Another really annoying thing about conservatives is the fact that they always go to bat for the nation of Israel, no matter what happens. The recent events of the flotilla notwithstanding, because to me it looks like a huge set up by Israel’s enemies, the nation of Israel is not what conservatives, especially Christian conservatives, believe it to be. It’s kind of a reverse anti-Semitism, where the Jews in Israel are regarded as some kind of group of angels in human form almost.
This stance probably stems from the repeated misreadings of the Old Testament and everything that God established through the Jews. When you read through the Torah and all the subsequent books that follow, you get the sense that the Israelites, the Jews, were a holy people set apart from the rest of us Gentiles. And that is a very accurate description, despite the ups and downs of the original nation of Israel. They were, and for the most part are, a holy people set aside from the rest of us. They have endured centuries of trials, following the destruction of their nation by Babylon, and still they remain a distinct race in humanity, one of the oldest by my count.
Still, the modern nation of Israel is not a holy nation by any stretch of the imagination. Their government is not a theocratic monarchy like it was in the Old Testament, it is a secular democracy much like ours. In fact, the government there is actively preventing the Temple ruins from being unearthed and having it be rebuilt, for whatever reasons. Well, not actively preventing, but really not doing anything. The religious implications of re-establishing the Temple originally built by King Solomon would mean a great deal to the modern Jewish world.
Why do I say all this? I know I normally don’t like to talk about such things because it can be an extremely sensitive subject, and despite my usual apathy toward such matters, I know that being a white male who mentions any kind of race usually gets me in serious trouble. Furthermore, when I say things like this, many Christian conservatives will automatically make it look like I am some kind of anti-Semite.
The fact is, Israel is perfectly capable of defending itself against the entire Arab world at this point. I daresay they could easily defeat all of the Middle East and probably most of Europe before hitting some trouble, if they really wanted to conquer foreign lands. The truth is, they have the resources and means to take care of themselves and it is high time we let them go.
The United States needs to back off. After decades of negotiating between two sides, neither of which has any real interest in the other’s true objectives, we have accomplished nothing. We are not great mediators and I think our interests should be better served as remaining neutral in this conflict. It’s not an easy stance to take and it isn’t easy to implement. Total neutrality would mean that we don’t send money to either side (yes, we do send money to the Palestinians, but I doubt it’s used for what we send it for) and that we would not condemn or praise any actions taken by either side as well. We would also no longer sell weapons to either side.
I say this, not because I am under the delusion that the Muslim world would stop terrorist attacks or that it would bring about world peace, but because my own personal belief in non-intervention takes precedence. History has shown that entangling alliances have gotten many nations into more trouble than it’s worth. It’s high time we drop our military alliances and focus instead on our own domestic problems at home. The world is always going to be at war in some region or another and nothing we do will stop it, just aggravate it, as demonstrated by the recent events with the flotilla.
Those under the delusion that God is on Israel’s side should remember that He is on His side and that we have to be on His side not the other way around. If you don’t buy it, then consider the following passage:
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"
14 "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"