ISLAM AND THE JEWS

In mid 2006, Israel went to war for the sixth time against an Arab neighbor. From the start, the conflict was characterized by its oddity because it opposed a sovereign nation against a military organization that represented only a part of the population of Lebanon. This organization was part of the Lebanese government, but the Lebanese government was not on its side.

The war started as Hezbollah, a Shia Islamic militia and political organization, attacked Israel and kidnapped several Israeli soldiers.

Hezbollah claimed such an action was taken to express solidarity with the Palestinians, who were getting severely hit by the Israelis at that moment.

Practically all international experts say the real motive behind the abduction was another. According to the experts, Iran and Syria, who are the patrons of Hezbollah, wanted to further their interests. The first was risking United Nations sanctions for its illegal nuclear program and the other had been sidelined in the internal affairs of Lebanon and wanted to get back on the saddle. They thus ordered Hezbollah to attack its neighbor to provoke a series of consequences that they hoped would benefit them.

Many people and in particular Muslims will contest such an analysis of things. However, it does not matter what was the real cause behind the attack. The issue is: what sort of person goes on to attack somebody who is twenty times stronger?

If Israel had been the aggressor and invaded Lebanon, it is understandable that although weaker, Hezbollah would have fought back. However, that was not the case. The last thing Israel had on its mind was to invade Lebanon or any other country, and Hezbollah knew that.

The Iranian and Syrian government were not just aware of the immense military superiority of Israel relative to Hezbollah, but also relative to their own armed forces. If a war would have broken out between Israel, Syria and Iran, these last two would have surely lost. Why then go and provoke Tel Aviv?

The war was swift. Despite its short duration, in just a few weeks, much of Lebanon was literally flattened and converted to rubble. Shiite cities, where Hezbollah guerrillas and supporters reside, were heavily bombarded and massively destroyed.

Although Shiite Lebanon suffered its most devastating attack ever, as soon as the conflict ended, Hezbollah claimed that it had won the war and went on to celebrate.

Such an odd behavior once again begs the question: what sort of view of the world must somebody have so that it celebrates the total destruction of its land?

The answer is: a view that believes that violence is a good thing no matter the consequences. Only a person who believes in violence per se can behave in such a way. For Muslims, dying for Allah is the greatest thing, which means that no matter how crushing the defeat is, it can always be seen as a victory.

That mentally lethargic view is obviously what drove Iran and Syria to push Hezbollah into attacking Israel.

The Jews handicap themselves by having irrational objectives in their conflict with Muslims.

They seek to maintain the status quo in the face of an enemy that demands total victory, the destruction of Israel, and the eradication of the Jews as a people. They cannot possibly win in such a situation by striving for balance.

Second, they insist on trying to bargain with their enemy, offering things of value to Jews, but that have little or no value to Muslims. Their enemy, however, wants and openly says its wants just one thing: land.

Muslims are indifferent to their prosperity, their freedom, the future of their people, and even their lives and the lives of their families. Instead their religious prerogative is the acquisition of ever increasing areas of land. They believe that this is the one thing that matters to Allah, for them as a people. If they fail to get more land, then they have failed Allah.

Since this is all that matters to them, this means the only way the Jews can either persuade, or coerce, Muslims, is by threatening to, or by actually taking away their land.

It does not have to be a great amount, and it does not have to be theft; the owner being fairly compensated. But any taking at all, even of a few hundred acres, will create in Muslims an existential and unbearable level of pain.

It is not taking of land to be given to Jews. It must remain fallow and empty. For legal reasons, it should be called Israeli military training area. No trespassing.

But just taking such land, and then offering to give it back in exchange for good behavior is futile. The Muslims will scheme and maneuver, promise and swear, and do anything to get it back, but it will all be empty promises. They never intend to give anything for land which they believe is either rightfully theirs or destined to become theirs.

So the Jews must be firm: once land is taken, it is now and forevermore no longer Muslim land. They must be stubborn and obstinate in this regard, even ignoring whatever other promises have been made and are on the table. If the return of that sliver of land is even mentioned, they must walk out, and all must know that they will walk out.

This is because the Muslim will do *anything* to get that land back. They will call on their international allies and peace brokers to demand that they tell Israel to return that land. "Land for peace", will be promised endlessly.

And for their part, their international facilitators will be puzzled why Israel would so obstinately insist on keeping an unimportant sliver of empty desert. Why is Israel being so stubborn?, they will ask. It is nothing.

Well, yes, to the Israelis it is almost nothing. But to the Muslims, it is everything.

And from that very first taking, Israel's bargaining position will be clear:

"In future, we offer you nothing; but if you continue to attack us, we will continue to take from you what is now yours. A sliver at a time, a death by a thousand cuts, is what you choose if you do not stop your violent ways."

"In future, you can only appease your god by keeping the land that you have. If you try and take land which is ours, or to harm us in any other way, then you shall lose the land that you now control. And you will have failed your god. You will be cursed by him, and despised by your fellow Muslims."

"Your cries and screams, entreaties and lies have run their course with us. We no longer care for your affected anguish, your self inflicted misery and deprivation. Your pathetic disdain for what is good in life, and your bowing and groveling before your tyrants and warlords."

"The life you have made for yourselves is its own punishment, but we will no longer abide your selfish greed, intentional cruelty, and gratuitous sadism. We are done with you."

"So here is our bargain: Be at peace with us or be forced out. Your choice. Live beside us without threat or leave."

"The choice is yours. Our decision is final."

"For each attack, there will be another taking."

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