Monday, November 25, 2013

The West Doesn't Care about the Jews



by Dr. Haim Shine



Many in Israel -- politicians, analysts and wise citizens -- have harshly criticized the agreement reached between world powers and Iran that will change the balance of power in the region in which we live, and beyond. The criticism is justified and it is focused primarily on the naivete of Western leaders in the face of the finesse displayed by Iran. This naivete manifested itself in the dangerous agreement, which will allow the Iranians to continue to enrich uranium even as sanctions that once threatened to bring down the Iranian economy are eased.

The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made tremendous efforts to lift Iran's mask of smiles and expose the world's march of folly. But so far, this has been to no avail. The Western world is exhausted and will find it difficult to deal with future threats. Also, the range of thought in Western civilization has become remarkably smaller.

Nevertheless, I suggest that we show measured humility when it comes to our criticism of other nations. For decades, Israeli governments have held negotiations with the Palestinians and have even signed agreements with them. Over the years, Israel has given the Palestinians land, strategic assets and weapons, and in return has received blood, fire and pillars of smoke. Israeli leaders have also been captivated by Middle Eastern traders who have the ability to receive something without giving anything in return. The first to experience this was our forefather Abraham, who paid Ephron 400 shekels of silver (the equivalent of $700,000 today) in exchange for a small burial cave and an abandoned edge of a field.

Currently, Israel is again negotiating with the Palestinians. The details of the talks are unknown, but one can hope that, as a country that is warning the world about naivete, Israel has learned to be careful about illusions and false dreams. Iran's success will only empower the Palestinians and lead them to increase their demands, as the agreement in Geneva proved that Western powers are not concerned about the fate of the Jews. This indifference is nothing new, and in the 20th century we experienced real-life consequences of it.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry are not naive, as we tend to think. The strength of a leader is derived from the strength of the nation that he or she leads. After Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and al-Qaida, the new American society no longer has reserves of fortitude. It is preoccupied with economic survival, health care and dealing with the flood of immigrants. American citizens feel their country has invested too much energy on managing faraway crises rather than tackling problems at home.

As always, Israel will need to deal with the existential threats it faces on its own. Anyone who thought differently was wrong. Intellectuals and opinion-makers believe that Israel has exhausted the world's sense of guilt for remaining silent as the endless trains led the Jews on their final journeys. As far as the world is concerned, Israel won its independence so the Jews would no longer have to plead for mercy.

A large majority of the Israeli public understands the Iranian nuclear threat. When Israel faces an existential threat, there is no opposition or coalition. We are one people. It is our destiny to defend ourselves as one. There is no power on earth that can stand against the united people of Israel. This is the eternal secret of our existence, and with God's help, we will succeed in taking care of the Iranian nuclear program -- by ourselves and without favors from anyone.



Dr. Haim Shine

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=6453

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.

No comments:

Post a Comment