ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA- FORMER MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES “WHY WE MUST SUPPORT ISRAEL
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/israel-627062-israeli-boys.html
The recent kidnapping of three Israeli teenage boys by terrorists in
the West Bank is an appalling reminder of the cruelty guiding radical
elements in the Middle East and of the need for vigilance and
solidarity by all those who cherish the sanctity of human life and
fundamental values of human rights.
I was in Israel last week when the boys were abducted. In fact, I
passed very near the spot where it took place the following day. The
stark contrast between the humanity and benevolence visibly on display
on my visit to Israel and the open hostility in Gaza and the West Bank
is a rude wakeup call to those who too often level criticism against
Israel.
The sight of Palestinians in Gaza and Hebron dancing jubilantly in the
streets and passing out sweets to celebrate the kidnapping is as
depressing as it is concerning. This attitude bodes ill for
reconciliation and co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians.
Comparisons that some have drawn between the kidnapped boys and
Palestinians imprisoned for terrorism is equally disturbing. Imagine a
terrorist group seizing several teenagers in downtown L.A. and
demanding the release of convicted murderers. Absurd? Something anyone
in their right mind would consider doing? Yet this is what such
comparisons amount to.
One of the most moving aspects of my visit to Israel was a tour of
Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem. Despite the communal strife in the
region, I was taken by the humane care provided all patients, more
than 30 percent who were Palestinian. It is difficult to understand
why Israel’s neighbors feel such deep hostility toward it. Rather than
emulating Israel’s tolerance they attack and vilify it.
I also visited Israel’s southern desert region, the Negev, with its
capital, Beer Sheva, where I witnessed some of the most advanced
research on water technologies and solar energy in the world. It is
not an exaggeration to say that the R&D going on in Israel in these
and other fields has immense potential to solve many of the challenges
facing the entire region. This potential can be utilized in
California, where an Israeli firm is constructing the largest
desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere. We too can benefit a
great deal from Israel’s expertise in addressing acute water crises.
Israel, a desert country which previously faced chronic and acute
water shortages, has essentially solved the problem with the largest
and most cost efficient desalination plants in the world. Areas facing
similar challenges, be it in California or the Middle East, have much
to learn.
Participating in a high-level policy conference at the
Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, and in my meetings with Israeli
leaders and senior policy makers, including with the Prime Minister
and Strategic Affairs Minister, I was impressed by the steadfast
determination to protect Israel and equally fierce commitment to
humane values which are the hallmark of Israel’s political leadership.
Theirs is not a job to be envied, as they safeguard Israel’s security,
despite extremely trying circumstances. Here too there are many
lessons to be learned by all who hold these values dear.
The contrast between the fundamental human decency coursing through
Israeli society and the inhumanity and cruelty of those who have
kidnapped these boys could not be more stark. This is something that
transcends conflicting political interests; it is a clash between
values, between the very lifeblood of enlightened society versus blind
hate and brutality.
In Israel, I saw a country deeply yearning for peace, but profoundly
frustrated at the obstinate intolerance of so many of its neighbors
and the very concerning trends transpiring throughout the region.
The spread of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria should be a sobering
wake-up call to any who harbor illusions about the direction the “Arab
Spring” has taken. This is not a theoretical or esoteric problem. The
same elements currently seizing control across vast swaths of
territory in the Middle East share a radical ideology with those who
kidnapped these three Israeli youths and who perpetrated 9/11.
We need to unequivocally condemn these kidnappers. Hamas, which
continues to propagate the destruction of Israel and seeks no peaceful
co-existence with the Jewish state, needs to be recognized for what it
is: a terrorist organization that cannot play a legitimate political
role as long as it continues to adhere to its violent campaign against
Israel and commitment to its demise.
We need to support peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians,
but there can be no peace while young boys are kidnapped, and
terrorists seek violence and destruction. This is not just Israel’s
problem; it is in our national interest.
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