Support For Israel? Never In Doubt!
You might think that just because I am a Bible believing Christian, that my support for Israel is based on prophecy or some particular Biblical mandate. In part, you would be correct. I truly believe that Israel’s very existence today is God ordained, a country born out of the ashes of the holocaust and a people who are still very precious to Him.
That being said, there is another reason why I support Israel: their actions against Hamas are justified.
Clearly, Israel has been patient for several years as rockets have been fired out of the Gaza strip and have hit Israeli towns and countryside. People have been injured and I’ve been told that some have been killed, while the Jewish state has withheld responding. Likely, international pressure forced Israel to hold back, but there comes a time when enough is enough.
Over the past few weeks, Israel has been responding as clearly the time was right.
The situation in the Gaza territory is very sad, but the Palestinians have only themselves to blame. Not so much any of the poor, disenfranchised residents who have no voice or choice in the matter, rather the leadership of the land, a people who are de facto terrorists.
The Palestinian people did elect Hamas, choosing to turn their backs on Yasir Arafat’s Fatah party. Fatah is certainly no angelic organization, but compared to Hamas there is a certain amount of legitimacy, international acceptance and Israeli dialogue. Hamas, however, has sworn to defeat Israel and is keeping its residents captive.
Many of the rockets and missiles fired from Gaza have been launched from residential or public buildings such as schools. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has carefully and surgically taken out targets attempting to avoid civilian casualties. Unfortunately, as in any war, some civilians do die but Hamas is to be blamed, not Israel.
My understanding of the Hamas organization is that it is being supported and funded by Iran. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has threatened to destroy Israel and is even now developing a nuclear capability. It is no secret that Israel already possesses this technology, but they certainly haven’t threatened to drive anyone into the sea as Ahmadinejad has said he would do of Israel.
Meanwhile, the international community keeps its hands folded and mouths shut until Israel chooses to defend herself.
In just over a week the US will have a new president, as Barack Obama will be sworn into office on January 20th. I have no idea what his policy will be in regards to Israel and the Middle East, but I certainly hope that they he will not bow to international pressure by pushing Israel into agreeing to a worthless ceasefire.
Israel has a lot of cleaning out and cleaning up to do with Gaza and we don’t need a new American president to dictate how a sovereign country will handle itself. Even with missiles still firing down on Israeli towns, the IDF is showing restraint by resisting the urge to carpet bomb while employing surgical strikes against Hamas.
War is never pretty, but Israel has the right to defend herself. The court of public opinion may be against Israel, but as far as I am concerned Israel is doing the right thing when it comes to responding to Hamas.
Tags: Fatah, Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Iran, Israel, Israeli Defense Force, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran
Politics | Matthew C. Keegan, 9 Jan 09
By Larry, January 9, 2009 @ 4:48 pm
The situation in Gaza is very unfortunate, as it is any time civilians are killed during a war. A lot of people really want to lay the blame fully at Israel’s feet and while they do have some things to account for in their past treatment of the Palestinians, Hamas is mostly to blame for this current conflict. As I have stated in more than one article on my own blog, Hamas and the Palestinians could easily have peace with Israel, if they really wanted it.
It really is very ironic that they say they want peace, continue the rocket attacks on Israel, and then start crying foul when Israel gets tired of it and responds with major force..
Larrys last blog post..Barack Obama says government alone can help
By Matthew C. Keegan, January 9, 2009 @ 4:54 pm
Thank you for you comment, Larry.
Agreed, Israel isn’t perfect and they’ve made some mistakes in the past in their dealings with the Palestinians.
Hamas, on the other hand, has put Gaza residents in harm’s way and continues with the camps, though the Arabic community itself can easily help resettle people. Hamas is attempting to win the battle of public opinion, which seems to be in their favor.
We’ll see how President Obama handles this. Meanwhile, Israel must and should defend herself or risk being vanquished by her enemies.
By Barry, January 9, 2009 @ 5:00 pm
Good post, Matt. The actions of Hamas are deplorable, and must be dealt with accordingly. I do think it’s probably a mistake to support Israel unconditionally, though; they must be as accountable for their actions as any other nation.
Barrys last blog post..2008 Blog Highlights (and a lowlight)
By Matthew C. Keegan, January 9, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
Barry, I agree — no country should be supported without some sort of accountability. Though I believe God has His hand on Israel, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t follow the law.
I know some Christians give blind support to Israel, but I don’t because we all fall short and are prone to make mistakes.
