In many entries in this blog, I criticize the arrogance of Protestants. In the previous blog entry, I criticized Ratzinger the pope. I will now dare to criticize Israel.
There are many positive things about the nation of Israel. It was a refuge for people who had suffered the most unspeakable atrocities of the twentieth century. And they made the desert bloom, literally. For example, they invented drip irrigation. They can get a lot of food out of a few drops of water. (Greeting card joke. Outside: In honor of your birthday, a tree has been planted in Israel. Inside: Wednesday is your day to water it.) And no other Middle Eastern country comes close to the scientific, technological, and scholarly achievements of Israel. Even outside of Israel, Jewish scholars are among the best; their list of Nobelists far exceeds that of any other cultural or ethnic group. This is largely due to the amazing historical achievements of the Jews, who have persisted for millennia in maintaining a culture that cherishes wisdom. As you can tell, I have a very positive view of Jews.
But the nation of Israel keeps itself alive by the mythology that God has given their government the authority to do whatever it wants. Many conservative Christian churches have bought into this mythology also. Many American Christians think that it is ungodly to criticize any action of the government of Israel. If that is the case, what about the dozens of prophets, whose writings are preserved in our Old Testament, who criticized the leadership of the ancient Israelite nation—not only criticizing, but condemning Israel? Are we to say that Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and others were ungodly for daring to criticize the leadership of God’s Holy Nation? This is blasphemous arrogance on the part of the Israeli leadership, especially the little impudent Binyamin Netanyahu. He assumes (apparently correctly) that the government of Israel can do anything it wants and the US will go along with it. Netanyahu’s government can deliberately derail the peace process (by announcing settlement plans in East Jerusalem) during Vice President Biden’s visit, insulting the US without whose billions of dollars of aid they would quickly become a steaming pile of waste, with full confidence that the American government will simply kiss their asses.
I have no opinion about whether Israel is God’s chosen nation (or about whether there is the kind of God who chooses nations). But being the Chosen Nation does not mean that their leaders can get away with anything and everything. Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon about 700 BCE. Maybe the modern leaders of Israel should re-read their Bibles and see that their God does not give them any basis for arrogantly assuming that they can force lies to become truth or that they can do anything they want without suffering the consequences. And certain powerful American Jewish lobbies think the US government is obligated to do whatever they say.
Israel has also pretended that their conflict with the Palestinians is an equal one. During recent conflict, their bombs killed several hundred Palestinians, mostly non-combatants, while fewer than twenty Israelis died. Probably five times as many Palestinian children died as all Israelis.
Israel has the right to exist. The United Nations made this decision over sixty years ago. But the United Nations did not, then or now, grant Israel the right to act like swaggering conquerors. And what do you bet that the Israeli leadership decides to attack Iran? They hint that they may do so. If this happens, the US will probably just go along with it, out of fear that our own Christian fundamentalists will rise up in arms if we do not.
I suspect that most Israelis want peace. They should get rid of their warmongering leadership. I read that 37 percent of Israelis were either agnostics or atheists. They should raise their voices and not tolerate a leadership that pretends to be God’s chosen conquerors.
And, please, can’t the US act like an independent country rather than like Israel’s little lap dog?
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