Jealousy of Jonah: why not Arabs?

Jonah is an American Yankee, a Christian possibly married to a Muslim woman. Some years ago he began responding to several of my articles in the TIMES OF ISRAEL, usually with negative comments. He is clearly a member of the anti-Israel crowd in America.

Yesterday he replied to my articles protesting discrimination against the Druze. He called me a racist for supporting the Druze but purposely failing to support the Arab minority. He called me an Israeli racist because I do not support his love of the Arabs, simply because I am not able to love Arabs who comprise the terrorist organizations, Hamas, Hezbullah and Islamic State, all who seek the destruction of our country.

Jonah is jealous. Why do I defend only the Druze and not his favorite Arabs?

His American mentality blocks from his mind the past thousands of years of Jewish history and of our attachment to God’s covenant in which He promised Israel to the Jews, and to no others.

In one of the Koran’s suras, prophet Mohammed clearly wrote that Israel is the land of the Jews. But Jonah cannot read the Koran. It is in a language that is alien to him.

I owe him no explanation other than what I have published in four of my articles. Since the 10^th century the Druze have befriended the Jews. In eleven centuries no Druze has ever harmed a Jew!

It cannot be said of the Arabs who have been our sworn enemies for centuries and since 1947 ceaselessly seeking our destruction “throwing us into the Sea” as they declared.

As citizens of the State of Israel, the nation of the Jewish people, the 21% of our Arab population have more privileges and rights than Arabs who live in Arab countries.

When a poll was taken last year asking Israeli Arabs if given a choice would they prefer to live in Palestine or in Israel? I believe the number was 87% who chose Israel over Palestine. Why?

Because in our country they have freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to vote in national elections, freedom to criticize the government (which seems to be their favorite hobby), and a host of other privileges that are enjoyed by all Jews, Arabs, Christians, Muslims, Circassians, Armenians and Abyssinians who are registered as Israeli citizens.

Even in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a modern Arab Muslim country, many of these rights and privileges are denied. Violations incur punishment and/or imprisonment.

As my readers know, I personally am not in favor of the Nation-State law, not based solely on perceived discrimination of our minorities but more so due to the redundancy of the same law which is enshrined in our 1948 Declaration of Independence proclaiming Israel as the Jewish nation. The equal rights of all minorities were guaranteed in that historic document. And full equal rights will always be for every citizen.

I whole-heartedly choose to love the Druze because of their love for us. Tens of thousands of young Druze have served with distinction in the IDF, several reaching the rank of general. Thousands of them have shed their blood and fallen in battle for us. They consider themselves as brothers of the Jews, an honor which we gladly reciprocate.

Nothing similar can be said of the Arab population. Except for some Bedouin who have served as trackers and who have excelled in their skilled ability, very few Israeli Arabs have volunteered to serve in our military forces. The fault may also be ours in part, due to a lack of trust.

Therefore, it is difficult to feel as close to the Arabs as we are to the Druze. Why should we come to the defense of those who hate us and who long for our destruction?

Jonah seems to love them. Perhaps his insurance agency could welcome them into the American state of Connecticut and, “like a good neighbor”, provide them with honest work, good wages, room and board, and shelter and protection from all of us “racist Jews”.

He cannot agree with nor even understand my opinions. They are based upon two thousand years of history…my history. Mine begins when God called Abraham to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldees to settle in the land of Israel. His history begins with George Washington crossing the Delaware. He is a Democrat. I prefer the Republicans.

We live in different worlds. We may speak the same language but our words have very different meanings. I reply only to friends of Israel.   The unfriendly and hostile ones can never be my friends.

My heartfelt wish is that the newly passed Nation-State law will be revised to highlight the equality of all our minorities and hopefully give special recognition to our beloved Druze citizens.

While we are the Jewish and democratic state, we must be, at the same time, the state of all our citizens regardless of race, creed or sex.

It is so written in our Declaration of Independence. It should be repeated and upheld in the new Basic Law.

Let there be genuine shalom/salaam among us. I believe that miracles can still happen!