Answering Israel’s critics – 1

Getting past the blinkers

By RALPH DOBRIN

Author of “How to avoid Armageddon”

Available through Amazon

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Recently an Englishman sent me a lengthy e-mail, denouncing Israel’s arrogance and aggression against the Palestinians. He repeated the usual accusations against Israel – that it ruthlessly kills innocent civilians and evicted them from their land in 1948. He expressed his thoughts politely in concise, well-written language. He made his attitude towards Israel clear by stating that it would have been better had Israel not been established. This opinion, he wrote, was reinforced by the events of June 1967 when Israel furthered its expansion when it conquered the West Bank.

I replied: “What you omitted was the fact, well documented by neutral and Arab sources of the time, that it was the Arabs who started both wars, with the intention of destroying Israel. The Jews of Israel did what normal nations have always done in such situations: they defended themselves. The irony is that in 1948, the Arabs fled when they realized that the war wasn’t going in their favor and they expected that the Jews would do to them what they intended to do to the Jews. This is just one aspect of the conflict that people either don’t know or have chosen to ignore. Check it out honestly. Indeed, truthfulness is the key to solving this tragic conflict. Intentional or unwitting omission of vital facts is a form of falsehood. It doesn’t help the Arabs in any way. I’ll be glad to hear from you.”

He obliged promptly: “Interesting facts,” he wrote. “But does the aforementioned have any form of legitimacy within the region. Could it be possible that if it wasn’t for arms sales to Israel from the UK and USA then Israel couldn’t possess such might and power ? Aren’t we getting confused between right wing Zionism and their ‘Final Solution’, whilst constantly playing on the terrible evevts of WW2 ? Sorry, But the way I see it is that Mossad swan around the World like the New Gestapo.”

 His reply included many of the usual ploys that Israel’s critics use when their accusations are challenged. They don’t relate to what you’ve written. They evoke Israel’s purported savagery. In this case, in a classic inversion of the respective attitudes that Arabs and Israelis have for each other, the writer brought up the “Final Solution!” And then, in their confusion, they accuse us of being confused.

I always try and engage these people. I do so politely and try to stick to the point as briefly as possible. This way there might be a small chance that one or two of my points will hit their mark. I know that it is highly unlikely that I’ll be able to change the other person’s negative opinion of Israel completely. My aim is to chip away at their wall of stubbornness, ignorance, bias and probable hatred. I do this by applying logic and an appeal to the other person’s sense of common decency and honesty. I try to present facts as accurately as possible. I never say the other person is wrong in his or her conclusions. I try to point out the factual misconceptions that there conclusions are based on. And I try not to get too emotional. I allow myself a controllable level of excitement that spurs a lively, but respectful response from me.

So I replied: “You’re probably right when you question the legitimacy of situation among the other peoples of the region. But that doesn’t invalidate what I wrote. Like I said, it can all be checked out in neutral sources as well as in books and newspaper articles written by Arabs of that time. Today, Arabs are more reticent about what had been their declared objectives during first wars between us. Although Hamas, Hizbollah, El Khaida and Iran make not bones about their ambitions to destroy Israel. Much of the rest of the Arab world undoubtedly shares these ambitions.

“About arms sales to Israel. It might please you to learn that the UK has never been a significant supplier of arms to Israel. Indeed, the little it has sold Israel’s defence forces was more in the nature of non-combat accessories of minor importance. Even a request to purchase gas-masks was turned down. Whatever arms Israel has ordered has come mainly from the USA, and has been for its very survival. Is that a wrongdoing? Incidentally, the Arab nations have acquired infinitely more arms from all the major arms manufacturing countries. Outnumbered 50-1 in people and lacking any significant natural resources in comparison with the immense oil wealth of the Arab nations Israel is at a serious disadvantage in terms of materiel.

“Incidentally, every Israeli wishes we didn’t have this need to maintain an expensive military. The enormous funds could go to other important issues such as education, culture, research, health care, better housing for all, etc.

“About the correlation between the Nazi Holocaust and Israel, this was such a truly devastating event in our history, with about half of the Israeli population, having lost family during the Holocaust. (Here, as someone whose family was brutally disseminated by the Nazis, I had to restrain myself from explaining to him in less measured terms what an utter jerk he is.) A small percentage of the Jews of Europe did somehow managed to survive. Many wanted to have nothing more to do with Europe and came to Israel. Until not so long ago, it was quite common to see people with those concentration camp numbers tattooed on their forearms. Surely you can understand that Israelis have learnt to take seriously any declarations by others that we need to be destroyed. Talking about “a final solution” regarding what Israel wants to do is not at all apt. (I hope that because I expressed myself euphemistically, I will still be able to engage this critic.)

“About the Mossad, well, America has its CIA. Britain has its MI5. Israel needs the Mossad in order to … isn’t it obvious why we need an equivalent of the CIA and the MI5. I had to chuckle at your use of the term Gestapo. (Again, we preferred not to lambast the man so that we can continue dealing with him.)

“We all see things through our own narrow perspectives. I can’t really know on what you base your perspective. But it does seem to be based on an incomplete grasp of the situation and its background. It is probably also influenced by the terrible images one sees of Arab towns wrecked by Israeli retaliatory raids. The television screen gives images, but its background material is invariably sadly skewed. Media bias seems to be indicated. Why this is, is in itself is a long story. The point is that people tend to believe what we want to believe and oh boy what the media shows jibes nicely with the emotional wants of many people. But the media hardly ever shows the unending attacks against Israel that precipitate those retaliatory attacks, which lead to condemnation of Israel by a large part of the world – good people like yourself included. That’s part of the strategy of Israel’s adversaries. To provoke and make sure the retaliatory raids kill civilians, to have cameras on hand and the hate-fest continues.

