where to stand

  Yesterday I was thinking about being on the side of history. Now I am no scholar when it comes to history. I'd say I have what you would call general knowledge in that regard. As far as the middle east goes that history is quite complicated to understand. Intermixed with religious beliefs the truth of what has transpired over the centuries is often clouded by that. Jersuluem has been attacked 52 times, captured 44 times, besieged 23 times and destroyed twice. Yeah, I looked that up. The Jewish people have been fighting with the Islamic people since ancient times. Of course, the Christians got involved along the way as well. Watching the news this morning I'm seeing this "bad blood" spill onto our college campuses right here in America. Antisemitic demonstrations are taking place. Others are calling it pro Palestine. And that is where things get a bit sticky.

 In 1948 the Jewish state of Israel was officially proclaimed, Then president Harry Truman recognized that. Out of the 193 members of the United Nations 136 recognize Palestine as a country. 163 recognize Israel as of 2020. It's important to note that 15 of the nations that do not recognize Israel are members of the Arab league. Those nations are all Muslims. So, it's no surprise that they don't recognize Israel. But the biggest problem is in defining the Palestinians. Not all Palestinians belong to Hamas or any other terror group. Those are the people stuck in the middle. Those people mostly populated the Gaza strip. It's a real problem. 

 Israel has every right, indeed an obligation to defend itself. Israel was attacked by the Palestinians. I have to declare I am on the side of Israel in this war. It's my feeling the world should be on the side Israel. The claim by the Palestinians to the land are based on what? That they were there first? That is certainly debatable. Well, at the very least the Muslim Palestinians. Where did the Muslim people come from? Before there was Mohamed there were no Muslims, no Islam. We are talking about a religious belief. All religions begin somewhere with someone. And all religions rely on one thing, belief. Religion is certainly one of the most powerful motivators in all of mankind, second perhaps only to money. 

 Land and the occupation of that land has always relied upon conquest. Yes, you can wax on about that forever. You can debate the moral and ethical issues involved in all of that. None of that will ever change a thing. To the victor belongs the spoils and that will never change. When the first caveman eliminated the other one because he wanted that cave or food, it began. It continues to this very moment. We can debate history forever. The Muslims have been fighting the Jews since they became Muslims. Their religious belief impels them to do so. Ages ago the Pope declared a Holy War against the Muslims. We know that as the crusades. The objective there was to recapture Jerusalem. The war continues.

 The case could be made that the Jewish people were there first. That wouldn't be a difficult thing to show. First there were Jews, then Christians and then Muslims. Those are the big three. Without the Jews there would never have been Christians or Muslims. So, the Jewish people were there first. Does that make them entitled to whatever land they wish to occupy? The Palestinians are using that very argument to justify their aggression towards the Jews. That's their argument, we were here first. The Jewish people proclaiming they are the chosen people of God and that is the land promised to them. The reality is simple enough, the land belongs to whoever can hold it. An unfortunate truth, a stark reality that we would all like to deny but history itself proves us wrong. 

 The United States of America is a Christian nation. You can argue all you want about that, cite the separation of church and state as evidence but it doesn't change a thing. The United States has always been based in Christian beliefs and attitudes. There have been synagogues in our country since our founding. The first known Mosque was established in 1915 in Maine. It is our Christian belief that allowed that. 

 Today I see that slipping away as immigration and social changes are taking place. I see religion itself being pushed to the back of the room. Are we seeing a rise in antisemitism? Is that in any way being influenced by the increasing number of Muslims in our country? In the last twenty years the Muslim population in America has doubled in size to about 3.5 million people. It is estimated by 2040 Muslims will outnumber the Jewish population. They will be second only to Christians, which it is worth noting loses more followers to conversion than any other group. 

 The thing is those protesting on the campuses today really don't understand what they are protesting at all. They are operating under some delusional idea that peace can be obtained by surrender. That isn't how victories are won! You can't win a thing by surrendering. You will never be respected if you fail to defend yourself. The Arab world would like nothing better than to see the total destruction of Israel. Why? There is no reasonable or rational answer to that. Well, there is a reason, and it has nothing to do with religion. It involves economics. All the rest is just justification for their actions. According to the Hebrew Bible David conquered Jerusalem taking it from the Jebusites. The Jebusites weren't Muslims! Those people, after their defeat scattered across the region and their descendants belong to any number of nations. And I would suggest that there were people there before the Jebusites. First come, first served. No, that's not how it works in the real world. It is always the last man standing that wins the battle.