“Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us,” former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir powerfully stated. The world is seeing this truth played out.
After weeks of tireless searching for three Israeli teens kidnapped by Hamas, two countries and three families now face the bitter reality of just how far a terrorist group will go to claim victory.
Last week, the bodies of the abducted teenagers Naftali Frenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrach were found in an open field near Hebron. One of those teenagers held dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, bringing home the significance of this heartbreaking attack. This was followed by what is said to be a “revenge” killing of a Palestinian teen, for which six people have been arrested by Israeli authorities.
Israeli mothers and Palestinian mothers should be grieving over this loss of innocent life.
But instead, the cultural differences between the divided groups prevail. Frenkel’s family stated during his eulogy, “We are humanitarians, we have love, we’re here and you can’t change that.”
On the other hand, the mother of one of the prime suspects of his kidnapping publically stated, “If he did the kidnapping, I’ll be proud of him.”
These two statements illustrate the haunting truth of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As a mother, I am shocked that any Arab mother feels pride in the thought of their son’s violence against children.
Ben Stephens of The Wall Street Journal quoted a Palestinian mother of a boy who attempted a 2004 suicide bombing. She said he was too young to understand, but then adds, “If he was over 18, that would have been possible, and I might have even encouraged him to do it.”
This shows how the culture of terrorism is embedded in Palestinian society.
Israel’s Ambassador Ron Dermer vowed in a Fox News interview this weekend that the murdering thugs who killed the Palestinian youth will be brought to justice and that the guilty party will be condemned by Israel’s leaders; not hailed as a hero. Juxtapose the aforementioned quotes with the Palestinian history of naming town squares for those who perpetrate violence against Jews.
Tamam Masoud, 70, mother of Omar, 40, who was arrested in May 1993 for killing an Israeli lawyer, greets her neighbors while holding a banner in front of her family house at Shati Refugee Camp in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Masoud is one of 26 Palestinian prisoners Israel approved to release, in the second batch to be freed since August under the terms of renewed US-brokered peace talks. It is the second of four planned releases of the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in the coming months. The Arabic on the banner reads, "On the 20th anniversary of his arrest, PFLP (the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) salute comrade prisoner Omar Masoud, Freedom for prisoners." (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Recently, President Barack Obama called for Israel to ignore all of this and to work with the Palestinian Authority in a joint effort to stabilize the situation. But how can Israel or any country work with a government that has aligned itself with terrorists seeking their destruction? Hamas, best known for the hundreds of rockets they continue to lob into Israel, recently joined with the Fatah party to form a new Palestinian government under President Mahmoud Abbas.
Despite the new unity, many warned of the possible violent actions that would likely continue from Hamas. Dermer explained with a poignant tweet, “With suits in the front office and terrorists in the back office, it should not be business as usual.”
Agreed.
Americans need to recognize this. Something must change. It’s as foolish for us to call on Israel to work with Hamas as it would be for others to call on us to work with Al Qaeda. That will never happen. To quote Margaret Thatcher regarding another terrorist, “I never hugged him. I bombed him.” Dang, I miss the Iron Lady.
Now more than ever support must be given to Israel. American youth in particular must be educated on Israel’s history and essential role in the Middle East. Concerned Women for America’s Young Women for America chapters on college campuses will do our part to stand up to the Boycott, Divest, Sanction bullies.
File Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Israel continues to fight for its very existence. We cannot be fooled by the mainstream media telling us that Israel must show “restraint.”
The kidnapping and killings were not an act started by civilians. It was an act started, carried out, and fueled by a terrorist organization, Hamas. Therefore there will be no justice from the Palestinians. Add to the mix that Israel’s neighbors continue to plot to “wipe them off the face of the Earth.” Yet, American leaders who should know better insist that a nuclear armed Iran is no threat to them. Really?!
The bottom line is that Israel has a right to defend herself, and the U.S. has the responsibility to stand with her. She is our closest ally in the region and is the last place of hope for many mothers who have learned from history that the world is a very dangerous place for their children.
Stand strong, Israel. It is time for Americans to look past the fake narrative that both sides' positions are moral equivalents. All mothers want peace but there can be no peace where hate is placated and given respect.
Penny Young Nance is the President and CEO of Concerned Women for America, the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization.
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