Thoughts as Israel will mark its 77th birthday

Alas, a sad day for all those who detest Israel. From an old man muttering in Farsi in Tehran, to another old, yet loud, man in Ankara who has asked Allah to destroy Israel. Yes, Israel will celebrate its 77^th birthday and, yes, it still exists. Legions of pro-Palestinian activists – or anti-Israel activists, take your pick – will be disgruntled as well. As this milestone will take place this week, it would be a good moment to reflect on the country.

What continues to amaze is how such a small country can garner so much international media attention. For instance, when the Central Bureau for Statistics in Israel published numbers relating to migration earlier this year, it was picked up by many news outlets. Immediately, the numbers game started. Net migration was negative in 2024, as the number of Israelis emigrating was larger than the number of olim. Of course, this was highlighted, insinuating that Jews were leaving the Jewish state in droves. Yedioth Ahronoth blamed the government. Indeed, it is true that thousands of Israelis have been moving abroad because of government policies or maybe even the war. When I was volunteering in Israel a few months ago, I met a couple of Magen David Adom medics who were moving because of the government. It does happen. But, emigration is not exceptional, it happens in every country. In terms of Israel, the numbers for 2024 show over 80,000 emigrated, while more than 50,000 came or returned. Finally, the population still had grown, because of Israel’s relatively high birth rate. So much for a population that is supposedly “fleeing” the country, due to the government or the war.

In Israel people are free to move somewhere else, if they wish to. The reasons are numerous – love, employment, frustration about the government, the weather even – but the same applies to other countries. Take the Netherlands, for instance. For the past three years, the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics published data showing that the Dutch birth rate is quite low. Yet, the population keeps growing as well, because emigration and a lower birth rate and higher death rate – the last one is due to an ageing population – are offset by immigration. Now, international media outlets do not necessarily care about the Netherlands, but they could be selective here as well, arguing that the low birth rate is evidence that the Dutch are very unhappy. Making such a claim would be just as short-sighted.

What about some other fun statistics? Well, Israel ranks relatively high on the Human Development Index. Moreover, in terms of happiness, despite dropping a few spots, Israel still ranks among the top ten countries in the world. Countries that rank higher are Scandinavian and, you guessed it…the Netherlands. In terms of the economy, the OECD even credited Israeli resilience, despite the war. The organization advised that long-term economic performance could be improved even further, if infrastructure gaps would be addressed and educational outcomes and labour-market participation among ultra-Orthodox and Arab Israelis would be improved. Such an “awful” country, right?

When I came to volunteer, I met plenty of Israelis, both young and old. The overwhelming majority encouraged me to move to the country, no one told me to run for the hills and never come back. While Israelis like to complain about many things in life – which is what the Dutch love to do as well – people I have met were rather spirited, despite the ongoing war and the continuing plight of the hostages – which, make no mistake, was on everyone’s mind.

In a regional sense, several things are worth mentioning. As Israel is about to mark its 77^th birthday, the region continues to change dramatically, most recently by the fall of the Assad regime. It is true, most people in the region still dislike Israel. However, several positives need to be underscored. When Hamas launched its massive and gruesome terror attack in 2023 and the ensuing war erupted, it may have hoped for extensive damage to Israel, for instance by countries severing ties. But while relations have been strained, nothing of the sort has happened. Egypt has not severed ties with Israel or declared its peace treaty with the Jewish state null and void, despite calls from a number of parliamentarians. Jordan, which has a majority population of Palestinians, has not severed ties either. On the contrary, despite King Abdullah’s non-existent relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu, the ties between the countries’ intelligence agencies have remained robust. Moreover, Jordan has recently foiled an alleged terror plot by the Muslim Brotherhood, which has consequently been outlawed by the kingdom. And the UAE and Bahrain, never fans of Hamas to begin with, have preserved their relatively new ties with Israel, as has Morocco. Furthermore, it seems that Lebanon is trying, at least, to assume control of its territory and is willing to use diplomacy concerning outstanding border disputes with its southern neighbor. And Syria’s Sharaa continues to astonish, reiterating that Syria will not be a launchpad for attacks on Israel and might even be interested in joining the Abraham Accords, if the “conditions are right.” Of course, the Iranian axis is bound to respond to this – and it already is in Iraq – but, for now, I do not think that anyone could have predicted the Middle East’s current state – certainly not Hamas. Indeed, simply watch an interview with Hamas official Osama Hamdan, a man who has no qualms about spouting the lie that suicide bombings in Israel had targeted soldiers mostly. Indeed, this year Hamdan even argued that Syria would join the “resistance” – Syria’s current stance must have surprised him.

