A definition of insanity

It’s an old expression: A definition of insanity is doing the same thing in the same way time after time and expecting different results. It’s been said many times about the Arabs in Israel time after time. And of course, not much ever changes.

I realize by writing for a Jewish audience, I am preaching to the choir. But all of us are out in a general society where we hear a lot about Israel—and a lot of it is not particularly flattering—or true. So let’s arm ourselves with a little fact checking, and the next time you hear or read something outrageous—respond!

A little history (again if this is already part of your lexicon I apologize). The sovereign state of Israel was formed thousands of years ago. King David moved the capital to some strategic hills and called the city Jerusalem. A Temple was built to honor God. Legend has it that the Ark of the Covenant, including the Ten Commandments was in the Holy of Holies.

Understand this was a real country. It had a government, an army, national holidays (scheduled around harvest times—to create a little commerce). Then Israel lost a war to the Babylonians who burned down the Temple. The King of Babylon took most of our elites and some others back to Babylon.

Some of it turned out okay—it was in Babylon that our Torah was written. But then along came the Persian army and they won the war with Babylon. Their philosophy was “you go home and live your lives—just pay us the exorbitant taxes we will levy upon you.” Somehow, Israel managed to reconstruct its government, build a new Temple and the Second Jewish Commonwealth came into being.

That lasted until the Romans decided to rule the known world. You know how that came out: The end of the Second Jewish Commonwealth and the invention of a uniquely Jewish Construct: The Portable Community. We scattered to over 70 countries—some in Europe, some in Africa.

We had no Temple, so we built synagogues - LOTS of synagogues. We had no social structure so we founded Jewish Family Services, JCCs and other organizations to keep us together as a Community while our own land was under occupation.

There was talk of a “Jewish Homeland” to be placed (artificially) in many unwelcoming places. The world did not want to recognize that there already was a Jewish Homeland. Since the Second Jewish Commonwealth, the land had been governed by Romans, Turks and finally the British. As the saying goes: “The Turks got rid of the Romans, The British got rid of the Turks and the Jews got rid of the British.”

For a few years after the Holocaust the British fought what Churchill called “That dirty little war against the Jews.” So with the Nescient United Nations as the arbiter, it was decided to divide what was known as Palestine into two States: One Jewish, one Arab. Seemed like a good idea at the time. The key factor here is that the land had NOT been governed by an indigenous people since the Second Jewish Commonwealth.

The Jews at the time accepted this—even though they would be giving away almost half their ancient and Holy Land. The Arabs refused and decided to wipe out any idea of a Jewish Nation with one massive attack. Didn’t work for them. The Israelis agreed to a “Truce.” The Arabs tried again in 1956. The Arabs lost. As they did in 1967. After each of these clashes, the Arabs, as of 1964 calling themselves for the first time, “Palestinians,” refused to accept a peace agreement that would have given them more of the land than the U.N. had given them in 1948.

For those who were given over half the ancient and Holy land of Israel and the other Arab nations that supported them, no agreement was satisfactory. Frankly? They did not want one.

To put it simply: There is no possible peace accord. The Arabs do not want peace. Hezbollah has taken over Lebanon. Hezbollah is dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish State. Israel gave Gaza away. The Arabs immediately destroyed a number of profitable enterprises and trusted their “government” to protect them. Instead they got Hamas, which is as corrupt as Arafat—but more deadly.

So—there is no peace process because there is no one who wants to “negotiate” with Israel. Both the ruling factions, Hezbollah and Hamas, are dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish State and beyond that the destruction of the Jews as a people.

That is the simple truth no matter how the U.N. or England or France want to shape it. Insanity is doing the same thing in the same way time after time and expecting a different outcome. It’s time to put it to rest.