As a result of this rising issue, guest blogger, Jeremy Grodin, provides the history behind the 1967 borders as well as an overview on why America must support one of her strongest allies--Israel. You will enjoy this exceptional write-up that takes you on a journey of the historical, present, and future implications of supporting Israel's existence as a sovereign nation. Enjoy!
Mr. Grodin's Bio
Jeremy Grodin from El Paso, Texas is a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated with a degree in Government and has focused his studies on international relations, terrorism, and Israel. Throughout his time at the University of Texas, Jeremy was active with the College Republicans at Texas, as well as Texans for Israel. Texans for Israel is a pro-Israel advocacy group that advocates for a close relationship between the United States and Israel. Jeremy was also a member of the Texas Cowboys at the University of Texas. Recently, Jeremy became involved with Dr. Donna Campbell’s campaign for the Texas 25th US Congressional district. Jeremy is also a licensed pilot who is planning on attending a flight school next year to pursue his dream of becoming a commercial pilot. Jeremy was raised in a Jewish family, with a deep admiration and love for the United States, and its greatest friend, Israel. In 2010, Jeremy traveled to Israel with an organization that strives to bring Jewish students to Israel for a ten-day trip, at virtually no cost to the participant. To close, Jeremy believes that conservative policy has allowed America to prosper, and when our leaders stray away from it, America and Americans suffer.
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By: Jeremy Grodin
May 25, 2011
Last week, President Obama made some remarks regarding Israel’s borders. These remarks brought about intense criticism and outrage among many Americans. I am one of those Americans that were outraged by the President’s remarks. Many Israelis were also outraged, especially since the remarks were made a day before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to meet with Obama. I am going to devote this article into explaining what the 1967 borders mean for not only Israelis, but for Jewish people around the world, and Americans. As soon as I heard about Obama’s remarks, I recall one reporter saying Obama stepped into a minefield. Any questions you may have on why this is such a contentious issue for me and other Jews will hopefully be answered by the end of this article. This article will also explain why the 1967 borders are not a viable option. The close relationship between America and Israel will also shed some light on why we must constantly have unwavering support for Israel.
On May 14, 1948, Israel declared itself as an independent Jewish state. That same day, five Arab armies attacked the newly formed Jewish state. It’s rag tag defenders, many of whom were Holocaust survivors, found themselves fighting well-trained and well equipped Arab armies. In the early days of the war, the Israelis were able to organize the various Jewish militias into the unified Israel Defense Forces. The war would soon turn against the Arabs. What is known now as the Occupied Territories, meaning the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, were considered territory of Jordan and Egypt. Jordan controlled most of Jerusalem and all of the West Bank, and Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip. The war created an Israel that was bordered by Jordan in the West Bank, and Egypt to its south and west. In fact, Israel expanded its territory, pushing the Egyptians back to Gaza, and the Jordanians into the West Bank. Jerusalem was the only area where the Israelis failed to push back the Jordanians. Jordan controlled most of Jerusalem, what is known today as East Jerusalem. Ignoring the UN, Jordan refused to allow Jewish worshippers access to our holiest site, the Western Wall. In fact, from 1948 until 1967, access to the Old City and the Western Wall by Jews was banned.
In 1967, fearing an attack from Egypt, Israel launched a surprise attack, seeking to destroy the Egyptian military. Jordan and Syria would declare war on Israel. In what would become the Six-Day War, Israel would triple its size. In the south, Israel would conquer the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula, and Gaza Strip. The West Bank and all of Jerusalem were taken from Jordan, and in the North, the strategic Golan Heights were taken from Syria. The idea of conquering a vast amount of territory was to establish a buffer zone between Israel proper, and its enemies. In the case of an attack, the buffer zones would allow Israel time to mobilize its reserve force. When peace was made with Egypt, the Sinai was returned, but when peace was made with Jordan, Israel held onto the West Bank. Looking at a map of Israel prior to 1967, anyone that has studied military history knows why. Between the West Bank and the Mediterranean Sea is where the majority of the Israeli population lives. This was the same prior to 1967. In fact, in some areas, this area is only 8 miles wide. I travelled to Israel last January, and I can tell you that this area is a low-lying coastal plain. The high ground is the West Bank. The Jordanian Army prior to the Six-Day War, had to only cover 8 miles before it would cut Israel in half. Today Israel is at peace with Egypt and Jordan. The Sinai was returned to Egypt but Israel chose to hold on to the West Bank, or as Jews refer to it as Judea and Samaria. It is part of the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. Aside from the Jewish roots of the land, as I mentioned before, the West Bank is the high ground, and it is vital. Despite the peace between Israel and Jordan, the border is heavily guarded. I recall my Israeli guide say that for every 1 Israeli soldier, Jordan has 8 on the border. The reason is simple. Keep terrorists out. Israel controls the upper part of the Jordan River, which is the most important water source for Israel and western Jordan.
