Defying Terror

Ralph Peters has written a brilliant op-ed from Israel, where he's currently on assignment for the NY Post. Here's a taste of that op-ed:
They sunned themselves on the beach where Richard the Lionheart fought. Rockets fell 30 miles up the coast. But these Israelis played volleyball. They weren't callous. They simply refused to let terror control their lives. Some of the swimmers had been displaced by the rocket attacks (although most Israelis refused to leave their homes). Others had relatives fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon. Even the children knew war. Their country had been under siege every day of their lives. Genocidal neighbors dreamed of butchering them. Safe in Malaysia, Iran's president preached that the "elimination" of Israel would solve the Middle East's problems.
The premise of Col. Peters' op-ed is that Israelis live a "tough-minded freedom." Indeed they do. That "they've dealt with war every day of their lives" and still found a way to play volleyball or sun themselves on Israel's beaches is a testimony to both a tough-mindedness and a spirit that won't be dominated or intimidated.

It's small wonder why Americans love Israel. They're soulmates of sorts, refusing to let barbarians steal or kill their love of life or their quest for lasting freedom.
Terrorist rockets may kill Israelis, but they can't even make a dent in Israel's spirit. We Americans do not know what it's like to live surrounded by those who long to see our children lying dead, who cannot accept the fact of our survival. Even in this Age of Terror, we live in remarkable safety. And I pray that we will never be threatened by such hateful foes as Israel must face.
Col. Peters is right that Americans don't know what it's like to live surrounded by our mortal enemies but we definitely admire Israel's clinging stubbornly to their freedom. There was a time when that's what America had to do, too. I'm specifically thinking about the Revolutionary war. America's future didn't look guaranteed by any stretch of the imagination. While America's struggle lasted several years, Israelis have lived with it every day of their lives, with only the guarantee that they'll face more of the same the rest of their lives.
It's long been a cliche to note that Israel "made the desert bloom" after long centuries of Arab abuse of the soil itself and the destruction of the Biblical landscape of "milk and honey." But the settlers and their children who built Israel did more than irrigate orange groves. They built a civilization where there had been only neglect, decay and oppression. Above all, the Israelis planted democracy and the rule of law in fields that had been hostile to elementary human decency and dignity for thousands of years.
It might be cliche to put things in those terms but it's still the truth. It's still the testimony of Israel's steadfastness. More importantly, it's a testimony of their love of freedom.
And on the seventh day, they went to the beach.
You can't intimidate a people with that mindset.


Posted Sunday, August 6, 2006 8:21 AM

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