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ISRAEL'S PECULIAR POSITION (originally written in '68)
posted 21 April 2002
This was written in 1968 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric Hoffer was a American social philosopher. He was born in 1902
anddied in 1983, after writing nine books and winning the Presidential
Medal
ofFreedom. His first book, The True Believer, published in 1951, was
widelyrecognized as a classic.)
ISRAEL'S PECULIAR POSITION
By Eric Hoffer (LA Times 5/26/68)
The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations
areforbidden to the Jews.
Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people and there is
norefugee problem. Russian did it, Poland and Czechoslovakia did it,
Turkey
threw out a million Greeks, and Algeria a million Frenchman. Indonesia
threw
out heaven knows how many Chinese-and no one says a word about
refugees.
But
in the case of Israel the displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees.
Everyone insists that Israel must take back every single Arab. Arnold
Toynbee
calls the displacement of the Arabs an atrocity greater than any
committed
by
the Nazis.
Other nations when victorious on the battlefield dictate peace terms.
But
when Israel is victorious it must sue for peace. Everyone expects the
Jewsto
be the only real Christians in this world.
Other nations when they are defeated survive and recover but should
Israelbe
defeated it would be destroyed. Had Nasser triumphed last June he would
have
wiped Israel off the map, and no one would have lifted a finger to save
the
Jews.
No commitment to the Jews by any government, including our own, is
worth
the
paper it is written on. There is a cry of outrage all over the world
when
people die in Vietnam or when two Negroes are executed in Rhodesia. But
when
Hitler slaughtered Jews no one remonstrated with him.
The Swedes, who are ready to break of diplomatic relations with America
because of what we do in Vietnam, did not let out a peep when Hitler
was
slaughtering Jews. They sent Hitler choice iron ore, and ball bearings,
and
serviced his troop trains to Norway.
The Jews are alone in the world. If Israel survives, it will be solely
because of Jewish efforts. And Jewish resources. Yet at this moment
Israel
is
our only reliable and unconditional ally. We can rely more on Israel
than
Israel can rely on us. And one has only to imagine what would have
happened
last summer had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the war to
realize
how vital the survival of Israel is toAmerica and the West in general.
I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so
will
it go with all of us. Should Israel perish the holocaust will be upon
us.
see Brief facts about the origin of the Palestinian Refugees for
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