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Health & Fitness

The Truth About the "Middle East Conflict"

People say that Israel is engaged in a terrible, violent dispute over land. Which reminds me of something someone once said about a billboard: “If that was really an advertisement for clothing, there’d be more clothing in it.” If this was really a dispute over land, there’d be more land involved.

This dispute is over one of the world’s smallest countries. There is barely any land to speak of. Quantity is not the issue at hand. This is a dispute of quality.

This tiny strip of real estate generates universal attention and angst. Every politician from every country on earth has an opinion on this issue. The following is from Wikipedia’s entry on the UN’s Human Rights Council:

“As of 2014, Israel had been condemned in 50 resolutions by the Council since its creation in 2006—the Council had resolved almost more resolutions condemning Israel than on the rest of the world combined. The 50 resolutions comprised almost half (45.9%) of all country-specific resolutions passed by the Council… 

“By April 2007, the Council had passed eleven resolutions condemning Israel, the only country which it had specifically condemned. Toward Sudan, a country with human rights abuses as documented by the Council's working groups, it has expressed "deep concern".

“The council voted on 30 June 2006 to make a review of alleged human rights abuses by Israel a permanent feature of every council session. The Council's special rapporteur on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict is its only expert mandate with no year of expiry.”

Why? Because of the real estate value?

This is hardly a land-dispute. This is a dispute over not just any land, but over Holy Land. This is an ancient dispute over not land, but holiness. Not “who owns this land”, but rather, “who owns sanctity.”

As much as politicians will insist that a simple land-swap is all that is needed to bring peace and love to the region, a bit more is actually needed as well. And one of the things that needs to happen is Israel’s enemies need to learn what it means to treasure life on earth. 

If they would learn and discover the truth, that G-d (the G-d of everyone, not just the Israelis) put us on earth because He loves earth and wants us – His beloved children – to elevate and beautify this earth to be even more beautiful and sacred and peaceful than Heaven, there would be peace in the Middle East. As soon as they wake to the realization that G-d sent us here because He wants us here, and that suicide bombers and other such “self-martyrers” are turned away from Heaven with disdain by horrified angels, there will be tranquility and serenity. When they finally admit that life is far more precious than death, life will become a pleasure for everyone in that region, including their own hate-fed, death-obsessed children.

Are they not also creations of the one G-d? How then do they manage to read His loving command “Thou shalt not murder” and understand it to be a message that murder is His will and His victory?!

The three teenagers, Eyal, Naftali and Gilad are far from the first Jews in history murdered simply for being Jewish. They take their place in Heaven alongside a lineup that is in the tens of millions; a line of greatness, sacrifice and a line that is far too long. And every man, women and child on that line of honor would give anything to spend another five minutes here on earth, to have another few moments of opportunities to do something good – to do a Mitzvah – to make this world better.

The Jews are not the only people that have suffered and sacrificed, but they have sacrificed far more and far more consistently that anyone else. And as history has clearly shown, all that pain has not been in vain. Every drop of Jewish blood that has spilled onto the ground from the dawn of time has watered the roots of the decency, kindness, tolerance and charity that have transformed the Dark Ages and eras of unending violence and fear-mongering into the world as we know it today. Vast portions of the modern world – including and led by these wonderful United States of America, turning 238 this weekend – are filled with freedom, true progress and mutual respect between cultures, religions and ethnicity. It wasn’t too long ago – as the story of 4th of July testifies – that this lifestyle was unthinkable and considered impossible. But change has come and it continues to arrive, and it is inspired by and rooted in the example set by Jewish sacrifice throughout the years. 

And Israel’s enemies cannot help but be affected by it too. Do you not think there are furtive eyes secretly admiring the dignity and quiet strength of these boys’ mothers? Don’t you think hearts are secretly admiring the song- and love-filled reaction of the boys’ friends? With today’s social media, can it be hidden from view?

These boys, like millions before them, did not die in vain. This dispute over sanctity will end, sooner than we think. In the near future, Israel’s enemies will concede, like others before them, that G-d despises murder and loves life. The UN will issue one final resolution before shutting its hateful offices forever, and in it they will condemn themselves. Israel’s enemies will shock the world – like the Soviets before them – and lay down their arms, throw up their hands and declare their way of life to be no way at all. 

And when it happens, we will have Eyal, Naftali and Gilad to thank for it.

May G-d avenge their blood; may their memory be a blessing; may their families find comfort; and may our sworn enemies wake up already from their bloodthirsty stupor, abandon their G-dless ways, and provide that the death of these young men will not have been in vain.

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