Posted on 06/06/2015 8:58:50 PM PDT by IsraelBeach
By Ariel Kahana
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem, Israel June 5, 2015
President Barack Obama recently accused Israel of failing to live up to the high standards of Jewish moral responsibility.
So for his benefit, here is a list of Israels contributions around the world that show its incredible moral responsibility.
Jewish values in many ways came to be my own values, U.S. President Barack Obama told a sympathetic Jewish audience two weeks ago, eliciting enthusiastic applause.
Anyone who saw Obamas address at the Adas Israel congregation in Washington on May 22 could have easily thought that the American president was speaking directly from the heart.
Jews took the heart of Biblical edict that we must not oppress a stranger, having been strangers once ourselves, Obama, wearing a white kippah, said in a speech honoring Jewish American Heritage month.
I have high expectations for Israel, the same way I have high expectations for the United States of America.
The notion of pioneers who set out not only to safeguard a nation, but to remake the world. Not only to make the desert bloom, but to allow their values to flourish; to ensure that the best of Judaism would thrive.
They believed the story of their people gave them a unique perspective among the nations of the world, a unique moral authority and responsibility that comes from having once been a stranger yourself.
To a young man like me, grappling with his own identity, recognizing the scars of race here in this nation, inspired by the civil rights struggle, the idea that you could be grounded in your history, as Israel was, but not be trapped by it, to be able to repair the world that idea was liberating.
Israel must be the type of nation that it was intended to be in its earliest founding.
And then came the sucker punch: The rights of the Jewish people then compel me to think about a Palestinian child in Ramallah that feels trapped without opportunity.
Thats what Jewish values teach me. Thats what the Judeo-Christian tradition teaches me. These things are connected.
In the same spirit, Obama told his journalist friend Jeffrey Goldberg: We [Jews] are going to make sure that the lessons weve learned from our hardships and our persecutions are applied to how we govern and how we treat others.
The American president may not have used the explicit words, but it was obvious what he meant: By mistreating the Palestinians, Israel is not living up to the standards of traditional Jewish values.
On the one hand, there is something very wrong with an American president accusing Israel of failing to meet its moral obligations.
Not only is this a false accusation, but it provides our worst foes with ammunition to use against us.
On the other hand, this is a positive shift from the diplomatic-legal-political arena to the moral arena. Obama apparently doesnt know it, but in the moral arena, Israel has a lot to say. Obama may not know about Israels many contributions to poor and developing countries so for his benefit, here is a concise list:
In both its official and non-official capacities, Israel invests enormous, albeit discreet, efforts into assisting the developing world, namely Asia and Africa.
Every year, the Israel Foreign Ministrys international aid agency, the Israeli Agency for International Development Cooperation, brings some 2,200 farmers from developing countries to Israel to teach them modern agriculture.
No fewer than 270,000 people from 132 different countries have already received this training. Some of these people even came from countries that have no official relations with Israel, such as Indonesia.
Additionally, some 2,000 professionals come to Israel from Asia and Africa each year to receive advanced professional training in fields such as community management, womens empowerment, efficient water usage, education and much more.
In addition to importing students, Israel also exports teachers and know-how. At any given moment, around a thousand farms in the developing world rely on Israeli training and/or equipment. Dozens of consultants travel to dozens of countries every year to teach, oversee, assist and train these farmers.
If Obama took the trouble to check, he would find that every African country has gotten some kind of Israeli assistance in recent years. Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Senegal, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, and even South Africa, which is hostile toward Israel. These countries and many others have enjoyed Israeli assistance.
Over the last few years, African leaders have flocked to Jerusalem for official visits. Many of them say that they view Israel a developing country that became a developed country and knows the objective challenges of the region as a role model.
The list of Asian countries that have received help from Israel is no shorter: the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Samoa, Thailand, and even superpowers China and India send their trainees to Israel, or rejoice in the lecturers and technological agricultural equipment that Israel sends to them.
Similar projects are currently underway in many eastern European countries as well. Albania, Belarus, Armenia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and others host Israeli farms and send their farmers to Israel. Likewise in Latin America.
It is true that Israels financial assistance does not come close to that of other Western countries, but this is what Israel, a country with limited resources but with a leading agricultural industry, can give. Israel has confronted the same issues that many of these countries face, such as water shortage and desertification, so it is a prime candidate to offer farms and training.
Israel rebuilds Gaza and gets rockets in return
The above is just Israels routine contribution.
Perhaps Obama hasnt heard, but Israel has earned global fame as a country that offers extensive assistance in times of emergency.
Starting with the earthquake in Turkey in the 1990s and through to the most recent earthquake in Nepal, with the 2004 tsunami and the nuclear disaster in Fukushima and the impressive rescue efforts in the Philippines, Haiti and elsewhere in between, Israel has always been there.
Israels aid delegation always arrives quickly, equipped with a field hospital, goes to the most difficult places, never backs down from a challenge, and is never afraid of the risks.
In most of these cases, and the proof is filed away at the Foreign Ministry offices, the countries that provide monetary aid get a polite thank you, but the heartfelt gratitude is reserved for Israel.
Incidentally, even the great U.S. has taken advantage of Israels expertise in times of emergency. The unfortunate experience we have amassed in the many terrorist attacks we have endured has turned Israeli doctors into global experts on mass casualty incidents, drawing dozens of American medical teams to our hospitals to learn how best to manage such events. This, too, is the type of nation that Israel was intended to be, as Obama said.
Government initiatives are only one part of the Jewish-Israeli sense of moral commitment toward the global village.
ISRAID, Tevel, Art-Joy-Love, Doctors Without Borders, Tel Aviv Universitys Pears Program, and Brit Olam are only a few of the countless Israeli assistance programs seeking to help the weakest populations in the world.
