Why I stand with Israel

Recently the City Council in Providence, RI sowed division in my city when it allowed the Palestinian flag to fly outside City Hall. While that flag has waved around the world, not surprisingly, my support for Israel has never wavered. What might be surprising, however, is that although my Jewish identity and my religion undeniably shape my perspective, they are not the primary factors that lead me to advocate for Israel.

The only point involving religion I will make is one that both Jews and Muslims agree upon. While Jerusalem is holy to Muslims, by their own admission it ranks as their third holiest city, following Mecca and Medina. On the other hand, to the Jewish people, Jerusalem, unparalleled in its significance, is the holiest city. When praying, Jews all over the world turn to face Jerusalem, while Muslims turn to face Mecca. Jews in prayer never turn their backs on Jerusalem, but depending upon where they are located, Muslims do.

Rooted in realism not religion, and founded on facts not faith, my pro-Israel views arise from the same logic and reason I use every day as a software developer. Moreover, much of my reasoning lies in fundamental concepts of fairness that are so basic and so intuitive that even my three-year-old niece understands and readily accepts them.

No country other than Israel has been expected to surrender territory to those blatantly seeking its annihilation, and Israel is the only country whose right to exist is forever questioned. In a world where there are 50 Muslim-majority countries and 157 Christian-majority countries, I refuse to acquiesce to the logic of those who think that one country with a Jewish majority is one too many.

To those who argue that Israel’s land is Muslim land, I ask where is Jewish land? Morocco, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Tunisia, Western Sahara, Yemen, Iraq, Mauritania, Mayotte, Maldives, Niger, Comoros, Turkey, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Djibouti, Senegal, Libya, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Egypt, Turkmenistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh are not only Muslim-majority but have populations that are between 90% and 100% Muslim. While there is no Jewish country with a population that is more than 75% Jewish, many champion the need for yet another country that is 100% Muslim.

In addition, there is not one Jewish citizen allowed in Palestinian territories such as Gaza, Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin, although there are over two million Israeli citizens who are Muslim.

I stand with Israel because I believe in science. Just as I believe that climate change is real, I believe the thousands of archaeological artifacts that support the Jewish people’s connection to the land. Recently a 1,500-year-old limestone decorated with menorahs was found. Yet people continue to deny our historical association with the land.

I stand with Israel because I have studied the history of the region. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any nation except Israel and there has never been a sovereign Palestinian country. In the 1960’s the concept of the “Palestinian” people was invented when PLO leader Yasser Arafat collaborated with the Soviet Union to advance anti-Western ideology. Arafat himself was not from Palestine, but was born in Egypt, and most of the “Palestinians” today descend from Arabs from neighboring countries who immigrated to the area in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Before the 1960’s the word “Palestinian” referred primarily to Jews who lived in the region, and this fact is provable if you look at old newspaper articles. In just one example, on December 4, 1945, the New York Times published an article with the headline, “ARABS TO BOYCOTT PALESTINIAN GOODS”, and a subheading that read, “Vote Action Against Jewish Industry, Charging Tie with Zionism and Political Aims.”

I stand with Israel because history has shown that the goal of the Palestinians is a nefarious one that aims not to create a Palestinian state, but to eliminate the Jewish state. Had the Arabs wanted a Palestinian state, they could have had one many times, but each time they were offered a state of their own, they pushed it away with both hands.  By 1948, Arabs had already rejected several offers, including the 1937 Peel Plan, the 1939 British White Paper, and the 1947 U.N. partition plan. They later rejected offers for a Palestinian state in 1967, 1973, 1994, 2000, 2008, and 2019, and continued with a strategy involving war and terrorism.

I stand with Israel because history has proven its necessity. To understand the need for Jewish self-determination, I can look at over two millennia of Jewish persecution that occurred because our safety was left to the whims of others, or I can simply look at three days in October, 2023. On October 6, Jews had a false sense of security. On October 7, they were tortured and slaughtered. On October 8, we saw the masses rise up against us, supporting the murderers instead of the victims. Bari Weiss, editor at the Free Press, said, “We expected Hamas to try to kill Jews. We didn’t expect Americans to celebrate when they did.”

Some might argue that because Israel has provided a convenient excuse for people to justify their antisemitism, Israel’s existence makes us less safe; however, as horrific as the Oct. 7 pogrom was, throughout history the pogroms against Jews were far more tragic because Jews had no army and no means to defend themselves. Despite the rise in antisemitism, cloaked in anti-Zionism, the Jewish need for Israel is more important than ever. The late Elie Wiesel captured the criticality of Israel when he said, “As a Jew, I need Israel. More precisely: I can live as a Jew outside Israel, but not without Israel.”

Yet with all of its challenges, Israel continues to rank as one of the happiest countries in the world. Some might find it difficult to understand how people living in a country beset with internal political division, condemnation on the world stage, an ongoing war, and a constant barrage of missiles, can still consider themselves happy. Part of the answer can be found in the flag.

In May a giant Israeli flag was unfurled at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Unlike the Palestinian flag, the Israeli flag is not used to call for the destruction of a country or a people. Unlike the American flag which is rarely seen in left-wing protests in our country, the ubiquitous Israeli flag is widely flown in both left-wing and right-wing protests. It is also used by Israelis and Israel supporters all over the world who, despite the challenges of war and the drastic increase in antisemitism, wave the blue and white flag while joyfully singing and dancing.

The joy that emanates from this flag, encapsulating the resilience and tenacity of a people who rose from the ashes to build a thriving democratic state in their ancestral homeland, is yet one more reason that inspires me to stand with Israel now and forever.