The Giving Tree
There’s a well-known children’s book by Shel Silverstein about a boy and a tree. The boy keeps taking from the tree. The tree keeps giving. The boy never says “thank you” the tree never says “no”. Until the stump of the tree is all that’s left.
This is similar to the story of Israel and the “Palestinians”: Israel is the tree. The “Palestinians” are the “boy”. Ungrateful, entitled, and permanently dissatisfied. In addition, the “boy” is invariably hostile.
Baum/Boim (tree in Yiddish), is a common Jewish surname: applebaum (apple tree), birnbaum (pear tree), kirschbaum (cherry tree), nussbaum (nut tree), feigelbaum (fig tree), mandelbaum (almond tree).
Here are just a few examples of THE GIVING BAUM:
Rescue from neglect and poverty:
From 1948 until 1967, the “West Bank” of the Jordan river was controlled by Jordan. Jordan treated it as far less important than the “East Bank”. King Abdullah revoked citizenship from many of the residents who, overnight, became stateless. They couldn’t visit or buy land in Jordan. The area remained neglected and underdeveloped.
In 1967, Israel was attacked by Jordan from this territory and won a war of self-defense. It took control of this region. This is what followed: Israel connected the local population to water and electricity; life expectancy rose by decades; medical services became accessible; infrastructure was built; modern agricultural was introduced; Arab men were given employment in agriculture and building; a modern economy was formed.
But the “boy” responded in only one way: RESISTANCE!
Even after a terrorist committed a horrifying attack, was arrested, and sent to prison – Israel treated him in a highly unusual way: Comfortable living quarters; education and hopefully, rehabilitation. And the “boy”?
He waits for a hostage exchange, gets released and returns to terror.
Peace offers:
Israel has agreed to several major peace offers, from the Peel Commission in 1937, to the Abraham Accords in 2020. Always making concessions that could have ended the conflict and brought prosperity to the region.
The “boy refused every single one of them.
Life saving:
Most people are unaware of the fact that Yahya Sinwar, the instigator of the horrendous events of October 7th, was treated for brain cancer in an Israeli prison. Israel saved his life. Israeli hospitals treated family members of Hamas and Palestinian Authority leaders, as well as thousands of “Palestinian children from Gaza and the “West Bank.” And the “boy”? He recovers and returns to terrorism.
Humanitarian Aid:
Israel sent tons of food into Gaza. Another highly unusual practice of feeding the civilian population of one’s enemy, many of whom supported terrorism. Hamas prevented their own citizens from accessing the aid – selling it at inflated prices to their fellow Gazans. The money was used to pay fighters and to recruit new ones. And the “boy”?
He convinced the world that the bad tree was starving them.
The question is: Why is Israel the eternal giver? And why are the “Palestinians” the eternal takers?
