Photo Credit: Asher Schwartz

It took an American president to stiffen the backbone of Israel’s leader.

As so often in the past, Israel’s high priority is “what will the Nations say” (“Ma yomru hagoyim”?) .
I do not intend to recount the numerous occasions when Jewish pride was trampled and Jewish blood sacrificed under the spell of this uniquely Jewish spiritual disease.
And so once again, Israel had to choose; her pride and sense of Justice or perhaps hopefully sparing the tongue lashing and the poison pens of those she always tries desperately to appease and please.
I maintain that there is no other people whose “leaders” and “intellectuals” are so very concerned about how they are being judged by sworn enemies.
There isn’t an enemy that is not treated with total understanding if not affection at some time by our very ‘sophisticated’ intellectuals.
Israel’s leaders, more than any others, have always sought the approval of these intellectuals in Israel and so there is a situation where the intellectuals look over their shoulders at their counterparts in every enemy corner and Israel’s leaders look over theirs at what these “intellectuals” are saying about them.
This is why Israel never truly had an authentic “Right-wing ” government.
The people vote Right after being promised the same old lines to satisfy and fool the base, but then the “leaders” freeze like a deer caught in a light beam by the critics on the Left and in the hostile  “International community” whose love they seek.
Following this pattern, Israel agreed to allow two rabidly antisemitic Muslim congresswomen into Israel. Though it was clear that they were thus allowing a  very dangerous poison into the country; nevertheless they refrained from doing the natural thing and barring these sworn enemies entry.
Israel law allows their denial of entry.
The Left political parties, the European funded anti-Israel NGOs, the Arabs; all waited with bated breath the arrival of their heralded allies(heroes) in the US congress. Official Israel and the majority of Jews were ready to just not look at the ugly spectacle to come and wait until it was over.
But then the nonpolitician American president blurted out the obvious; “Israel will show she is weak if she allows these sworn antisemites into her country to make trouble”.
Duggghh… Really? Is it weakness not to invite one’s sworn enemies to your home?
 Perhaps it is the act of a bully that would deny freedom of speech to her “critics”?
I did not have to spend any time pondering the issue. I have learned long ago how to judge whether something is good or bad for Israel; I simply notice on which side the Left/NGOs/ Arabs stand and then I know for certain.
I did not need the US president to shout out that, in essence “the king has no clothes” but  It seems our “leaders” do and so; thank you, Mr. President.

Share this article on WhatsApp:
Advertisement

SHARE
Previous articleHa’aretz Columnist Mangles History, Facts, and International Law
Next articleLikud: Lapid Never Protested his Own MK’s Petition to Cancel Trump’s Meeting in Israel over Racism Charge
Shalom Pollack, a veteran Israeli tour guide, served in the Israeli Navy and lectures on the Mideast.