“I have just one hope as far as our correspondence is concerned and that is that you will be able to question the notions you have about how bad we Israelis are, including those images of Gestapo, Final Solution and Mighty Power. I am pretty sure that you are a good, honest person for whom truthfulness (I didn’t say “truth” because that’s too abstruse a concept) but for whom truthfulness is an important quality. Only through a spirit of truthfulness will we be able to solve the Arab-Israel conflict. And it is only in this spirit that humanity will be able to solve all the other serious existential threats to our very future.

“Thank you for reading up till now. Thank you for your insights. I look forward to hearing your response.”

Unfortunately he has not responded yet. I hope he is trying to pen an appropriate repartee. It will be a pity if he discontinues our correspondence – which is all too often the case with these people. Rather than examine what really happened in the past in order to check out the validity of their knee-jerk condemnation of Israel, they usually prefer to continue wearing their blinkers. If I don’t hear from him, I shall send him a reminder and politely suggest that we continue our exchange of ideas.

Some of these people spread their mendacious vitriol to hundreds and even thousands of people through Facebook, Twitter and blogsites. The damage to Israel is significant. And indirectly these duped dupers prevent a resolution of the Israel-Arab conflict and thereby perpetuate the misery of Arabs of the region. (To be continued)

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How can we avoid Doomsday

IT’S THE ULTIMATE TEST

By RALPH DOBRIN

Excerpts from his book “How to avoid Armageddon”

Available through Amazon

Click:  www.amazon.com    type: how to avoid armageddon

The question of the hour is: can the perennial condemnation of Israel, constantly and desperately needing to defend herself against members of one of the largest and wealthiest nations in the world, really be based on honesty, sound factual knowledge of the issues involved and a genuine concern for the displaced Arabs of Palestine? Or is it mainly due to the uninterrupted demand for oil supplies and commercial ties, as well as old-fashioned racial antipathy that fuels the condemnation? In other words is it mainly a case of cynical hypocrisy, nurtured by falsehood?

The Arabs can be asked a number of parallel questions. Is their running battle with a smallish Jewish population dwelling in its ancestral homeland motivated by a totally truthful premise? Are the Jews really latter-day interlopers from Europe with little or no historical connection to this Land, who wantonly stole it from the peace-loving Palestinians, thereby causing the terrible Arab refugee problem? Or is their constant refusal to accept that the Jews have any historic rights to a small part of Palestine, due to deep intolerance and a deep thirst for revenge, anchored in narrowly selective religious texts? Can they not recognize that this unbridled enmity has brought upon themselves endless grief and social, cultural and economic stagnation? And have they questioned their culpability for their own plight in any significant way? Indeed, do they realize how much is fact in their understanding of their conflict with the Jews of Israel, and how much fantasy impels their attitudes?

*    *    *

Should Israel fall, it would open the way for an unleashing of the raging forces that oppose freedom of thought and equal rights for all regardless of gender, race or conviction. It would give these forces tremendous encouragement and confirm for them that their long quest to destroy the Jews of Israel had been honorable and virtuous; it would demonstrate that their prayers had been finally answered. Israel’s disappearance would allow these forces to focus their attention more fully beyond the Middle East. If this happens it is quite possible that nothing will stop them on their march to subjugate the minds of men and women everywhere – nothing except God Almighty Himself, assuming that this unfathomable Logos is not simply a mere metaphor for all that is inexplicable in the world.

Can it be that Israel’s survival or demise will likely signify whether humanity is about to enter a wholesome, happy age with optimum personal liberty, health and prosperity for more and more people, or an unprecedentedly awful dark age evoking images of Armageddon? Whether seen as a theological issue or a purely pragmatic question, it seems likely that the enormous welter of falsehood in all its different forms, constantly employed by much of humanity in its focus on Israel’s struggle for existence, shows that we might not have the capacity to cope with all the other current existential challenges in our planet, such as pollution, climate change, demographic imperatives and warmongering of misanthropic tyrants.

It’s as though humanity is being tested, perhaps by divine purpose, to see whether we deserve the inestimably priceless right that entails being part of life. Or maybe, the test is merely a mundane imperative, as part of a survival of the fittest paradigm. Either way, whatever course humanity takes at this time, regarding the many global issues, will determine whether we continue existing as a species, or conversely, whether we go the way of the dinosaur and the dodo, and perhaps drag with us every other living thing on earth. The key to whether we pass this test is Israel’s fate. Realizing what’s at stake should bring us all to our senses. All that’s needed is a lot more truthfulness by everyone. And the time for reaching this step in our evolution is right now!

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What are the chances of global survival?

Much depends on our ability

to tell right from wrong

By RALPH DOBRIN

Excerpts from his book “How to avoid Armageddon”

Available through Amazon

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It’s going to take a lot more personal honesty on the part of all thinking people to perceive the dangers to their democratic way of life. Unless people everywhere are able to face the facts as they really are, humanity might not be able to avoid doomsday. Right now we are witnessing a repeat of the wishful thinking and dismissal of obvious dangers that existed in Europe during the nineteen thirties, when Hitler had begun his campaign to dominate half the world as mentioned in Chapter 16 of “How to Avoid Armageddon” – A basic requirement for clear thinking.

This pandering to falsehood reminds us of George Santayana’s aphorism: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” For a few decades now, the leaders and people of the Free World have been acting in a similar way to their parents and grandparents during the nineteen thirties. Only today, the threats to the physical well-being of the planet’s environment, and to personal freedom are far greater than ever before.

