Europe should hire Israel, not condemn it
Do you know what European honchos in Geneva were doing last month as another terror attack from ISIS was brewing on their continent? They were planning yet another condemnation of Israel, this time with an ironic twist.
They were bashing Israel for its actions in the Golan Heights, the same area where the Jewish state has set up field hospitals to care for Syrian rebels maimed by the venomous weapons of the Islamic State.
You read that correctly. The Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council circulated a draft resolution on Israel’s “systematic and continuous violation” of the rights of “Syrian citizens in the occupied Golan Heights,” in addition to four other draft resolutions censuring Israel.
When we talk about the proper response to terror attacks like the one we just saw in Brussels, we have to start with eradicating European hypocrisy.
How many thousands of man-hours have been squandered at the European Union headquarters in Brussels discussing the labeling of Israeli products made in the West Bank? How many visits to the Middle East have been squandered by European leaders pressuring Israel instead of confronting the evil of Islamic terrorism?
Now, in the wake of the latest terror atrocity that killed at least 30 people in Brussels, the reality of evil has ambushed the reflexive Israel critics of Europe.
“We are at war,” said French Prime Minister Manuel Valls.
“These attacks mark another low by the terrorists in the service of hatred and violence,” said European Union Council President Donald Tusk.
“We realize we face a tragic moment. We have to be calm and show solidarity,” said Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.
When I read these reactions, I couldn’t help but wonder, even in a distant way, if Israel was still on the minds of these European leaders.
After all, Israel has been a virtual obsession in Europe, not to mention in the power halls of Brussels. Evidently, Israel is always on their minds.
So, given that, here’s my suggestion for a smart European response to the Islamic terrorism encroaching on their continent: Keep Israel on your mind, but instead of condemning it, hire it.
That’s right — hire Israel to help you win your war against Islamic terrorism.
No country on the planet has more experience fighting this kind of war. I know, there are so many Zionist haters in Europe that you’ll have to be discreet about Israel’s involvement. But Israel doesn’t need the glory. It’s enough to feel a kinship with the European continent and the forces of good. If you ask nicely, I’m sure they will bring their A-game to help you win this war against such an evil force. They didn’t survive for so long in the world’s nastiest neighborhood by being naive about the nature of evil.
Of course, before Israel can get to work, you’ll have to lose your obsession with lecturing, patronizing, and condemning the Jewish state. For starters, you’ll have to pull the reins on the hypocrites in Geneva and Brussels whose consuming passion is to bash Israel.
As civilized Europeans will learn soon enough, that’s no way to treat an indispensable partner.
This essay was provided by the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles.
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