A Requiem for Israel

If ever there was a missed opportunity for the residents of the Middle East, it is the way they have handled the formation of the Jewish state of Israel. From the very beginning, they have misjudged and mishandled the opportunities presented to them. It's not like the Jews descended on Palestine like a horde of blood thirsty barbarians intent on rape, pillage and enslavement. Let's look for a moment at the way things could have been for the Palestinians.

They could have had infrastructure. One of the first things the Jews did when they got to Palestine was get the utilities turned on. The basic improvements the Jews brought to the area are almost too embarrassingly numerous to list. Water, power, roads, communications, public sanitation, none of these things existed before the Jews. The difference that they make in the quality of life is staggering. Once the utilities are on, other opportunities present themselves.

They could have had agriculture. Goats, and a date palm, are not agriculture. The Israelis grow grain, fruit and vegetables. They produce meat and dairy products, they fish. More importantly, they process and package these things so that they can be transported to the people who consume them in a wholesome condition.

They could have had industry. The Israelis make stuff, in factories. Real stuff, not just rugs, a few hookahs, and the odd camel saddle. They produce pretty much every thing they need, from furniture to electronics to pharmaceuticals. Oh yeah, and weapons, they make their own weapons, they don't get them from the US, except for aircraft, which they modify extensively.

They could have had commerce. Israel produces enough that they are able to export large quantities for sale internationally. There is no oil in Palestine and a fellah's got to make a living.

They could have had tourism. Huge numbers of people spend astronomical amounts of money each year to vacation in Israel, inspite of the enmity, destruction and random killing that occur there daily. Go figure.

I'm still leaving out a lot of stuff. Healthcare. Education. Peace. The list goes on and on. Israel has offered to share everything they have with their neighbors all along the way. They still offer it today. That Israel even exists as a sovereign nation is due to Palestinian enmity. The UN would never have partitioned Palestine if not for the fighting that was initiated by the Palestinians at the close of World War II.

Israel won't disappear tomorrow. They're there and they're not going to leave. There is no place for them to go. So they will fight. They will fight to the last little child. Ultimately, they will use every weapon at their disposal and that's a lot of weapons. There's not going to be much left of the Middle East when it's over. Israel will Nuke them back into the seventh century. That was the century when they still had relevance, and it's the century where they want to be. So the Arabs will get their way after all.