah - the founder of Electronic Intifada - has written an autobiography and he asked a blogger named Joel Pollak to review it. Pollak has complied and written the review at his blog Guide to the Perplexed. The final paragraph starts with this excellent observation.

The problem in the Middle East, it seems, is that too many people hold out for lost oranges instead of eating the ones in their hands.

(h/t It's Almost Supernatural)

International law is often cited as a reason that Israel is at fault for the lack of peace in the Middle East. Recently a group of British academics and journalists have created a website commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Six Day War. There seems to be a lot of excellent information there, but I'd point you to the section on Resolution 242, which gives the historical and legal story of that resolution and why the Arab claim that Israel must withdraw from all of Judea and Samaria (not to mention sections of Jerusalem such as Ramot and Gilo) are bogus.

(h/t Backspin)

Other than the legal aspects of Israel's obligations, there's also the practical aspects that Charles Krauthammer lays out today in Prelude to the Six Days (or here )

Because that three-week period between May 16 and June 5 helps explain Israel's 40-year reluctance to give up the fruits of that war -- the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and Gaza -- in return for paper guarantees of peace. Israel had similar guarantees from the 1956 Suez war, after which it evacuated the Sinai in return for that U.N. buffer force and for assurances from the Western powers of free passage through the Straits of Tiran.

All this disappeared with a wave of Nasser's hand. During those three interminable weeks, President Lyndon Johnson did try to rustle up an armada of countries to run the blockade and open Israel's south. The effort failed dismally.

It is hard to exaggerate what it was like for Israel in those three weeks. Egypt, already in an alliance with Syria, formed an emergency military pact with Jordan. Iraq, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco began sending forces to join the coming fight. With troops and armor massing on Israel's every frontier, jubilant broadcasts in every Arab capital hailed the imminent final war for the extermination of Israel. "We shall destroy Israel and its inhabitants," declared PLO head Ahmed Shuqayri, "and as for the survivors -- if there are any -- the boats are ready to deport them."

(h/t Boker Tov Boulder )

Zionism isn't about colonialism or subjugation. It is a belief that Jews today have an origin in the land of Israel and that after 2000 years, that connection has miraculously been restored. One benefit of this as Deja Vu blogs is

Instead, Jews do everything they can to strengthen the single state sure to provide them with a safe harbor, Israel. Non-Jews understand the special Jewish interest in Israel and Jews must stop worrying about the "dual loyalty" canard.

Those who seek to delegitimize Israel, also seek to eliminate that "safe harbor." That is why it's so important to fight increasingly aggressive attempts to make Israel a pariah. One only need look to the aftermath of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza to put many of the myths to rest. Israel complied with international law and pressure. That has only led to violence within areas the world generally agrees belong to Israel and the total collapse of civil society in Gaza.

At some point it must be recognized that it is Israel's existence is being questioned and threatened by the Arab world. No amount of concessions will ever satisfy Israel's enemies.

Zionism, Israel.