How did we get there?

Who is we? It is us, Jews. There? ICC arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. Do we need to worry about those warrants? After all, many of us harbor dislike of Netanyahu, while Gallant is generally liked, or at least respected as a straightforward, honest military man. And why should we worry, don’t we have enough tsures already? Well, we should be worried about these warrants, they are touching us all, they include all of us, Jews.

These warrants are not just for Netanyahu and Galant, they are meant for all of us, all Jews. We, Jews, have become too uppity, who do we think we are? We need to be put in our place and more. This decision of ICC is a full opening of a hunting season on Jews. Actually, the Jew hunt has been here for a while, the ICC decision is just confirmation and “official” blessing of this hunt, and it is getting progressively worse. Just look all around – the hateful, many times violent pro-Hamas and anti-Israel demonstrations in US and Europeans capitals, encampments of these protesters threatening Jewish students and faculty at many university campuses in the US and Canada, BDS movement, calls for “free Palestine”, not for peace. Jewish artists, writers and even scientists, became personae non gratae at many events, art exhibitions, book presentations, with many collaborations. Does that remind you of something? All that missing is the obligatory yellow star on our jacket or coat of Nazi era, of distinctive hats of Middle Ages.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader said that arrest is not enough, that death sentence is the only appropriate measure for Netanyahu and Gallant, and what if, God forbid, he means all of Israel by extension? And that comes from one of the highest clerics of a major world religion, which is the religion of peace. Shouldn’t an arrest warrant be issued for him for war crimes of lobbing ballistic missiles on Israeli population and for initiating, arming and instigating wars run by Hezbollah and Hamas against Israel?

What I find particularly disturbing how quickly and without questioning the merits, if any, of the warrants by ICC, the ICC announcement was accepted by several countries, some of them are EU members. It actually sounds that they cheerfully jumped on the bandwagon. Great Britain, Norway and the Netherlands are leaders of the pack, wait, it is not them, the winner is … Canada! As Justin Trudeau announced he would abide by the decision of the ICC, noting that Canada is one of the founding members of the International Court of Justice, that “it is really important that everyone abide by international law. We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts. This is just who we are as Canadians.” Goodness gracious, what happened to Canada? And what would his father, Pierre Trudeau, say? That Islamist and antisemitic thugs run through the streets of Toronto and Montreal spewing hatred and destroying these cities does not seem to bother the Canadian Prime Minister. Only last Friday night (November 22) the center of Montreal was vandalized, with fire laid to cars and destruction of numerous store and businesses. Not much reaction from Trudeau. Maybe that this is just what Canadians really are – they were able to hide it for many years until recently. I am glad I was able to live in Toronto when it was so quiet and peaceful that it was rather boring.

That Great Britain would go ahead with the arrests when the opportunity comes up, should not surprise many people. It did surprise Czechoslovakia when it was handed to Hitler in the Munich agreement to which Great Britain was a signatory in 1938. France (another Munich agreement signatory) and the Netherlands go along with ICC as well. That the life for Jews is becoming more and more difficult and dangerous is not considered a disregard of human rights, and Nazi-like behavior of pro-Hamas groups is becoming more acceptable. It has been only a couple of weeks since the pogrom in Amsterdam, but that seems to be forgotten, it is more important to go with the ICC ruling, after all it is not just the ICC, but also the United Nations that were hijacked by Iran and Islamists to the peril of the free World (that is not so free anymore, at least not in thinking). Aren’t these countries trying to outdo each other who will subjugate itself more to the danger which threatens all of us, and now I do not mean just Jews, but everybody who supports democracy and its freedoms? I am afraid that it might be too late when the leaders and citizens of those countries realize not only what is at stake – everything we love about being free and able to enjoy life, but also the necessity to fight for these privileges and rights.

Upon reflection I realize that this has been in making for long time, for decades. I am not even sure whether antisemitism really and truly disappeared after WWII, or whether it was just hidden, lurking for an opportune time to reappear. And reappear it did – in the Soviet Union and its vassals where Zionists (aka Jews) were considered dangerous enemies and needed to be suppressed and repelled. I think that is how anti-Zionism became acquired as a cover up for today’s antisemitism – probably through propaganda acquired by Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Palestinian Authority, who spent some time in Moscow, and from there it spread to Hamas and other terrorist groups, and their supporters in the West.

Let’s try to end on a more hopeful and optimistic tune. As much as we complain about America it is still the US who is the Jews’ staunchest ally, together with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Argentina (and I am sure by other countries and people). We need to seek allies in countries not favorably inclined toward Israel and Jews, and yes, they are around, many of them intimidated to talk or just in hiding.
Hey Jews of the world, unite and fight!!