Too many people indulge in wishful thinking when they self-centeredly continue to lead a lifestyle that demands the rapacious exploitation of the earth’s natural resources and pollutes the entire eco-system, making a few token modifications in energy use or waste disposal that isn’t nearly enough; global demography needs urgent attention but little is done to address the issue. In Europe people maintain a birthrate that is less than one-fifth the number of Muslim babies in their countries, as though there is no chance they won’t become a minority in their own countries within a generation or two, and as though the growing number of predominantly Muslim neighborhoods in scores of European cities are calm, clean, safe centers of genteel culture, encouraging an appreciation of Chopin, Dickens and chess, rather than the hijab, total female subjugation and an end to the personal freedom enabled by the Western democracy of their host nations. It is probable that the majority of Muslims who have made their homes in Western democracies moved there, not as part of a planned campaign to spread Islam, but simply to find a better standard of living.

It just so happens that democracies, no matter the climate, or how sparsely endowed in natural resources, are always better places to live in than countries that are not real democracies – many of which are Islamic. But the huge, growing presence of Muslims in these democratic countries has given Islamic Fundamentalism a tremendous global lever that is becoming more potent with every passing day.Like people everywhere, Muslims by and large, are pretty decent folks. Like other religions, Islam’s teachings include honesty, compassion and devotion to the Almighty. There have been periods in the distant past when Muslims were in the forefront in the study and promotion of science, literature and philosophy. But every religion has many facets and Islam is no exception. Spreading rapidly throughout the world is a radically fundamentalistic, vigorously proselytizing facet of Islam that is deeply bigoted and contemptuous of all who do not share its dogmatic principles.

It is vitally important for all people to understand that Islam, whether fundamentalistic or not, aspires to world domination. Its fundamentalistic brand actively works to achieve this in stages. The official websites in English of Hamas, Hizbollah and other similar organizations make this abundantly clear. Islam promises rewards of Paradise to those who die in its name. Therefore its followers often act without caring about their personal safety, which makes them forceful, formidable and extremely daring activists and warriors for their faith. Islamic Fundamentalism is ruthlessly intolerant to any public display of affection by unmarried people or any other perceived lapses in morality, and practices a harsh, unforgiving, uncompromising justice, promptly jailing suspects or even amputating limbs and killing anyone deemed to have strayed. Women in this credo are chattels. Criticism is unacceptable. Freedom of expression is considered subversive and obscene. Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and followers of other religions are to be subjugated – by war if necessary. It is a system that teaches that honesty and truthfulness can be suspended in order to gain an advantage over non-believing adversaries, giving it immediate advantages in any negotiation.

Islam is the fastest growing belief system in the world and is spreading throughout Europe, Africa and America. For the Fundamentalists, any method to achieve their aims is acceptable – including the mass killings of hundreds or thousands of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks. Even nuclear warfare is on the cards for these people. Nevertheless, till this time of writing, most Western leaders seem to downplay the dangers of Islamic Fundamentalism. Too many ordinary people think it doesn’t concern them – until a terrorist attack strikes close to home. This commentary on Islamic Fundamentalism is probably considered totally passé by many Western liberals, whose indulgence I implore because it is imperative that all people realize that this brand of Islam is a deeply illiberal global movement that threatens to engulf the world and destroy everything that is good, and which is total anathema to the basic principles of liberalism. Free World leaders have also allowed two states – North Korea and Iran, which have not hidden their tyrannical, expansionist agendas – to build up rocket systems and deadly arsenals of WMD, which they have done while breaking international agreements.

To America’s credit, as well as Britain’s and a number of other countries, they are indeed fighting difficult battles against terror groups in Afghanistan and Iraq. But it is a very limited, inadequate battle against a grave threat to humanity’s future, and it is left largely in the hands of too few valiant combatants. This minimalist policy might blow up in our faces.For a number of decades now, good people have hobbled themselves with a mindset that can’t tell right from wrong or refuses to see falsehood when it blatantly and repeatedly announces itself to them. Thus, while not relating adequately to pollution, alternative energy sources and other serious issues, and downplaying the global threat of Islamic Fundamentalism, they also adopt a distorted view of Israel as a rogue state, while discounting the grim fact that she is continuously fighting for her very survival against an implacable enemy that has mastered the art of deceptive propaganda.

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What are Israel’s chances of survival? – Part 1

IT IS IN THE BALANCE!

By RALPH DOBRIN

Excerpts from his book “How to avoid Armageddon”

Available through Amazon

Click:  www.amazon.com    type: how to avoid armageddon

 Many people say that Judaism provides answers to all Israel’s problems. After all, religion has always been a major factor with the Jews, starting with Abraham’s smashing of his father’s idols in favor of monotheism, over 3,700 years ago. While today, most Israelis are not religiously observant, religion touches all their lives whether they like it or not. The Rabbinate in Israel, dominated completely by strict Orthodox Judaism – strenuously resisting any cooperation with Reform or Conservative Judaism – more or less controls the ceremonies and arrangements for marriage, divorce, conversion and death. Orthodox Judaism has a monopoly over Government funding for religious activities such as worship, schooling and other communal affairs, to the exclusion of Reform and Conservative congregations, whose rabbis aren’t granted rabbinic status and whose conversions are generally rejected. (In many Western countries many more Jews are affiliated to Reform and Conservative congregations than to Orthodox ones).

Orthodox Jewish religious practice in Israel emphasizes strict observance of the Sabbath and festivals, female modesty and the many dietary laws, while ethics and morality seem to be qualities that are taken for granted. So much so, that among the cases of corruption among high and low-ranking public officials in Israel, a fair share of them are religious people. Also, vitiating coalition politics have enabled the majority of men within the more pious elements of Israel’s religious community, the Haredim, to evade army service, while a large percentage of them live on government handouts – so as to maintain a lifestyle devoted mainly to prayer and study. This situation, coming at the expense of the general public, arouses the ire of the rest of the population. Thus Judaism provides yet another paradox in the existence of Israel. While it was religion that enabled the Jewish people to maintain their identity for thousands of years, it is religion that is now causing even more of a split in Israel.