However, on a global scale and particularly in the West, Israel and Jews in general have suffered substantial setbacks. It is one aspect Hamas can surely boast about. From Dearborn, Michigan to Neukölln in Berlin, Germany, Islamist support for Hamas and Hezbollah and the concomitant glorification of jihad have offered Hamas and the Palestinian cause tremendous support. Moreover, many Western university campuses have been the scene of large pro-Palestinian protests and the occasional outright glorification of terror groups as well – but, here as well, the numbers should not be overstated, as they constitute a relatively small number of each and every student body of the universities in question, though they have managed to make Israeli and Jewish students feel unsafe. Many would argue that these protests were peaceful. I am not arguing that all of them were violent – though some certainly were – but as long as you do not start “renovating” streets, it is apparently deemed peaceful. Many of these peaceful protests, however, have seen repeated calls for Israel’s destruction which, to me at least, does not qualify as “peaceful” language. There have been considerable, yet fewer in size and frequency, pro-Israel protests in the West as well. Imagine that at these protests people would have called for the annihilation of Gaza or the expulsion of the population, without breaking anything. Would we have then called them peaceful, too?

Several anti-Israel activists have become more aggressive across the globe as well. From large gatherings of young men in Bangladesh and Pakistan who protested against and even burned “Israeli” KFC restaurants – indeed, they sell “Zionist chickens” – to a couple of “activists” trashing the entrance to insurance company Allianz’s office in Rotterdam at night, because they found out that the German giant does business in Israel. Another Dutch example would be Rawan Osman’s tour of speaking at Dutch universities. Twice, in Nijmegen and Maastricht, her lectures have been disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters. These students did not come to debate, but to disrupt her lectures because they objected against the opportunity given her to speak. In Nijmegen, a faculty member even praised this small group of students for their ostensibly peaceful disruption of a lecture defending Israel. I thought a university campus was supposed to be a venue where different voices could be heard? I would not want to prevent a pro-Palestinian speaker from attending an event, unless he or she actively would advocate the murder of Israelis or Jews. And if Rawan Osman’s views are considered severely flawed by protesters, I would suggest that they attend, let her speak, and then calmly use solid counterarguments against everything she said. But it seems that she needs to be prevented from speaking, simply because a group of people considers her to be on the “wrong side.”

Finally, Israel itself. While marking Israel’s birthday should be a happy occasion, the war still continues and 59 hostages remain in Gaza. It is a surreal situation. Soldiers could die on Independence Day and several have already, since the war has been resumed. Moreover, the most vexing prospect is what will happen to the hostages. Can we imagine that they will be beaten even more severely than usual, simply because it is Yom HaAtzma’ut? In addition, internet trolls exist everywhere, also in Israel. So, when Liri Albag holds Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for the hostages’ plight in Gaza, some people consider it necessary to curse and threaten her online, even wishing that she should be returned to Gaza. You can disagree with Liri’s statement. You can use counterarguments if you support the Prime Minister. But, Liri Albag spent time in captivity – a lot of it. Most of us have never and hopefully will never have to endure these conditions in life. Is she not allowed to give her opinion? Could October 7^th have been prevented? Probably not. Could its severe impact have been limited, if serious intelligence failures that preceded it had not occurred? Probably. The argument against a new ceasefire deal which would see the release of all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war is that it would not bring “total victory” or prevent Hamas from ever taking hostages again. However, could total victory ever be achieved, the minute we saw the first hostages being paraded in Gaza on October 7^th? From that moment, we all knew that Hamas would use them as a bargaining chip. It is why Hamas feels confident to make demands. It is an important reason why Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire that disadvantaged it, because it had no bargaining chip this time. Finally, a hostage deal now is no guarantee that hostages will not be taken again in the future. This is true, but the late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was asked the same question in 2003 when he was contemplating a deal for the release of Israeli hostages. Upon being asked if agreeing to a deal would not enable terrorists to repeat their actions, Sharon countered by saying that rejecting a deal would not stop the process of taking hostages either. Lastly, opposition politicians should do more than simply criticize the current government. Throughout the years they have staked their identity on being “anti-Netanyahu.” Fine, but what else do you have to offer? What is the opposition’s vision for Israel? What distinguishes them from the coalition parties? They need to come up with new ideas, something that separates them from their opponents. And I would advise them to reach out to voters, engage them, ask them what is on their mind. Yes, that would mean entering strongholds of the current government and trying to convince them of the merits of their vision as well. Simply preaching to the choir is not enough.

