A Meaningful Layover
A desire to visit Israel this Fall turned to disappointment when I saw the airfares for non-stop flights from New York. Prices were outrageous at double or triple what we normally would expect. We generally try and avoid layovers as not worth the added travel time and hassle for a nominal price benefit, but when a Kayak-search returned the option of stopping in Abu Dhabi and spending 3 days in the United Arab Emirates before continuing to Israel, for less than half the cost of non-stop flights on El Al, that surely did pique my interest. Realizing that we could visit the first country to enter the Abraham Accords with Israel as the countries marked the 5-year anniversary of that historic achievement made the idea even more special.
As we prepared for our trip, word of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire-hostage return plan was breaking. Mid-flight to Abu Dhabi we followed WhatsApp messages updating news of the agreement’s signing and like many thought, “could this really be happening…will we actually be in Israel to finally welcome home the remaining hostages?” Now, less than 48 hours on the ground in Abu Dhabi, watching the news, visiting this country and seeing the sights truly has me hopefully thinking of what could be in this region.
I have no delusions that this agreement with Hamas will lead to everlasting, or even long-lasting, peace with those elements wishing for Israel’s demise. Those voices will sadly not disappear. But, the true hope, and realistic goal, is that more and more voices and countries will join with the UAE and others to fully and genuinely recognize and welcome Israel to the region and world community.
I view this moment in time like Anwar Sadat’s post Yom Kippur War epiphany which led to the Camp David Accords and a peace treaty with Israel’s most powerful Arab neighbor, Egypt. After months of openly promising to crush Israel in the Spring of 1967, a humiliating, crushing military defeat in 6 days, led Egypt to take a different tack in 1973. A devastating surprise attack on Israel’s holiest day of Yom Kippur dealt a military blow from which many thought Israel could not recover. But when it did, and eventually defeated the Egyptian army once again, it was only then that Sadat came to the realization that Israel was not going to be defeated militarily. Israel was not going anywhere, he concluded – maybe, because as Golda Meir said of Israel’s secret weapon, “we have nowhere else to go.” So, while not a popular decision, and one that ultimately cost him his life, Sadat took the courageous decision to accept and make peace with Israel.
Sadly, the rest of the Arab world didn’t accept that conclusion, and though they may have been resigned to the fact Israel would not lose a conventional war on a traditional battlefield, a 50+ year terrorist war of attrition has ensued. Infiltrations from Lebanon and Syria into the Galilee, uprisings and intifadas from the West Bank, rockets and terrorism from Gaza, bus and café suicide bombings throughout Israel. These were not existential threats with the overall security or viability of the State of Israel in question. Instead, it was a constant, unrelenting reminder to Israelis that they were just not welcome in the neighborhood. The goal was not a Palestinian State side by side with Israel. No, that could have happened more than 75 years ago. They wanted a Palestinian State instead of the State of Israel.
The latest salvo of this terrorist war of attrition, saw Iran, through it’s proxy in Gaza, Hamas, unleash a devastating, surprise terrorist attack almost 50 years to the day – but this time on Simchat Torah 2023 and not Yom Kippur 1973. But, what these people failed to realize was that Golda Meir was correct then, and sadly still correct today: Israel and Jews truly have nowhere else to go. Israel did today what it did 50 years ago – it might have bent, but it did not break.
Will these people and forces finally get the memo Sadat got so many years ago: that Israel is not going anywhere? Will the lesson of the massive October 7 terrorist attack be the same lesson Sadat learned in October 1973: that Israel was struck with a mighty first blow, but it gathered itself, fought back, and once again declared to the world: we are not going anywhere. אין לנו ארץ אחרת – ayn lanu eretz acheret – we have no other country.
We can only hope so. Maybe this will be the time the world will wake up to see that the Palestinian people have been treated as pawns in a game the rest of the Arab world is no longer willing to play? Maybe the world will wake up to see that the pro-Palestinian movement in western streets and campuses is just a thinly veiled, antisemitic call for the destruction of Israel? Maybe the world will wake up to see that Arabs and Muslims do not have to be, and historically were not, enemies of the Jews and that they are more interested in economic prosperity, technological advances, tourism, fine food and the pursuit of thrill rides – you should see the crazy roller coasters at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi!
We had the privilege of visiting the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi to witness first-hand what courageous leaders could accomplish when the goal is to build up rather than tear down. The complex of three buildings – identical in size, shape and outward appearance – a synagogue, mosque and church was inspiring. Christians prayed privately, as Muslims readied for their afternoon prayer, and visitors from Israel shook their lulav and etrog and visited the specially built sukkah.
Our Israeli-filled hotel with kids yelling in Hebrew as they run through the breakfast buffet like they are in a hotel in Eilat or the Dead Sea gives hope that there are brighter days ahead. Out of the ashes of the Holocaust came the State of Israel, and maybe, just maybe, out of the ashes of October 7 will come greater acceptance of Israel in the Arab and Muslim world, more countries finally concluding Israel is here to stay, more countries signing on to the Abraham Accords…and more Israelis and Jews coming to try the world’s fastest roller-coaster or visit the world’s tallest building.
May the days ahead bring good news, the end to this war, the return of our hostages and Shalom – Salaam – Peace.
