NURIT GREENGER: THE STATE OF ISRAEL
http://docstalk.blogspot.com/2011/04/explaining-explanation-hasbarah.html
By Nurit Greenger
The modern State of Israel is rather a peculiar state. It is the only Jewish state on Planet Earth.
The first State of Israel was founded over 3,300 years ago on the hills of Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish Nation, and the valleys surrounding the Holy city. Ancient Israel was a Kingdom. The Kingdom of Yisrael-the Kingdom of Israel – spread up north, to what today is known as Lebanon and also to the east of the Jordan River, the Gilad, today known as the Arab Kingdom of Jordan.
At the times when Rome was the world domineering empire, Rome occupied the Mediterranean basin countries, to include the kingdom of Israel. When the Jews rebelled against Rome’s occupation of their land, Rome took its usual measures and expelled the Jews from their homeland, to where they were be able to, officially, return 2000 later, in 1948. To this event present history refers to as the establishment of the modern State of Israel of 1948.
During the 2000 years when Jews lived all over the world, in what they refer to as Diaspora, they were amongst the most persecuted People on earth. Terms such as Inquisition, Pogroms and Holocaust, libel and anti-Semitism are used “exclusively” when one mentions the suffering of Jews.
In essence, the modern Jewish State of Israel was built by the most persecuted people the history of the world ever knew.
When, in 1945, the world saw the end of the bloody WWII, statistics confirmed that one-out-of-three Jews who lived on earth during the War perished.
The remnants of the European Jewry knew then that only by having a Homeland of their own another Holocaust can be prevented. This had immediately confirmed that Ze’ev Herzl Zionist movement along which he called to establish a Home for all Jew in their ancient Land of Israel was beyond justified. Jews then also knew that they must establish a sovereign State that will protect them and they will have the legal right and the military force to defend.
WWII Jewish survivors then swarmed to their ancient Homeland, the International Community, unanimously, awarded to them, to settle and rebuild.
Sadly, negative sentiments towards Jews, such as libels and anti-Semitism, have not been eliminated from people’s lexicon.
For the first 63 to its existence, Israel has seen many wars and much bloodshed. Its Neighboring Arab states did not approve the return of the Jews to their Homeland and from the outset they have waged an ongoing war to eliminate the Jewish State from the world’s map.
Fast forward on Jewish history, 63 years to the establishment of the modern State of Israel, the Jewish Nation, over 5Million of its members are citizens of the State of Israel, is facing the threat of another Holocaust blowing from the Islamic Republic of Iran that is busy developing nuclear arsenal to achieve this heinous goal.
Additionally, since Israel signed the Oslo accords, in 1993, the Arabs, calling themselves “Palestinians” have succeeded to persuade the majority of world to join their ongoing efforts to dehumanize, demonize and delegitimize the State of Israel, which they have done and are doing, frighteningly, successfully.
In its early years of existence, nowadays Israel has found itself, more often than not, having to explain to the world its foreign policies and its “general behavior,” something no other country has ever had to do. In Israel it is called “Hasbarah” or explanation.
The reasons for having to explain are three fold:
1. The world has never got over its anti-Semitic sentiments and their wish to persecute Jews. Now they could so under the umbrella of going after the Jewish State, as a whole, and call it anti-Zionism,
2. The world needs oil, which the Arab States have in abundance, thus they support the Arabs states’ narrative and their hatred for Israel and their wish to annihilate the Jewish State, and
3. Israel has never got rid of its Ghetto of persecution mentality, thus always finds itself needing to defend itself and explain. From that wrong mentality was born the tem “Hasbarah” and the need to explain.
The word “Hasbarah” should have in fact been “Public Diplomacy” and in public diplomacy, all countries have in place and act along, Israel failed miserably these past 63 years.
Because of Israel’s failure in its public diplomacy, countless of people, in support of Israel, living in all four-corners of the world, saw fit to amass private, public diplomacy in favor of Israel. These private diplomacy efforts are applied through new media blogs, social media, and much writing and videos posting. They all hope and pray that their efforts are helping Israel – the only Jewish country in the world – that is facing existential threats and its right to exist is being questioned.
So who is this payless army of volunteers, the Guardians of the State of Israel, who are tirelessly working to “save” the Jewish Homeland?
Just like Saul, who towered over all of the People of his nation, and was chosen, by G-d, to become the first King of Israel, or the shepherd, David, he was chosen, by God, to be the second King of Israel, these people are ordinary citizens, most thankful for the re-establishment and the existence of Israel.
These men and women are not waiting for instructions on what needs to be done, they simply take action, hoping they set a personal example to many others. They are soldiers with no uniform but they know the rules of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that no wounded soldier is left behind on the battle field. Unfortunately, Israel today is badly wounded, lying on the ground, under constant fire from its enemies that surround her as well as from afar. These Guardians of Israel, though under fire and without shelter, will do whatever it takes to help and save the State of Israel, now lying wounded and close to being paralyzed, hardly able to move. The pain in her eyes and her gratitude for their help are sufficient acknowledgment for them.
If this army of volunteers did not come to the aid of Israel, her state of affairs would have been even worse. And for that, the State of Israel and the Jewish People owe them much thanks.
One can call the actions of these volunteers, heroism of small scale. They are the last defenders of the Jewish People, and their deeds will be mentioned and remembered for the years to come.
I am personally mighty proud of them, knowing they are amongst us, working, day and night, without abandoning their guard post, even for a second. On that the Bible tells us, “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4)
The Nation of Israel always fought, the few against the many! The story of David, who stood against Goliath, repeats itself. Whether it was when the Israelites, after forty years of wandering in the desert, fought to conquer the land of Israel, then called Canaan, which G-d promised to them, or, during the Maccabean revolt days and during Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, or the 1948 War of Independence. Today, as always, the willingness of the small Jewish Nation to defend its homeland is superb.
The continuity of the State of Israel and the significance of Jerusalem is also of the utmost of importance to all of Israel’s defenders. And our prayers to G-d to keep His eyes on His People and to strengthen them, is now stronger than ever, thus it will come to be. Amen.
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