Know what I did the other day? Brace yourself. I went to the supermarket. It’s true; I shopped for yogurt and bread, veggies and snack foods for my family. Basic stuff. Can you believe the audacity?
That must seem mundane to most people. But to a certain segment of society, it’s the epitome of evil, all due to my geographic location.
I live in Israel.
The public ostracism of the Jewish people is nothing new. Example after example describes the attempted erasure of their presence in cultural life—comedians have been disinvited to events, book talks and poetry readings have been canceled, museum and music events nixed due to supposed “security concerns.” Jewish-owned eateries have been left out of articles about Middle Eastern cuisine or their menu items renamed altogether (classic Israeli salad is now called “Palestinian salad” in urban eateries).
Add to that a troubling media trend that has recently emerged: the demonization of daily life.
In her New York magazine article, after leveling the standard accusations of genocide, Madeline Leung Coleman took aim at Israeli cuisine, claiming that Mizrahi food has somehow been coopted by the Jewish state. Coleman ignores that a sizable portion of Israel’s population can trace their roots to places like Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Morocco and Yemen—all Middle Eastern and North African lands that forced Jews out decades ago or made their lives miserable if they stayed.
A recent Haaretz article attempted to equate air-conditioning to the Iron Dome. Just as bomb shelters and aerial-defensive measures insulate civilians from danger, apparently these cooling systems insulate Israelis from “other” uncomfortable realities. Current Affairs made a similar equation regarding concert music—it, too, is used to drown out the “sound of our victims.”
It was only a matter of time until those who stump for Israel’s destruction turned their ire on the daily routines and conveniences of Jews. The mere fact that Israelis continue to live while Palestinians in Gaza struggle seems incomprehensible to these writers. Most of them would be happy to see the Jewish state disappear, irrespective of its “so-called” sins. But since in their minds, Gaza’s status is inextricably linked to Israel’s success, its demise is that much more warranted.
However, this correlation is a fallacy. Gaza isn’t failing because Israel is succeeding. The ultimate success or failure of the coastal enclave bordering Israel is much more a reflection of personal responsibility than anything else. It’s time for Gazans to focus on improving their future as opposed to blaming others for their lot.
Recent polls show that support for Hamas is declining. At the same time, Marwan Barghouti leads over Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas, who was elected to a four-year term in January 2005. He is about to turn 91 this November, and he surely needs a successor. Barghouti is serving five life sentences for terrorist attacks carried out during the Second Intifada from the years 2000 to 2005. Hollywood actors like Mark Ruffalo and some of his “Avengers” co-stars are calling for his release, despite a murderous past.
The Gazan people have long traveled this path, and it only leads to bloodshed on both sides. Better choices need to be made because achieving the goal of destroying Israel won’t translate into their own success.
What all these articles are missing is that Israel is not living like normal people all over the world despite its actions; it is continuing to live because of its actions. Recent military offensives weren’t undertaken to punish other populations. The Israel Defense Forces—made up of regular Israeli citizens—didn’t battle Hamas or Iran to achieve their demise. They went to war to protect a country and a way of life.
Israel fought to protect its freedoms and those of the West because no one else should be able to take them away. There was a time when the free world understood the value of self-defense and resoundingly supported it, appreciating the loyalty of a steadfast ally. The time has come for its return.
