While it is imperative to learn objective historical facts about pre state Israel in order to understand how the Labor Party was able to acquire and maintain almost complete control of the young State of Israel from its 1948 declaration of independence until the 1977 elections that thrust Menachem Begin and the Likud block into power, I have chosen to concentrate this article on some of the positive and negative factors concerning the management of our 1 and only Jewish State from a post 1948 perspective.
It is almost unanimously agreed that the new State of Israel was a poor country that was dependent economically on the largesse of Jewish donations from the Diaspora as well as economic aid from some Western countries. While most people don’t realize it, France was once Israel’s greatest ally! Today, France can no longer be considered even resembling anything except as a hypocritical, meddling entity that caters to its ever growing extremist Arab population. Until 1967 France was said to be the inseparable, unbreakable ally of Israel. When Israel shocked the world by smashing 3 belligerent hostile neighbors (Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) in 6 days that bestowed upon the Jewish State East Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights, Gaza, and the Sinai desert, suddenly our great big sister France, became one of our biggest critics in the West. With that, all the famous military aid suddenly evaporated.
1967 Six Day War
Beginning after the 6 day war, the United States became Israel’s new best friend. Special deals for advanced weaponry as well as annual financial aid became the norm. With this aid we witnessed the growth of more psychological dependence on the United States.
We must take an accounting of history to learn lessons for the future. Israel’s resounding victory in 1967 began by preemptive strikes against Egypt and Syria who were choking Israel by Egypt blocking ships from delivering goods to Israel and flooding the Sinai with its army and kicking out the UN peace keepers, while Syria stood menacing on the Golan shooting and sending bombs into the Galilee Jewish communities below. As Egypt and Syria were getting pummeled the great Jew lover of our time, King Hussein, the conniving almost midget dictator of the fake state of Jordan, was begged by Israel to stay out of the conflict. However, true to form and remembering his success in expelling Jews from East Jerusalem in 1948, the greedy little king listened to the propaganda of Nasser of Egypt and decided to attack Israel. It was comical to listen to the fake peace overtures from the late 70s through the 1993 traitorous Oslo Accords by the so called Palestinians, Jordanians, etc, as they constantly blabbered about ‘just’ wanting the West Bank (Judea/Samaria) returned so that we can live in Peace. Really? So when King Hussein possessed the ‘West Bank’ and didn’t grant any Arabs a Palestinian State there, yet decided to attack tiny Israel, what were his intentions? Looks obviously that he was pursuing West Jerusalem, West Tel Aviv, etc, meaning, to annihilate the State of Israel by being a partner in “washing the streets of Tel Aviv with Jewish blood”. It was not to be, as General Moti Gur’s voice could be heard, “Har HaBayit B’Yadeinu”, The Temple Mount is in our hands. Tears are streaming down my face, Oh how I wish I was there to witness this work by the hand of the G-d of Israel!
The World stood still at the end of the 6 day war. Would Israel annex and declare sovereignty over all the land it had won with all the Jewish blood that was lost in this National victory? Would the haters so many of whom were Fadayeen terrorists who were supported by their civilians be encouraged to leave, or would Israel’s current leaders repeat the same confused policy of 1948 by offering the local Arabs bonuses to stay yet treating harshly and even expelling those whom they caught in the middle of murderous acts? As is the case with leaders of little or no faith, they chose the latter, as Moshe Dayan the false hero brought the murderous Mafti back to the Temple Mount and gave him the keys, snatching long term defeat from the hands of victory. Shame.
Post 1967
And so it’s continued as we as a Nation have meandered through the last 54 years. Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan committed a huge sin in 1973. They knew the country would be attacked by Egypt and Syria, yet they waited to be hit first. Why? So they wouldn’t upset the Americans. After all, without US support we couldn’t survive became the slogan pumped into Israelis and Jewish supporters of Israel for the coming decades. Israel lost many soldiers and much military equipment at the beginning of the 1973 Yom Kippur war, only to please America. Then, when the situation became NEEDLESSLY desperate, Kissinger the self-hating Jewish US secretary of State encouraged Nixon to wait, let “Israel bleed a little”. His idea was to weaken Israel to make land concessions in future ‘peace’ negotiations. And so we bled and lost many great and innocent young men. Nixon the Jew hater for whatever reason airlifted a huge amount of arms and the Israeli fighting machine resumed to fight with its former prowess and smashed the Syrians threatening to go to Damascus and at the same time ready to cross the Suez and invade Egypt. But…Israel’s new master, America, told Israel to stop. And so, they stopped. Shame.