Clearly, Israelis need to do a lot of candid soul-searching. Unless the country irons out the many kinks in its social, political and administrative frameworks, revamps its education system, and keeps secular-religious tensions in check, while promoting integrity, common decency and a sense of mission in its population, there is a possibility that Israel won’t last. The threats to her survival have never been more daunting. Syria is heavily armed with accurate rockets that can reach any part of Israel with conventional and chemical warheads. The large guerilla armies of Hamas and Hizbollah are well-trained and willing to die fighting, thus making them formidable adversaries on the battlefield. Their arsenal includes tens of thousands of rockets, some with accurate half-ton payloads that can reach any part of Israel’s small area, thus able to destroy its airfields, power stations and army bases. This threatens to render Israel indefensible against a sustained, coordinated missile attack! And very obtrusively in the background is a powerful, bellicose Iran supporting these enemies of Israel and developing the means to unleash nuclear destruction.

Yet another alarming development for Israel is the recent, high-profile shift of Muslim Turkey towards the camp of Islamic nations that are anti-Western. For many years Turkey, a powerful member of Nato, had been regarded as Israel’s ally in the eastern Mediterranean. But now the odds against Israel are even more heavily stacked.

On the diplomatic front, Israel has never been in a weaker situation. Pilloried and boycotted by a large part of the international community, it also faces the danger of radical Islam, making inroads in all the neighboring countries, presaging the possibility of regime take-over in Arab countries less hostile to Israel such as Egypt and Jordan, like there was in Iran in 1979. (“How to Avoid Armageddon” first appeared a few days before the sudden regime changes in the Middle East.) Should this happen Israel would most likely find herself in a totally desperate situation and quite possibly facing annihilation. However, the consequences before her demise – if this becomes imminent – could be an unleashing of her entire terrible arsenal – something no sane person wants to even think about.

And what would happen were Israel to fall? Clearly, this would not be a temperate process, but rather a genocidal bloodbath. Subsequently, chaos would probably reign in the Middle East, because yet another irony is the fact that beleaguered Israel has always been a somewhat stabilizing factor in the Middle East, forestalling Syria from taking over pro-Western Jordan and until recently, curbing its inroads within Lebanon. Israel has been the focus of radical Islamic elements such as Hamas and Hizbollah, which would otherwise have had an even more destabilizing influence in the region. Also, by destroying Iraq’s nuclear facilities in 1981, Israel stopped Iraq from taking control of most – if not all – the oil fields in the region. The U.S. with the backing of the U.N. or Nato, might have eventually confronted Iraq, but in doing so it would have needed to contend with a country, headed by a ruthless megalomaniac armed with nuclear weapons – which could possibly be the case with Iran, which is infinitely more dangerous than Saddam Hussein’s Iraq had ever been.

Furthermore, during the Cold War between the Free World and the Soviet Union that ended in the late nineteen eighties, Israel constituted a bulwark against further Communist encroachment in the Middle East. In the same way Israel is now a significant factor in the global struggle against Islamic Fundamentalism.

What people in the Free World don’t realize is that Israel is actually an outpost in the struggle to preserve their hard-won freedoms. People in the West don’t appreciate that there really is a Free World, of which they are lucky to be part of. For over two generations during the twentieth century, their freedom had been assailed by Communism and now faces what is probably a far graver danger – radical militant Jihadism. The forces that have threatened Israel since its modern renaissance are a similar brand to the forces that have vigorously begun to turn their sights on Europe, the entire American continent and the rest of the Free World. Judging by developments in these countries during the last decade, the extent of their resolve to maintain their many hard-won freedoms, seems questionable. (To be continued)

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Sobering truths about the future – part 5

Continued from part 4:  https://truthandsurvival.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/sobering-truths-abut-the-future-%e2%80%93-part-4/

Arab hostility has had a

bonding effect on Jews of

Israel

By RALPH DOBRIN

Excerpts from his book “How to avoid Armageddon”

Available through Amazon

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Can Arabs and Jews can live in harmony side-by-side or even together? In Israel there are a few cities with mixed populations of Arabs and Jews living next to each other as good neighbors. Jews, Muslims and Christians work and study together. Children play together. Sports clubs have members of all communities, training together, competing amicably against each other. There are friendships and business partnerships. The universities in Israel have no restrictions on Arab enrollment or career advancements for staff. All Israel’s hospitals treat Arabs with absolute equality. Arab doctors and nurses are always a significant part of the staff. In many cases Arab doctors head departments. While there are cases of racial antipathy in these mixed cities, the general situation is fairly tolerant neighborliness. On the few occasions that tension flares up it is invariably due to isolated cases of nationalistic-inspired hooliganism – by both Arab and Jewish youth – or provocative statements and actions of unscrupulous politicians or clergy. There are also cases of discrimination – usually due to unequal budget allocation as well as reluctance of some Jewish landlords to rent out homes to Arabs. These cases are usually met by indignant opposition by other Jews.

From personal experience I can say that friendship between Jews and Arabs, associating with each other on equal terms, can be most heart-warming, sincere and meaningful. Left to themselves, without interference by firebrand clerics and lying politicians there is a chance that good solutions to inter-racial strife could be found. Tragically, from the outset of this conflict it was the clerics, radicals and other unscrupulous public figures who, to a very large extent determined the course of events. Furthermore, outside interference has always made things much worse. For instance, the so-called Peace Process which started in Oslo in the early nineteen nineties, undoubtedly with wonderful intentions, has horribly deepened the rift between Jews and Arabs and for the time being at least, has seriously damaged the prospects of a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israel conflict. 

*    *    *

The renaissance of modern Israel got under way towards the end of the nineteenth century after about nineteen hundred years of neglect and stagnation of the Land. Within four or five generations its population has grown rapidly with a diversity that represents a large range of ethnic groups from every continent. This diverse range of peoples is further divided by wide cultural, religious, political and ideological differences, compounded by huge gaps in the standards of living and education of various sectors of its society.

