Israel must stand firm to avoid annihilation
Yes, 700,000 Arabs left the areas they lived in.
They were not expelled. They left with the promise by the Arab invaders that they would soon regain their own homes as well as taking over those of the Israelis when they were driven back into the sea.
How come thousands of Arabs did not leave the Israeli-held territories then? Now there are 1.5 million of them living in Israel as Israeli citizens and being represented by Arab members of parliament chosen in democratic elections.
As a democracy, Israel tolerates venomous attacks on its policies by Jews and Arabs in parliament and in the press.
The fact that not all Jews agree with Zionism or with what Israel does is nothing unusual.
The current situation cannot be relegated to an outcome of Zionist ideas from the 19th century.
As everyone knows, Israel is a much too pragmatic society nowadays to cling to the ideologies of previous centuries and it is certainly not under a yoke of Zionism.
What most Israelis are concerned with is surviving and defending what they have built up — all of it under increasing threat of annihilation from the multitudes of the Arab streets.
It should be welcomed that Jews both support and oppose the policies of the state of Israel.
That there are opponents of any policy is natural in a free society, but this cannot be offered as evidence that Jews who oppose the state’s foreign policy have actually seen the light, as Mr Kelly suggests.
Jews were foremost Marxists and foremost opponents of Marxism. Jews are great supporters and opponents of US President George W Bush.
So what?
The bottom line is that Israel is facing an Arab street world bent on annihilating it. Iran’s president has openly called for this.
Hezbollah, no one denies, is an Iranian proxy.
Israel simply has no choice but to remain tough, otherwise it will go under.
Prof Michael Wald
Rossmore
Durrus
Co Cork
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