Also, the West Bank – or, if you prefer the biblical names, Judea and Samaria. First of all, most Israelis who live beyond the Green Line are not violent or engaged in attacks on Palestinians. And while I would eventually prefer to see a political settlement along the lines of the Olmert Plan, that is a matter for Israeli and Palestinian political representatives to decide upon, if necessary with the help of international mediators. One thing is certain, though: Palestinians have to abandon the pursuit of Israel’s destruction. But the attacks that are taking place in the West Bank by Jewish Israelis, even if their numbers are small, are abhorrent. There is no justification for someone setting Palestinian fields, cars or homes on fire. None. In the shadow of this war, these attacks are being intensified by their perpetrators, pursuing an agenda that benefits them alone. Moreover, while the military are responsible for keeping Israelis safe in this territory, it forces them to pay attention to this as well, stretching manpower resources even further. Indeed, we have even seen occasions where soldiers or police officers are attacked. These attacks must be condemned and they must be punished. One of the worst examples was a recent attack by extremists on the Palestinian village of Jinba, where soldiers refused to intervene. This was covered by Israeli media and the footage was aired by international news outlets. And you know what the funny thing is? These Jewish extremists have one thing in common with anti-Israel extremists: they usually dress the same. In Jinba, the footage shows perpetrators wearing the notorious hoodies and face coverings. What did many perpetrators of the Amsterdam Jew hunt wear last year? Hoodies and face coverings. And what did the anti-Israel hooligans who vandalized Allianz’s office in Rotterdam wear? That’s right, hoodies and face coverings. They all use violence and justify it as necessary. But many of them do not wish to show us their faces when they commit these awful acts.

Last, but certainly not least, the crime wave and accompanying death toll that continues to wreak havoc among Arab Israelis. As numbers continue to climb, this year as well, it is my sincere hope that this government will outline a strategy that includes Arab Israeli stakeholders to counter this threat. The insecurity felt by Arab citizens of Israel needs to be addressed and crime syndicates that terrorize neighborhoods and communities need to be countered. The minister responsible for national security is Itamar Ben Gvir, who on his tour of the United States claimed that he had mellowed – I am trying to keep myself from laughing. But, if that is so, he can start by denouncing Lehava. And he can continue by addressing the issue of crime in Arab society. After all, this is an Israeli interest. If he does that, then he will have truly “softened his stance.”

In a nutshell, these are some of my insignificant thoughts as Israel continues to amaze, frustrate, encourage, worry, enlighten, and move me. In 77 years, Israel has achieved much and it can still call itself a state with a Jewish soul and a democratic system. A place where the spoken language is Hebrew, where Jewish holidays are public holidays, where you will find Jews of all stripes, and where Jews do not have to fear marginalization simply for being Jewish. A country where Druze, Circassians, and Arab Israelis – both Muslim and Christian – complete the beautiful mosaic that Israel is. For me, I hope that Israel’s 78^th year will see the return of the hostages, whether dead or alive, to their families. They have been in Gaza too long already, the terrible toll it has taken on Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed shows why they have to come sooner, rather than later. I want Edan Alexander to be with his family; I want Noa Argamani and Ditsa Or to be reunited with Avinatan Or; I want Einav Zangauker to finally embrace her son Matan after all the protests she has attended; I want the family of Mohammed Alatrash to be able to bury their beloved family member; I want Pinta Nattapong and Bipin Joshi to be reunited with their families; I want to see Joshua Mollel’s body returned to his family – bring them all home; I would like to see an end to this war, so no more soldiers have to be returned from Gaza in coffins to grieving families; and, yes, even though Hamas bears responsibility, I would like to see an end to the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza as well.

To my family and friends in Israel, fellow Israelis, and Jews worldwide who are sympathetic to Israel, I would like to say congratulations on Israel’s coming birthday. To all non-Jews worldwide who have continued to express sympathy and support for Israel, I would like to thank you for this courageous stance. May we all know better days.

PS: to those who have taken the time to read my long musings and some who have even provided interesting commentary, I would like to express my gratitude.