We have witnessed through time the increase in Israeli technology as a world leader. We have the technical ability to hit any enemy anywhere. Yet, we can’t contain local Arab riots, illegal construction, land grabs, intensive media pressure, condemnation from the United Nations and so on. We have honest Arabs in Gaza, Hamas, who don’t claim to want only Judea/Samaria and Gaza. All of what we the Jews sit on in their view is ‘occupied’. As they decide when to attack Israel’s south with fires on agriculture, rockets on civilians, etc, there is no peace for our southern citizens. Why? Because America and our friends in the West won’t tolerate our extinguishing it.
We see the European Union interfere in our elections and we do nothing. We know that the European Union funds the Palestinian land grabs and huge illegal construction in Judea/Samaria and we do nothing. We know that Israeli Arabs receive foreign money to purchase Galilee lands and build illegally while Jews pay through the roof prices for apartments, and we do nothing. Drive south to the Negev and you will witness the takeover of the region and vast amount of lands by the Bedouins as once again, the government sits and slowly allows them to legalize their crimes by recognizing once illegally built villages and towns on State land.
Our soldiers who were once feared by the enemies of Zion, are now mocked as videos are released on the internet showing armed soldiers running away from Arab stone throwers. Those soldiers who stand their ground are often prosecuted by Israel’s leftist dominated judiciary.
And so we bombed the Iraqi nuclear site against our mater’s wishes in 1981, yet we allowed Iran to get bigger and bolder as we lobbied our friends to stop the Mullahs, but until Trump and post Trump, to no avail.
How To Stop This Madness
Politicians strive to stay in power. Benjamin Netanyahu, whether you like him or not (and I don’t) is the consummate politician. What’s his real ideology? Being Prime Minister. The biggest evidence is now. If he were to broker a deal with leaders of the so called right and step down as Prime Minister, there would be a right wing Nationalist/Religious majority government tomorrow morning. However, his hunger and determination outweighs all else and so now he even considers aligning with an Arab party, only until recently an unthinkable and unforgivable action.
It starts and ends with faith. Israel doesn’t need US economic support any longer. The aid from America comes with too many conditions set by America. Furthermore it comprises an insignificant percentage of Israel’s National budget. Once it was really high, around 17% of the budget. Today, it’s not 2%!
Israel has become a high tech and bio tech development super power. Yet, after Israeli startups reach a certain size, they sell out to foreign interests.
Israel’s taxes remain too high. Gas is super expensive. New cars have almost 100% tax. Income taxes are way too high while allowable deductions too scarce. The Value Added Tax is an economic impediment. Registration fees and licensing are way too high. Private land amounts to only 7% of the land in Israel today, allowing the gov’t to control the prices of what is being built and where. Fear of America and Europe hinder construction in Judea/Samaria, again forcing the demand artificially to go wild in the central coastal region and Jerusalem, so that Israelis pay more per meter of housing in proportion to their incomes than almost all Western countries!
Wanted: Leaders of Faith
Israel as a Nation desperately needs leaders of faith. People whose barometer is always, ‘Is it good for the Jews?”. This means doing first what is good for our citizens. This begins by slashing the needless and expensive bureaucracy. Sure, most Jews are willing to pay 20% or 30% more for items likes cars knowing that those taxes will pay for Jewish tanks, planes, bombs etc, to ensure a strong independent Jewish State. However, real leaders must be prepared to cut nonsensical tax paid items such as drivers for mayors for tiny cities, drivers for far too many army staff, ridiculous pay for Supreme court and national judges, too many free cars for too many upper level gov’t employees, super high pay for dock workers in the Haifa and Ashdod ports (owned by the gov’t), far too many government ministries with such huge over paid and over perked staff. Banks must be more competitive in order to drive down the huge cost of banking here. I could go on and on and perhaps I will in future articles. For now, I’m making a point. The point is to make Israel a tax haven for productivity and growth and fair costs for housing and necessities to give the people more power over their lives. This will increase Western immigration which will combine with much appreciated domestic investment by the new citizens, many of whom still have the funds invested elsewhere. This policy will increase the independent thinking of the average Israeli citizen. Leaders of faith will turn to ‘friends’ such as the United State’s Joe Biden and say, “thanks but no thanks” and refuse subsidies. We don’t need the State of Israel to be run like a synagogue. The G-d of Israel is with us if only we will see and appreciate it. To be a free Nation in our Land we must allow the citizens more freedom by lowering the heavy, burdensome taxes on their daily lives. Free leaders with faith will tell the United Nations against Israel that we have come home. It is our home. All of it. We aren’t negotiating our inheritance. We are open for business, for fair trade. However, let it be said proud and clear, as we say after Shabbat each week over Havdalah, that we are a Nation with a mission, to live as an example to the world.
Let us stop pandering to the Nations. All that has happened has been predicted and promised. It is in our hands. We must shed the fear of what they will say and do what he has commanded us to do. Happy Yom Ha’atzmaut. Let’s celebrate the beginning of our path towards independence and vow to do individually what each of us can this coming year to make next year truly a complete celebration of independence.
