The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews.
Other nations drive out thousands, even millions
of people and there is no refugee problem. Russia did it, Poland and
Czechoslovakia did it, Turkey threw out a million Greeks, and Algeria a
million Frenchman. Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese --
and no one says a word about refugees.
But in
the case of Israel, the displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees.
Everyone insists that Israel must take back every single Arab. Arnold
Toynbee calls the displacement of the Arabs an atrocity greater than any
committed by the Nazis.
Other nations when victorious on the battlefield
dictate peace terms. But when Israel is victorious it must sue for
peace. Everyone expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in this
world.
Other nations when they are defeated survive and
recover, but should Israel be defeated it would be destroyed. Had Nasser
triumphed last June he would have wiped Israel off the map, and no one
would have lifted a finger to save the Jews.
No commitment to the Jews by any government,
including our own, is worth the paper it is written on. 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 do 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 America 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.
1968 by Eric Hoffer....
No comments:
Post a Comment