Thank G-d Netanyahu is not the prime minister. We live in a strange environment, where the Left can make war and the Right can make peace. Imagine how loud the hue and cry of the Israeli Left would have been if a right-wing government had dared to react to the “normal” behavior of Hamas and Hizbullah. Every week in the past, unfortunately, Israel has experienced suicide murderers, shootings, shelling or kidnappings. There is little new in the behavior of the terrorists.
The Arab leaders, however, forgot who was in power. The left-wing and center are ruling the country, and when Hamas and Hizbullah struck, the Left was shocked. “How dare they kidnap our soldiers and attack us peace-loving folk? We are their friends. We plan to give them most of our homeland. We embrace them as brothers; we sympathize with their suffering. What chutzpa to dare to kidnap Israeli soldiers while we are in power!”
The response was both massive and uncompromising. If Netanyahu were in power and had dared to respond with even one tenth of what Peretz and Olmert did, the world and half of Israel would have condemned him as a “murderer” and “butcher.” Netanyahu would have been verbally crucified by Peretz, Peres, the Labor party and by many citizens who now are wholeheartedly supporting the war! The fact that it is a Labor leader, Minister of Defense Peretz, who called for massive retaliation and emergency mobilization of the reserves, makes it all right in the eyes of the Left. Even the European Union, usually quick to condemn Israel, could not agree to request a cease-fire.
The war was not very well planned; the trigger to the war may seem a bit weak, and we are absorbing too many tragic losses – but that does not seem to bother the Left. It is their war that they initiated in response to the usual provocations of Hamas and Hizbullah. “Peace Now” is struck mute and the anti-war “Mothers” are in favor of striking a blow against Hizbullah. Haim Ramon, a minister who was vocally against any fighting by Netanyahu, speaks out and cries, “We must not stop until Hizbullah is destroyed.” How fickle and false are our leftist leaders. Shimon Peres is almost totally silent, and even Yossie Beilin is “sort of” in favor. Olmert is not branded a “child murderer” as was Netanyahu when his government reacted much less violently.
Please do not misunderstand. I am totally in favor of smashing Hizbullah and Hamas. I am totally in favor of demanding the return of our kidnapped boys. The Left has again learned that there is a great difference between being an “arm-chair general” and an actual general and prime minister. There is often no choice but a military response. Hizbullah must be destroyed.
Sadly, our fringe fanatics are beginning to raise their heads. Neturei Karta members embarrassed us all by joining an anti-Israel protest that was televised around the world. Gush Shalom, a fanatical left group tried to get Jews to protest in “red” Haifa, but fewer than 100 showed up and many of these were Arabs.
This war seems to have wide Israeli support. More than 100 percent of the reserves called up came to the assembly points. The extras claimed that while they were not called, they were needed. Israel has not seen such nationalistic fervor in years.
The duplicity of the world’s moral standard, of course, continues. The Arabs can bomb hospitals and private dwellings in Haifa and Nahariya with impunity, because the world “understands” the Arab anger at Israeli conquest. These mostly phony tears shed by many world leaders are pure anti-Semitism and a continuation of Europe’s hatred of the Jews. Yet many of these world leaders are slowly waking up to the Muslim threat in their own countries. America may also soon wake up to the Muslim danger, just as Europe is beginning to take notice of the “fifth column” of not-so-loyal residents – or even citizens – in its midst. Israel must also wake up to the danger. We often are too liberal, too willing to forgive, too willing to ignore the obvious behavior and actual declarations. We hide our heads and refuse to hear the support for our enemies voiced almost daily by “Israeli” Arabs and their Knesset members.
Every death is a tragedy, but the world should join Israel in eradicating the terrorist threat to all non-Muslim societies.
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