Received:
You seriously want me to pray for "our beleaguered brothers and sisters in the Holy Land"? They have created the mess they now deplore and have subjugated 1.5 million Gazans to three years of inhumane and intolerable hell you seem to overlook.
Is it any wonder then that the Gazans, backs to the wall desperate, choose to lob rockets into Israel? Perfectly understandable, perfectly courageous.
Let us pray for the Palestinians. Above all let us pray for peace.
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(Yid like you, but with a conscience and a reasonable sense of decency).
PS As to "send a package", I'll be doing so — to the Jerusalem Fund or ANERA — but not to the oppressor.
Responded:
We agree on far more than we disagree. Along with you, I believe that we have a responsibility towards the people living in Gaza. They are an oppressed people whose right to go about living normal, healthy lives has been stolen from them by a ruthless pack of gangsters.
The true terrorists are the leaders of Syria and Iran, as well as their hired thugs in Arab lands. If not for them, the people of Gaza could have long ago been leading a peaceful, thriving existence. These brutal criminals massacre their own people willingly, for nothing more than singing at a wedding party or for daring to oppose their policies. They stockpile their weapons in mosques and schools and fire from densely populated areas.
Truthfully, the Israeli government is also to blame. Rather than concerning itself with the welfare of the Arab population living in Gaza and the West Bank, their only concern was self-defense and world opinion. If they truly cared in a really humanitarian way about these people, they would not suffice with providing hundreds of millions of dollars of food, electricity and medicine, but would also have done all possible to stomp out the foreign-based thugs long ago — along with providing a proper, moral education for youth. If we had kept a presence in Gaza, as dangerous as that was, it would have saved over a thousand Arab lives. We are too quick to find the fast and easy solutions to peace, rather than to take the harder, longer yet proven road.
On our own site, here is an essay that presents an approach to the humanitarian issue: Should I pray for the death of terrorists?
As for the Jerusalem Fund and ANERA, both of these organizations spend large percentages of their funds on biased propaganda. I would advise you to find more neutral humanitarian organizations that will actually get the aid needed into the hands of those that need it.
Thank you for this article. What has been going on since October has tormented me, yet we can't say a word about the mistakes Israel is making without being labeled "antisemitic". I love Torah, and the Jewish teachers who taught me the beautiful truth of HaShem and His perfect will. In any religion, there are people who are following G-d's way, and those who are following their own way. The government in Israel has been following their own way, and it has led to this terrible hatred and destruction. I learned also from Rabbis, and it surprised me, that Jews and Muslims lived peacefully as good neighbors for so long before the "Zionists" came to the land. Should Jews have their own land? Sure! But it should be G-d's way, not man's way, no? Palestinians made mistakes, too, but you can still love people who make mistakes, and pointing out the problems means you just want things to be better for everyone. G-d help Israel and Palestine.
There is nothing wrong with, nor is it antisemitic, to question the actions and motives of the Israeli government. They have an obligation and responsibility to ensure the safety of their citizens, and their abdication of responsibility must be called out.
Still love people that make mistakes???
What part of yrs of launcking rockets at Israel was a mistake?
What part of killing 1200 people in 1 day, meticulously planned, lavi$hly prepared for (the terror tunnels had to cost $100s of Millions) was a mistake?
What part of mass, violent rapes was a mistake?
The only mistake was your Jew hating post was allowed to be seen!
I totally agree with you. Thank you!!
Am Yisrael Chai!