WSJ Republishes Op-Ed From 1968: ‘The Jews Are a Peculiar People: Things Permitted to Other Nations Are Forbidden to the Jews’
The Wall Street Journal on Thursday republished an Op-Ed, originally printed by the LA Times in 1968, by a non-Jewish winner of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom who spoke of the condition and treatment of the Jewish people and their struggle to defend Israel.'Hamas wants Israel completely destroyed'
Written after Israel’s victory in the 1967 War, what is striking is that the challenges faced by Jews and Israel then are almost the same as today.
"There is a cry of outrage all over the world when people die in Vietnam or when two Negroes are executed in Rhodesia. But when Hitler slaughtered Jews no one remonstrated with him. The Swedes, who are ready to break off diplomatic relations with America because of what we did in Vietnam, did not let out a peep when Hitler was slaughtering Jews. They sent Hitler choice iron ore and ball bearings, and serviced his troop trains to Norway.
The Jews are alone in the world. If Israel survives it will be solely because of Jewish efforts. And Jewish resources. Yet at this moment Israel is our only reliable and unconditional ally. We can rely more on Israel than Israel can rely on us. And one has only to imagine what would have happened last summer had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the war to realize how vital the survival of Israel is to American and the West in general.
I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so will it go with all of us. Should Israel perish the holocaust will be upon us."
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, one of the world's most prominent fighters against radical Islam, defends Israel's right to fight Hamas, says the West is refusing to recognize the danger of growing Muslim extremism • "Netanyahu should get a Nobel Peace Prize," she says.JPost Editorial False causes
Is there any point in negotiating with Hamas? With any Muslim movement?
"You can negotiate with fellow human beings with whom you have some kind of common ground. The assumption as we negotiate is that there is fair play. The problem with negotiating with Hamas is that they have a vision, a certain kind of utopia. And for that utopia to be realized, the State of Israel must be completely destroyed. Shariah law has to be established, ideally, all over the world. You can never trust a Jew, you can never trust a Christian. That is the utopia. Women have to behave a certain way, they have to be locked up, it is very totalitarian. You can negotiate until you are as blue in the face as the American flag, but it will never yield anything on the other side.
"Everyone was upset with [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu when he said that he would not negotiate before the other side said that they recognize the existence of the State of Israel. That is a basic demand. Without that it is pointless to go to the negotiations table. It is Negotiations 101."
In Gaza recently, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said: “We love death like our enemies love life. We love martyrdom, the way in which [Hamas] leaders died.”Times of Israel Live Blog: PM tells Kerry ‘Hamas will pay’ as IDF hunts for soldier seized in Rafah during truce
This is the sort of rhetoric favored by the likes of Boko Haram in Nigeria, the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. These are not organizations that can be negotiated with – unless of course one is willing to submit to a violently reactionary form of Islam. Perhaps when Hamas is defeated or severely weakened there can be talk of peace. But not before. No change in Israel policy short of the disappearance of the State of Israel will satisfy Hamas. And that is not going to happen.
IDF toll rises to 63, after 2 soldiers killed in same Rafah attack and 5 soldiers killed late Thursday; US-UN plan for 72-hour ceasefire and talks falls apart; Israel cabinet meeting Friday afternoonIDF Blog: Live Updates: IDF Soldier Suspected Kidnapped by Hamas
Following ten days of Hamas attacks against Israel and after repeated rejections of offers to deescalate the situation, the IDF started a new phase of Operation Protective Edge. A large IDF force entered the Gaza Strip. Their mission is to target Hamas’ tunnels that cross under the Israel-Gaza border and enable terrorists to infiltrate Israel and carry out attacks. The IDF intends to impair Hamas’ capability to attack Israel.
Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge more than 2,968 rockets have been fired from Gaza at Israel.
1:30 PM: This morning, on 9:30 AM, in violation of the latest ceasefire, Hamas terrorists, including a suicide attacker, fired at our forces in southern Gaza. We suspect that Hamas kidnapped 2nd. Lt. Hadar Goldin, an IDF officer, during the exchange of fire and dragged him into a tunnel. The IDF is currently conducting extensive searches in order to locate the missing soldier. During the event, 2 IDF soldiers were killed by Hamas fire.