In our quiet moments, we all know that if the Palestinians publicly recognized Israel’s right to live in peace as a Jewish state, renounced their demand to flood Israel with the descendants of Arab refugees from 60 years ago, and agreed that a peace agreement would bring about a permanent end to the conflict, the details of that agreement would be worked out in a heartbeat.
To be a friend of Israel means first and foremost to remind ourselves of these facts every day, until we know them in our bones. Then we must turn to the people next to us – families, friends, neighbors – and remind them of these same truths. We need to support each other, continually remind each other, and give each other permission to believe these truths, because every time we turn on the news or pick up a newspaper we’re getting the other message.
That’s how we begin to fight the global campaign against Israel – in our own hearts and minds – and we can then spread these truths to others. It’s one powerful way we can be the best friends of Israel we can possibly be.
And in the political arena, when we’re deciding whom to support with our money and our votes, remember who our friends are. They’re the ones spreading these same truths.
Jeffrey Bergman is editor of the Politics and Personal Development blog (www.jeffreybergman.com).