Jews from most of the Arab countries, as well as many of the non-Arab Muslim lands have come together with people hailing from every country in Europe and the Americas, as well as Ethiopia and southern Africa in addition to India and other lands in Asia and far-away Australia and New Zealand. The rich mosaic of Israel’s society represents much of humanity. Yet ironically, a large part of humanity is bent on its destruction. It’s like a body’s immune system gone haywire, bent on destroying part of itself.

Another ironic factor is that the deep enmity towards Israel is precisely what has enabled its diverse population to close ranks and become a fairly homogeneous nation. Possibly this ethnic amalgamation would not have been possible without Arab hostility and threats to Israel’s existence. It’s even possible that without Arab enmity Israel’s diverse society would have disintegrated a generation ago and failed to survive as a nation.

Despite the amazing achievements in setting up and maintaining a fairly affluent, modern state in the face of so many serious obstacles, Israel has allowed many difficult internal problems to weaken the caliber of its society. There is a significant erosion in the quality of its education system; corruption is frequently exposed at all levels of public service; Israel desperately needs a better system of governance; it needs once again a population that is willing to work hard and diligently for a common cause, with lower demands for personal convenience and wealth. These are all national attributes that are vital for its survival. (To be continued)

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Sobering truths about the future – Part 4

Continued from part 3: https://truthandsurvival.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/sobering-truths-about-the-future-%e2%80%93-part-3/

If only people knew how to

face the truth!

By RALPH DOBRIN

Excerpts from his book “How to avoid Armageddon”

Available through Amazon

Click:  www.amazon.com    type: how to avoid armageddon

By the time the Arab-Israel war in 1947-1949 broke out, the Jews had established a little army and were able to defend themselves, not only against the local Arab forces, but also against the invasion of the surrounding Arab countries. In the process of trying to crush the newly established Jewish state, the Arab attacks paradoxically resulted in the enlargement of Israel’s territory and the loss of independence that the Palestinian Arabs should themselves have acquired at the same time. It also resulted in the creation of the festering Arab Refugee Problem. Ignoring the fact that it was they themselves who had started that war, the Arabs have continued to blame Israel for their misfortunes.

This pattern of falsehood, followed by attacks, met by Jewish retaliation continues to this day. The pattern widens with the falsehood in all its guises, invariably repeated by many of the nations of the world, who wittingly or unwittingly also choose to ignore the many documents and international agreements, not to mention biblical history (see Chapter 15 – The meaning of conquest and occupation), that give the Jews at least as much legitimacy – if not more – than any other people, to live in the little strip of earth called the Land of Israel, as it was known three thousand years ago.

Also largely overlooked in the almost universal denunciation against Israel in her ongoing mortal conflict is the declared aims of her adversaries to destroy her, the constant war against her, waged not only on the battlefield but through terrorist acts in public places, commercial and cultural boycott, delegitimization and vicious propaganda, all financed by an endless fund of petrodollars.

In almost every war that Israel has needed to fight, she has been stopped from forcing her enemies to surrender by the U.S.A., supposedly her main friend and ally. But America’s concern for the regular flow of oil supplies, and its rivalry with other world powers, have always come at the expense of Israel’s security. And this is understandable in the cynical world of Realpolitik. But it is quite possible that without this interference by the U.S.A. and the rest of the international community, Israel might have forged – if not absolute peace with the entire Arab and Muslim world – then at least acceptance of its existence.

At the time of writing, Iran seems to be very close to acquiring nuclear weapons. Time and again this large non-Arab, Muslim nation, immensely wealthy because of its huge oil reserves, has called for the destruction of Israel and is actively working for this through its militant proxy organizations, Hamas and Hizbollah. Iran is also working for political hegemony of the entire Middle East, much to the trepidation of many Arab countries in the region.

Iran’s aims – regionally and farther afield – constitute only one of the many global hazards, which we have mentioned in previous chapters, that are making the world a more dangerous place with every day that passes and which need very serious attention by the world’s leaders and all concerned people. Yet, an inordinately disproportional degree of time, attention and effort is focused on Israel’s stand vis a vis the Palestinians and other Arabs militarily engaged with her, and the onus is largely on Israel to capitulate to Arab demands. But by pressuring Israel to capitulate to Arab demands, Israel would most likely be committing national suicide because it would mean having a border in the center of the country that is only nine miles from the sea; it would also entail the influx of millions of hostile Arab refugees who would immediately create a demographic nightmare for Israel leading to its demise.

A greater degree of truthfulness on the part of the nations of the world would long ago have challenged the Arab people to look honestly at their own actions and real intentions. But instead of pointing out to them the wrongness entailed in repeatedly invading a neighboring country with the intention of destroying it, or allowing militants to launch terror attacks from their territories, or to wage a permanent global boycott as well as a campaign to demonize and delegitimize Israel, the Arabs have been encouraged to continue their quest to bring about Israel’s destruction by the unremitting international pressure on Israel in the form of censure, mass demonstrations, condemnations declared in many international forums and divestment from Israeli firms.

Furthermore, greater truthfulness on the part of the Arabs themselves, regarding everything that has happened in the last few generations would possibly enlighten and enable them to cope in a more constructive, less disruptive way with their obsession about Israel and provide practical solutions for the Palestine problem as well as the plight of the refugees.

