Posted on 05/08/2008 3:05:50 PM PDT by knighthawk
Dispatch from the war front, May 14, 1948:
After 2,000 years as wanderers over the face of the Earth, the Jews proclaimed their own sovereign state today and girded to fight the Arabs in its defense. Armies of five Arab nations were poised on the Palestine frontiers. Enemy planes dive-bombed Tel Aviv and Sarona. There was heavy fighting in Jerusalem, where troops of the new Jewish army were reported to have seized control of the heart of the city.
President Truman announced that the United States recognizes the new Jewish state in Palestine.
The new state, born in fire, formally took its name that very day: Israel, after the Israelite tribes descended from Jacob. Israel it has remained for 60 years since, unvanquished yet by neighbors who many times have vowed to obliterate both the tiny state and all its people.
So many still vow, from all bristling sides, on this 60th anniversary of the birth of the Jewish state (marked in Israel not on the 14th but today, by reason of the Hebrew calendar). And it is a poignancy that the celebrations are presided over by Israeli President Shimon Peres, the old warrior who was there at the very beginning, in the days of David Ben-Gurion, and who has seen the land bloom in the desert and prosper.
From all over the world, they came to plant the seeds of nationhood, to make their homes and raise families, survivors of Hitler's Europe, refugees from the Arab world, Ethiopians, Russians, Romanians, Americans, Iraqis, Czechs, Argentines, Hungarians, Moroccans - Jews all, gathered to become Israelis.
That gathering of exiles flowed into an unbroken Jewish presence, for the Jews had been there for 30 centuries, since before the time of David and Solomon - before the Assyrians, before the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Turks and the British.
And the now 7 million Israelis have built a wonder of the world.
They built a thriving democracy amid a sea of tyranny.
They live side by side within their borders with people of other backgrounds and beliefs, including Arabs.
They made the desert blossom, and those agricultural methods are shared with developing countries around the world.
They constructed a booming high-tech economy. Israel is a world leader in science and mathematics and engineering. Indeed, at this moment, Israel is a laboratory for an oil-independent future reliant on electric cars.
And, alas, Israel has had to fight wars, one after another, unto this day - and has had to win them, for losing would mean an end to the state.
There is universal conscription for men and women. There is one of the world's most effective and innovative militaries. All born of deadly necessity. Because determined efforts to reach peace with the Palestinians have ended in frustration followed by bloodshed.
Because rockets fly across the border from Gaza, fired by people who might have had their own state long ago had their leaders been wiser, were they not reared to be full of rage, were they capable of taking land ceded to them and turning it into gardens rather than junkyards.
And because another neighbor is developing nuclear weapons - and boasts that soon there will be no more Israel.
But there will be.
There must be.
We leave you on this day, a day that marks a milestone of world history, with the words of the Israeli national anthem, "Hatikva," or "The Hope":
As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart, With eyes turned toward the east, looking toward Zion, Then our hope - the two-thousand-year-old hope - will not be lost: To be a free people in our land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
Ping
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
The new state, born in fire, formally took its name that very day: Isreal.
Powerful words. Sent chills down my spine.
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]
----------------------------
Please everyone, take a look at knighthawk’s bio!
So often it takes someone with another viewpoint to best express appreciation.
God bless you knighthawk, and thanks for a great posting.
Long live Israel!
May God always bless Knighthawk, he is our resident Dutch Freeper and an always reliable source.
Ping!
For anyone who doubts that miracles are real, simply look at the state of Israel and you will see the handiwork of the living God. Some of the most amazing stories are those of individuals who fought for the nation and were against impossible odds and outnumbered and yet still triumphed in battle. God truly does exist.
Thanks guys, I am always trying to bring the news and stuff the media ‘forgets’ to tell us about.
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.