The Real Secret of the Middle East Conflict

It’s almost amusing to hear Hamas attempting to lay down the terms of a ceasefire now that they are on the brink of annihilation. Their rhetoric – uttered for the benefit of the media - rings hollow.

Ironically their pleas are made with two faces – one downcast looking for mercy, while the other continues the behavior that got them into this position in the first place; lobbing rockets into Israel.

Their sponsor Iran makes no bones about what is expected from Hamas. The vocal Ahmadinejad declares that it is 'not feasible' for Israel to live.

Similarly, the paper tiger that is the United Nations (who we remember scared Russia so effectively during the war in Georgia that Europe is now critically short on Russian gas), wring their bureaucratic hands and brand Israeli soldiers as ‘war criminals’. Not a peep out of them during the years of Hamas’ daily attacks on Israel. No condemnation of the highly publicized indoctrinations and abuses upon the children of Gaza that Hamas inflicts on their own innocents - abuses that fly in the face of UNICEF’s, and the UN Convention’s, Rights of the Child.

This is the same UN that hired Hamas terrorists as teachers and staff at their agency school in Gaza which drew retaliatory fire from Israel, resulting in the death of 30 + children* (see 1. below). The same UN that joined forces with the U.S. and killed in excess of 1 million Iraqis, the vast majority of them civilians.

From Ireland to Istanbul protests against Israel are a regular event. To the surprise of the protesters the counter demonstrations are growing in number and intensity. Americans whole heartedly support Israel’s efforts. The demonstrators call the Jews "pigs,’ suggest that they "go back to the ovens." Really. These protests have little to do with Gaza; let’s call it for what it is; these guys just can’t stand Jews.

Speaking of which, Ireland, that land of saints and scholars, has become the bright beacon of anti-Semitism in Europe. The country's one-sided news coverage and criticism by the Irish Government of Israel, has been described as ‘toxic’ by the Jerusalem Post. (See 2. below)

Why would such a progressive country be so against G-d’s chosen people.

Three reasons; First, hatred through rationalized indoctrination: the Irish people were taught for generations in the Catholic catechism that the Jews (as opposed to the Romans) killed Jesus (a Jew).

Second, the Irish terrorist organization Sinn Fein (political wing) and the IRA (Military) trained and colluded closely with the PLO and other Middle Eastern terrorist organizations from the 1970s until the mid 1990s. Sinn Fein is a blue collar political organization and their dislike of Israel's policies was echoed the other day at a meeting at the Irish Congress. The Sinn Fein's party deputy described the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland's presentation on the Gaza conflict as something "Goebbels would have been proud of." (See 3. below)

Third, ignorance; defined as coming to a conclusion prior to investigation. As any brief examination of history shows, Ireland has more in common with the 5 million Israeli Jews than the 630 million Arabs; both were treated horribly as underdogs, both fought the British (and won), both received independence within 20 years of each other and worked hard toward prosperity. Each has built a nation that supports family centered life, with strong social programs. They are uncannily similar; so shamefully different.

The fact is that a lot of the Irish plainly don’t like Jews. They don’t like American’s either but that’s another story. Strange behavior coming from a nation who accepts a (Jewish) messiah from Israel, and prosperity, in the form of investment and jobs, from the US.

The Jerusalem Post last week wrote "Ireland, according to foreign ministry officials, is currently one of the European countries most antagonistic to Israel, and a country where the hostility of the press is matched by the tone of the government."

Historically Ireland has been no friend of the Jews. The Jews who live there – all 1,500 of them (compared to the 78,000 Muslims) – do so freely. Ireland however turned away Jews en masse during the Holocaust. If it wasn’t for their American born President, Éamon de Valera, they would have continued to do so as a matter of policy. De Valera overturned the national anti-Jewish policy in 1948 allowing small groups of Jews to enter the country. (see article 2, below "Israeli media takes notice of Irish criticism").

Plenty has been written in the ButlerReport (Special Reports) about the reasons that Israel as a sovereign nation is entitled to defend itself against attack. The talk about the innocents in Gaza is hard to swallow not because Israel has killed those described as civilians, but because in Gaza there are no civilians to begin with.

The people of Gaza voted Hamas, a terrorist organization, into power in the full knowledge that their goal is the complete destruction of Israel and all Jews. As such they knew that Hamas is a terrorist organization. They allow Hamas to rearm and attack Israel daily from civilian neighborhoods. They allow Hamas militants to mingle with them before, during and after attacks. The same civilians allow the use of their children as shields when Hamas has to retreat. As such they are no longer civilians; they are willing participants.

Many talk about the plight of the Gaza Arabs. Gaza supporters ‘tut-tut’ sympathetically at their terrible living and education standards; lack of hygiene; poor medicine. For the record it is important to note that their standards are the same as the rest of their brothers in the Middle East. Being in Gaza doesn’t make them special; most Arabs live like that. Except the ones who live in Israel where they get to do such unusual things as vote, live freely and work along side the Jews.

There is a deep secret about the Middle East ‘conflict’. There’s a reason why Israel is a big threat and it has nothing to do with Judaism. It has to do with the Israeli way of life and the form of culture and government Israel represents as the sole democracy in the Middle East. Arab leaders are deathly scared of democracy.

Which rulers of 630 million people and beneficiaries of vast oil wealth want the status quo to change? Can you imagine what would happen if the 630 Arabs woke up one morning and realized that they too could live a free and useful life; that in a democracy they could have an equal chance of having a full belly, a decent paycheck and the freedom to pursue their dreams?

That concept scares the ruling elite in the Middle East – secular and religious - who enjoy the range, wealth and privilege (mostly wealth) that being the top dog brings. For them it’s better to keep the population poor, ignorant and wanting and focus the blame for their miserable lives on an outside force – Israel or America - than run the risk of introducing the freedoms of democracy. Therein lies the real issue.

That’s something to think about.