And all the considerable time, money and effort by the nations of the world – Arabs, Muslims and others – could be far better spent on dealing with the other serious global problems that need urgent attention.
Continued at Part 5:

Sobering truths about the future – part 5

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Sobering truths about the future – part 3

Continued from Part 2: https://truthandsurvival.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/sobering-truths-about-the-future-%e2%80%93-part-2/

The Jews and their place

in the world

By RALPH DOBRIN

Excerpts from his book “How to avoid Armageddon”

Available through Amazon

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Outside of Israel, the Jews had always been a noticeable minority. This could be one of the reasons for their long history of persecution, made all the more awful because they had always been helpless and at the mercy of the peoples among whom they lived – until the establishment of the State of Israel. It is of utmost importance to remember that whenever Jews (or any other minority) were persecuted or killed, it was invariably lies that got the situation started and evermore lies that kept it going. This pattern continues to this day. Indeed, Israel’s standing in the world reflects the scale of morality of each and every nation. This is clearly evident in the media of each country as well as the way they relate to Israel diplomatically and how they vote in the United Nations, where Israel is all too frequently, unfairly and exclusively in the dock – as we have shown throughout this book.

The establishment of the modern State of Israel was a unique event in the annals of history. No other nation had endured exile for as long as Israel, during which time it preserved its cultural identity and language, eventually returning to its ancient homeland. Even nations that never experienced exile have failed to preserve their cultural identity and language in the same way. This return to Zion by the Jewish people seems to tally with biblical prophesy written thousands of years ago. Furthermore, few nations have faced such enormous odds, contending constantly with adversaries bent on its destruction, and yet prevailed. Whether one views Israel favorably or dislikes or hates it, it is impossible to deny that there are many unique, extraordinary phenomena connected with its existence.

The Jews of Israel constitute a miniscule proportion of humanity – less than 0.1%. Yet in the various bodies of the United Nations Organization – the General Assembly, Security Council, Human Rights Council and other agencies – Israel is the target of more censure and condemnation than all the other countries put together. It would seem that Israel must be the most evil nation on the face of the earth, much worse than over a dozen others that in the present generation have caused the wanton erasure by fire and pillage of thousands of villages and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Even in the more sophisticated circles, such as many colleges in North America and Europe, as well as human rights organizations, Israel is branded as a Nazi and Apartheid state. Israel faces all this grossly disproportionate opprobrium, in addition to deep, seemingly unappeasable Arab and Islamic enmity, due to perceived usurpation of Arab lands.

And yet there probably isn’t another nation on the face of the earth that yearns as deeply for peace as Israel. This might sound quite ridiculous, given that Israel is so frequently and negatively featured as an aggressor nation in the news, showing scenes of Arab cities devastated by Israel.

But we have dealt with the background of the ongoing Arab-Israel conflict, and challenge any thinking person to ask oneself if it makes any sense that a small nation numbering about six million Jews, should purposefully, for whatever reason, keep provoking and attacking Arabs in the region? After all, these Arabs are part of one of the largest and wealthiest nations in the world, with a population that is over fifty times larger, and who are furious with Israel because of the conflict. Of course it doesn’t make sense that tiny Israel should want to keep warring with the enormous, powerful Arab and Muslim world! In fact, Israel is so desperate for peace that on a number of occasions it has relinquished territories from which it had earlier been attacked and invaded a number of times – only to be again attacked from these same territories after withdrawing from them. But complete passiveness or compliance with demands for further truncation of the land or inundation of millions of hostile Arab refugees, in the face of constant threats, attacks and arms build-up would mean Israel’s quick demise. And no nation is willing to voluntarily end its existence simply because it might not be acceptable to some other nations. Incidentally, there aren’t many nations – if at all – whose very existence is violently threatened by other nations.

A vitally important question is: if more truthfulness had been employed by the leaders and news media of the region, could the ongoing Arab-Israel conflict have been avoided? When the conflict first emerged during the second decade of the last century, the Arab leadership in Palestine warned their people that they would lose their chance to attain independence; that the Jews were taking away their lands; that they were also going to take away their homes and jobs; that they were planning to take over the sacred Haram el-Sharif (Temple Mount) with the holy El-Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

Some of these assertions might have been understandable in the light of the sudden large-scale influx of Jewish immigrants coming from Europe and surrounding Muslim countries. But these warnings were all based on assumptions, often raised as part of clan rivalries and power struggles among the Arabs. Jews were indeed buying land (which is not the same as taking it away). But most of the land being purchased was done so at more than the full current value from rich landlords, with additional compensation for the tenant farmers. Much of the land bought by the Jews was difficult to cultivate and malaria-infested. Also, instead of taking away jobs, the influx of Jews generated more jobs than ever before, even spurring considerable legal and illegal Arab immigration from surrounding countries. As for the fear that the Temple Mount would be taken over by the Jews, this place was actually off-limits to religious Jews because of its supreme sacredness. In addition to all this, were the wild, totally false claims on a number of occasions during the nineteen twenties, that hundreds of Arabs were being butchered by Jews.

Each questionable assertion, half-truth and blatant lie was spread by fiery orators that electrified the mobs into action. Jewish homes would be ransacked, and Jews unable to defend themselves – because the ruling British forbade the possession of firearms – would need to flee for their lives; often unarmed men, women and children were cornered and beaten, stabbed, hacked or shot to death by incensed Arab mobs. With each such wave of violence the Jews would step-up their ability to defend themselves, clandestinely acquiring arms, recruiting and training volunteers, and developing better fighting methods.
Continued on part 4: https://truthandsurvival.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/sobering-truths-abut-the-future-%e2%80%93-part-4/

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Sobering truths about the future – part 2

Continued from part 1: https://truthandsurvival.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/sobering-truths-about-the-future-%e2%80%93-part-1/

Blame everything on the Jews

By RALPH DOBRIN

Excerpts from his book “How to avoid Armageddon”

Available through Amazon

Click:  www.amazon.com    type: how to avoid armageddon

While the main theme running throughout “How to Avoid Armageddon,” is the correlation between truthfulness and creating a good life for everyone while ensuring the survival of our planet, we have also devoted a lot of attention to the subject of Israel and its conflict with the neighboring peoples and how the rest of the world relates to this conflict.