By PurpleGreenPops.com, January 9, 2009 @ 10:25 pm
If the Arab militants in the Middle East laid down their weapons today, there would be peace tomorrow.
If Israel laid down here weapons today, there would be no Israel tomorrow.
By Matthew C. Keegan, January 10, 2009 @ 5:33 am
Purple, Israel’s enemies don’t want peace…they want capitulation!
Do I expect that the Islamic world will truly ever agree to a lasting peace deal with Israel? No. Ever since Isaac Ishmael the two have been at odds, with only the Prince of Peace able to bring them together.
By Robin, January 10, 2009 @ 10:15 am
You have managed to explain the situation very well and I agree with you that Israel has a right to defend. Warfare in today’s world unfortunately doesn’t easily distinguish who “innocent bystanders (civilians)” are when dealing with terrorists and Hamas is clearly a terrorist organization – even if it is duly elected by the Palestinians and more than likey supported by the fanatical regime in Iran. Having said this, I do believe that the Palestinians have a right to their own homeland.
Robins last blog post..Down with the Negative
By Matthew C. Keegan, January 10, 2009 @ 11:33 am
Thanks, Robin. I, too, believe that Palestine should become a nation and that is something Israel has supported since 2000.
But, it appears that statehood isn’t being pushed by the Palestine leadership for reasons which aren’t entirely clear to me.
By Mark Gittelman@car questions, January 10, 2009 @ 7:55 pm
Matt: Another fine musing. I respect your bravery to express your true feelings on this controversial subject. I will spare you a long winded mussing of my own.
But I find it interesting on the timing of the counter attack by Israel. As you stated rockets have been fired by Hamas for a long time. In fact I suspect that this action was directly supported and encouraged by the current administration. But the Bush white house does not have your courage to admit it!
Mark Gittelman@car questionss last blog post..Jan 10, Laptop Automotive Scanner Facts | YouFixCars.com
By m, January 11, 2009 @ 9:43 am
Bravo!!! Excellent article.
By wtf, January 11, 2009 @ 2:22 pm
WTF!
Here is an easier version that our pre-programmed mind can absorb:
Land: Palestine
Coloniser: Zionists (aka Israel) NOT Jewish
Resistance: Palestinians (Hamas and other parties)
Is that easy enough? Palestinians are fighting for their freedom like Algerians and south Africans.
It’s a war crime and Israel will be sued for that, wait and see
By Matthew C. Keegan, January 11, 2009 @ 4:30 pm
WTF, the facts don’t support your assertion. Israel long ago pulled out of Palestine and has supported a Palestinian state.
Hamas, on the other hand, refuses to even acknowledge Israel’s existence and has been lobbing missiles and illegally building tunnels across the Egyptian border for years.
Hamas, by the way, has been shunned by moderate Islamic countries, while receiving support from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad simply to act as a wedge against Israel.
By Dominique, January 13, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
If the Arab militants in the Middle East laid down their weapons today, there would be peace tomorrow.
If Israel laid down here weapons today, there would be no Israel tomorrow.
Purple – Wow…you nailed it right on the head!
By Dominique, January 13, 2009 @ 3:32 pm
WTF!
Here is an easier version that our pre-programmed mind can absorb:
Land: Palestine
Coloniser: Zionists (aka Israel) NOT Jewish
Resistance: Palestinians (Hamas and other parties)
Is that easy enough? Palestinians are fighting for their freedom like Algerians and south Africans.
It’s a war crime and Israel will be sued for that, wait and see
WTF – you have been watching too much of the American media! That is the most spin I have seen in a while!
Dominiques last blog post..That is not MY America? Is it YOURS?
By Matthew C. Keegan, January 13, 2009 @ 3:40 pm
Dominique, these people have no desire to have a dialogue over the issue of Israel.
I’ve been seeing first hand how if someone doesn’t like your view, they’ll slam you for it. I maintain my support for Israel which will certainly not waver in the face of opposition.
By piloni, January 15, 2009 @ 11:58 am
In Guatemamala central america
all people sopport ISRAEL
Guatemala soporta a israael por siempre
By Matthew C. Keegan, January 15, 2009 @ 12:45 pm
That’s good to here, Paloni. Freedom supporters from around the world need to speak up on behalf of Israel, the lone democracy in the Middle East.
By Airport parking lounges, January 26, 2009 @ 5:27 am
I am a Filipino and as the only Christian country i Asia, I fully support Israel… I am a big fan of IDF.