Helping children afflicted with AIDS in Africa, providing economic-community assistance in Nepal, battling Ebola, rehabilitating communities after disasters, performing surgeries on a volunteer basis, establishing schools, combating violence against women, developing specific high-tech solutions for Third World problems all these things are being done every day, away from the spotlight, by countless Israelis all around the globe.
The motive, just as Obama described, is that the story of their people gave them a unique perspective among the nations of the world, a unique moral authority and responsibility that comes from having once been a stranger yourself.
High-tech is arguably something that doesnt fall under unique moral authority and responsibility so I wont even begin to list the contribution made by the start-up nation to the world.
So without mentioning disk-on-keys, HP processors or Waze, it is important to say that Israels caring doesnt extend only to Africa or Asia it exists right here in the region as well, even when it comes at great personal risk. Israelis volunteer in the massive refugee camps in Jordan, knowing that should their identity be exposed it could cost them their lives. Israeli organizations and individuals send supplies and food to struggling Syrians.
The State of Israel has treated hundreds of wounded Syrians who fled into Israel, at times at the expense of Israeli residents of northern Israel, who were faced with unusually crowded hospitals.
And as long as we are talking about the region, we cant overlook the Palestinians. After all, it is because of our alleged mistreatment of the Palestinians that we are accused of having lost our morality.
Well, there are just a few details that Obama probably does not know: These days, Israel is just about the only state rehabilitating the Gaza Strip the same Gaza Strip that fired rockets into Israel just this week.
Is there such a precedent in the history of the world? A country rehabilitating its enemy while the war between them is ongoing?
And no, Israel does not have a hidden agenda. The former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz, revealed several days ago how his mother, a Holocaust survivor, asked him to continue sending food to Gaza even after a Grad rocket exploded just outside her house.
She made this request precisely because she remembers what it is like to be on the other side, under attack.
Not only that, but in the midst of Operation Protective Edge last summer, the IDF set up a field hospital to treat the Gaza wounded (who did not take advantage of the service because Hamas forbade it). Gazans with chronic illnesses continued to seek help at Israeli hospitals throughout the fighting.
I am not even talking about the fact that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyehs own daughter was treated at Sheba Medical Center in central Israel. Is that how America treated the bin Laden family?
Israel maintains its unique moral authority and responsibility to such a degree that at times it even costs us the lives of our soldiers.
Both Gantz and Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon recounted at a conference a month ago how the extra care they took to avoid harming innocent civilians in Gaza ended up costing lives of Israeli soldiers. Is this cost not enough for the American president?
Obama preaches about the moral character of Israel because of the absence of Palestinian autonomy in Judea and Samaria. Well, first off, it must be said that the establishment of a state is a political, not a moral, issue.
Secondly, if hes being honest, is Obama really sure that the establishment of a Palestinian state will improve the moral standing of that Palestinian child in Ramallah?
Anyone with half a brain knows that if a Palestinian state arose tomorrow, it would be very likely to rapidly disintegrate like Syria, Iraq or Yemen. After all, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas governing ability today is far weaker than that of Syrian President Bashar Assad during better times, and Assad never had Hamas lurking in the corner.
If a Palestinian state were established, it would quickly fall into the hands of Hamas, Islamic State or Boko Haram. When that happens, the life of the Palestinian child in Ramallah will not only not improve, it will get worse. Anyone who disagrees that this is the likely eventuality is welcome to recall what happened in Gaza nine years ago.
The American President has shown a very poor understanding of the developments in our region over the last seven years, so it is safe to assume that on this, too, he is wrong.
That which many call the occupation though it is not technically an occupation because the majority of the occupied Palestinians actually enjoy self-rule may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, but morally speaking it is a superior option to any version of a Palestinian state.
Indeed, it is an annoying truth, a violation of political correctness, but Israels presence in Judea and Samaria is the best guarantee for the safety of the Arab population living in that controversial stretch of land.
If the IDF and the settlers were to leave tomorrow, the Arabs of the region would most likely find themselves fighting a blood-drenched internal war, or under the rule of Hamas, which is unequivocally far less moral than the complex reality of today.
Obama cant possibly know all this neither Israels enormous contribution to the world nor the actual reality in Judea and Samaria because there is no one around to tell him about it. Israel doesnt broadcast it. The media, both local and foreign, dont cover these things. And so, as long as we dont pat ourselves on the shoulder, Obama wont either.
But, Mr. President, this is the true picture. Tiny Israel, under constant attack, under unparalleled military threat, does its best to uphold its moral character both in its immediate vicinity and in the global arena. It is always true that more could be done.
But hey, Mr. President, if you are looking for a light unto the nations you will find it right here, under your nose.
Editors Note: This article first appeared in Hebrew on May 27 in Makor Rishon.
The Jerusalem Post will be holding its 4th annual conference on June 7 2015, at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.
Israel would do well to heed the words of Basil Liddel Hart that no country ever won a war by holding and cherishing the enemy. False humanity toward evil savages? Sheesh!
Obama finds it hard to hide the fact that his sympathies lie with the Palestinians and that he is essentially an anti Zionist. He shares the Marxist view that the founding and current existence of Israel in the Muslim Mideast is an example of imperialistic neo colonialism and the gross exercise of “white privilege”. His policies and poses are understandable only in this context.
How can this be..Obama calls himself the first Jewish President..in response to that I say, Obama loves Israel like OJ loved Nicole
Taqiyya in it’s most vomit inducing form.
Israel needs to whack their enemies IMMEDIATELY....the pauses after they get bombed only help their enemies. Back in the good ol day terrorist leaders were getting whack all over the world. Some may recall the scumbag in Lebanon that died of two gun shots to the head...ruled a suicide......
If youd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.