“How to Avoid Armageddon” has shown how the conflict between diminutive Israel and the Arab nations, so much larger in size, wealth, assertiveness and favored with so many more allies and supporters, has featured so much untruthfulness in every one of its many forms.

Observing the course of history to the present day, it seems that whether as a divine marker or following some cryptic law of nature, people and nations have always shown the true nature of their morality by the way they related to Jews. The epithet “Wandering Jew,” was based in fact. For about eighteen hundred years following the great expulsion from the Land of Israel by the Romans, Jews wandered from place to place searching for freedom from oppression and a chance to lead their lives quietly while following their religion according to the teachings of their sages.

Most nations among whom the Jews lived, had periods when they lived in harmony with their fellow Jewish residents, as well as periods of extreme nastiness. Interestingly, during periods that cordial relations existed, life would usually be pretty good – by the standards of those days – for most of the people in the host countries. There would usually be more prosperity and culture would thrive. This was evident in Spain, France, Poland, Austria, Hungary and Germany. But then, anti-Semitism would stir. Sometimes it would be because of some bishop’s religious zeal; or jealousy of business rivals; or a means to rouse the rabble and take over leadership; or a way to deflect public dissatisfaction and blame for bungling leadership to the “shrewd, scheming Jews”; or even a way to get out of paying back loans to Jewish financiers. And once again Jewish communities would need to look for another place to get on with their lives – until the next royal or church edict or sudden eruption of mob violence. Usually, the flaring up of anti-Semitism would also presage a drop in the fortunes for everyone else. Whether oppression of the Jews was an indication of general egregiousness that would redound on everyone, or divinely imposed retribution for bad treatment of Jews, anti-Semitism often led to unhappy consequences for the general population.

It should be remembered that Jews were not the only oppressed, persecuted people in history. Other nations have experienced the brunt of persecution at the hands of people whenever nastiness prevailed. Some of the indigenous races of South and Central America were decimated by the Spanish, as were people inhabiting huge swaths of central Asia by the Mongols; a large part of Africa has been a killing field where people of different tribes keep slaughtering each other. Even in the USA, founded as a refuge for people escaping persecution, the Negro population was treated abominably in a way that must make every white man feel remorse for generations to come. Indeed, most of the countries in the world have had dark periods in their history, during which they oppressed or persecuted certain sections of their own population or other peoples, and which should be commemorated with days of atonement.

Actually, anti-Semitism, which can be defined as discrimination, prejudice or hostility toward Jews, is very much the same as the mean hostility that is often directed towards people who are different in any way or who are part of any minority or disadvantaged group, not necessarily based on ethnic bias. Against Jews it was easily aroused because of religion and other differences. Venturing into a mode of speculation, one might even muse that anti-Semitism could also have some connection to the unfathomable scheme of things in our world. But by and large, discrimination, whether based on anti-Semitism or other racial or socio-economic differences, is a very mundane thing, and persecution and slayings are easily prompted against all peoples and by all peoples. 
(Continued at: https://truthandsurvival.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/sobering-truths-about-the-future-%e2%80%93-part-3/ )

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Sobering truths about the future – part 1

At least the truth about

sexuality has been revealed

By RALPH DOBRIN

Excerpts from his book “How to avoid Armageddon”

Available through Amazon

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In some ways people, at least in the developed, westernized countries, are more truthful than they have ever been – certainly in the last few hundred years. For instance, many of the old customs of politeness demanded numerous acts of hypocrisy. In genteel society, greetings needed to be accompanied by effusive smiles, hand-kissing and bowing, while never neglecting to ask with a show of deep concern about the health and welfare of other people’s families. Convention decreed that people engage in these mannerisms even if they loathed the person they were smiling at so effusively, or didn’t care a hoot about them or their families. Nowadays, gratifyingly, greeting others is scaled down to more honest levels of recognition. But a consequence of this laxness in manners has also led to a lack of respect for others. And this lack of respect has led to all manner of social problems. Like so many things in life, there is a need for appropriate proportionality and balance.
On sexual issues, mores have changed from chilly reserve and denial of sexuality, to a sea change in openness that has granted men and women a level of joy that previous generations probably never imagined existed, and also helped remove the devastating feelings of guilt and shame that the subject sex once so readily generated. Clearly there are many benefits to this newly-found openness about the sexuality of men and women. But the downside is all too obvious. Less respect for women, drastically more pregnancies among girls in their early teens, disease, perversion, molestation and rape are some of the consequences of this openness.
Another change is modern society’s attitude towards female intelligence and competence. Until two generations ago, women were generally regarded as being inferior to men in every sphere apart from domestic duties. This has been proven wrong over and over again, and while at the time of writing this book, equality and parity are still not fully accepted or implemented, giant strides have been made in recognizing that women can be just as smart, wise, technically-able, dependable and tough as men. More and more women attain executive positions. It was honesty that brought on this realization. People admitted a hidden truth. By being truthful to themselves a wonderful thing happened for humanity. It was also a parallel attitude towards people of different ethnic groups that has granted more equal rights to everyone in many parts of the world.
Regarding the lack of respect that came with the relaxation of manners, and the promiscuity and sexual violence that followed the removal of secrecy regarding male-female intimacy, a continuing honest approach on the part of society and the authorities can eventually put in place the framework and attitudes that will correct the abuses. It will take time but it can happen. (Continued part 2: https://truthandsurvival.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/sobering-truths-about-the-future-%e2%80%93-part-2/ )

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RESCUING THE PLANET – Part 2

Continued from part 1: https://truthandsurvival.wordpress.com/2011/03/19/rescuing-the-planet-%e2%80%93-part-1/

HOW TO STOP LYING

By RALPH DOBRIN

Excerpts from his book “How to avoid Armageddon”

Available through Amazon

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Interestingly, every society claims to hold the qualities of truthfulness and respect in high regard. All over the world, people teach their children to tell the truth and to show respect for others. At least that’s how it used to be before cable TV, computer games and DVDs led more and more people to lead individually segregated lives – each member of the family cooped up in his or her own room glued to a screen, with a whole generation of children hardly conversing with other members of their families, and in most cases, learning a lot less about common decency than previous generations.

But even before this drastic change in family dynamics all over the world, the lessons in truthfulness and respect were usually bound by certain cultural and social conventions. Throughout the world, aspects of history, religion, the perception of public figures, and other issues were always modified, extirpated or even rewritten in accordance with what the ruling classes deemed appropriate. In many countries even the most elementary forms of respect were not shown to members of certain races or social classes.

Also, parents lied to their children. They lied about fairies, Father Christmas and how babies were born. These stories were regarded as harmless white lies, meant to raise a smile on their children’s faces, while the inane explanations about storks and cabbages saved the parents from embarrassing revelations. Many of the fibbers were normally decent folk, who would have been shocked to realize that they were actually lying to their children, so very precious to them.

While most of us have fibbed from time to time, ordinary, normative folks don’t habitually lie or exaggerate unduly – even those who tell their children stories about fairies and Father Christmas. But there are occasions when most of us do lie, or are tempted to lie, like for example when we are expected to make a comment about someone’s cooking or appearance. When visiting friends or relations for dinner and the hostess might ask us whether we are enjoying the casserole that she served up. “Oh yes, thank you,” we might reply even if it tastes and feels like burnt rubber and is almost impossible to swallow. Or we can simply terminate the ordeal by lying about toothache or indigestion. It’s a form of value judgment that we have to make. Either suffer while masticating stoically, or forego the food and risk offending the hostess. Which is worse: to lie or to hurt someone? A third alternative would be to tell the truth tactfully: “I’m not partial to this kind of cooking, thank you,” will be better than telling the hostess outright that the food is terrible, which would be churlish. And anyway, maybe your hostess and her family really think that the casserole is delicious.

The reason why telling the truth, albeit tactfully, would be preferable to lying outright in this case or in all similar cases, is that lying is a habitual thing. It starts with white lies and fibbing for expediency; it includes slight exaggeration for the sake of embellishing stories; in time the exaggerations get bigger and we begin to lie about a wider range of topics. We become habitual fibbers and then untrustworthy liars. And liars are usually found out sooner or later.

But apart from ruining reputations, lying is not a good basis for harmony in family life, career advancement or business. It’s true that in the short term lying can be very expedient. Many people have made fortunes through lying and deceiving people. Perhaps on an individual basis this has boosted their bank accounts, enabled them to acquire luxury possessions and property, and attract partners for romantic encounters. And quite possibly some of these manipulators manage to conceal their dishonesty and shady dealings for their entire lives.

But the purpose of this book is to foster truthfulness for the good of all society and humanity. In any dynamic framework – whether it’s family, club, organization, business, political party or government administration – a spirit of truthfulness engenders mutual trust. This reduces any cause for mutual suspicion, which is often time-consuming, energy-sapping and a serious constraint on cooperation. Truthfulness engenders the smooth flow of information. It promotes mutual respect and comradeship. Truthfulness, as we have mentioned in earlier chapters also enables more intelligent decision-making. All these things together create a far more efficient, productive entity. Clearly, it is the most important value for humanity to learn and promote.

So, the trillion-dollar question is: how do we promote truthfulness?  To a large extent it’s a question of creating a trend, a shift in norms. It needs the involvement of all who understand the issues and realize the stakes. We must also remember that the initiative will seldom if ever come from any government body. Any constructive official participation from a public or government source would of course be very welcome. But the initiative and involvement needs to come from individuals in each community – people who lead their own personal lives according to the conventions of truthfulness. School principals and teachers in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools must drive home the paramount importance of truthfulness in their classrooms. Parents must do this in their homes.

There should be seminars on the subject for teachers and all public workers. Businesses should be encouraged to function with optimum truthfulness and transparency. Government officials at all levels should be made to realize that the public, imbued with the spirit of truthfulness itself, will not tolerate the slightest breach of honesty. Religious leaders can play a significant role.

A manual of truthfulness needs to be published in every possible language and millions of copies distributed. Stories for children of all ages emphasizing honesty and dependability must appear in book and comic form as well as in movies and computer games.

Most of us eat, drink, sleep and observe certain basic rules of hygiene. If we fail to do any one of these functions we will be in serious trouble. Clearly, these are all important aspects of our lives. Truthfulness should be added as an indispensable link to these vital functions. It should become an ideal – like good health and appearance. It should be recognized that the only way to do anything properly or to solve problems in a way that will be mutually most satisfying, is through honesty. Indeed, people should know that the best way to avoid problems in the first place is through honesty. And people must develop zero tolerance towards dishonesty – first and foremost in themselves, then with their families and friends, as well as with anyone else, including workers in shops, offices and technicians and repairmen. This call must also be focused on the politicians and national leaders everywhere.

Actually, all this might sound axiomatic. All societies claim to abide by such an outlook, even those that customarily accept as a matter of course, shrewd underhandedness in matters of business and other relationships. Among the vast majority of people everywhere, the level of truthfulness wavers from time to time, depending on the circumstances. As we have mentioned earlier, laziness, wishful thinking, or conforming to a prevalent view or trend, can lead most honest folks into a mode of falsehood – as purveyors of it, or as receivers. Another major factor in lapses in truthfulness among decent folk is often caused by strongly identifying with a particular religious, ideological or political line. We tend to lose our objectivity. Perspective becomes obscured by wishful thinking or bias, or both and that can confound thinking – leading to decisions with unfortunate or even tragic results.

Pointedly, the state of the world is in far too critical a condition for us to allow that.

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