Coming from a Jewish American and a devoted Zionist, the number 1967 means the year Israel truly won its freedom. It was the year that the fear and anxiety that existed among Israelis was finally replaced with a sense of power and invincibility. The powerful and menacing Egyptian army was in ruins, and the Jordanian army was no longer in artillery range of Tel Aviv. Like many other Jews, especially those in Israel, we refuse to simply with draw all claims to land, which was originally ours. Any peace with the Palestinians will have to include land swaps so the majority of Jewish settlements in the West Bank will be under Israeli control. The issue of Jerusalem is a simple one. The only time that Christians, Muslims, and Jews have had access to the holy city has been when the State of Israel controlled the city. It is the capital of the State of Israel and it must not be divided again.
The UN plans to vote on whether or not to establish a Palestinian state sometime this fall, thinking this will bring peace. Prime Minister Netanyahu said it best, “peace cannot be imposed, it must be negotiated.” Looking back at the history of the UN, anytime it tried to impose its will, it failed. Peace would not be maintained if the UN tries to mandate it. The only way peace will endure will be if Israeli leaders and Palestinian leaders free of Hamas involvement, sit down and negotiate. Most Israelis support a two state solution, but most Israelis if not all want nothing to do with a Palestinian government partially controlled by Hamas. This is important for the United States because our country, the EU, Canada, and Japan designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. Therefore it would technically be illegal for the US to offer any aid to what would be known as Palestine. While Israeli leaders like Netanyahu may be seen as obstacles of peace from the far left, he has expressed his desire for negotiations, but he has his demands. The Palestinian leaders must recognize Israel. Israelis are willing to live alongside a Palestinian state, but Palestinian leaders must be willing to tell their people to live alongside a Jewish one. A lasting peace depends on a mutual acknowledgment of each other’s right to exist. From my personal discussions with my friends in Israel, all believe the Palestinians should have their own state in some form. The Palestinians need to show their willingness to accept Israel as a state. Obama has no problem mentioning 1967 borders; in my opinion, borders are not the issue. The issue is a nation’s right to exist, which is not recognized by President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (P.A.). The issue is the illegitimate government of Hamas, which the P.A. is currently considering signing a deal with. Obama should stop seeing Netanyahu as the obstacle to peace, and realize that the main obstacle to peace is within the Palestinian Authority.
The past week has turned many in the media to mention the important and close relationship the United States and Israel have with each other. However, they do not really talk in depth about what that relationship consists of. For years, the militaries of Israel and the United States have numerous security agreements. The two militaries routinely train with each other and participate in war games with each other. In my studies, I have read about the legendary air war games between the Israeli Air Force and the USAF. The cooperation runs deep. In the 1980s, the Israeli Air Force destroyed a nuclear reactor deep inside Iraq. Near the beginning of American involvement in the Gulf War in 1991, Israeli pilots advised American pilots on the Iraqi air defenses. In 2007, the Israeli military conducted an operation in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border. First, Israeli commandos were sent in to collect soil samples. These samples had high levels of radiation and permission was granted by President Bush to act on it. Israeli warplanes destroyed a suspected nuclear reactor, which was being built by the North Koreans. The United States maintains arms warehouses inside Israel, ready to assist our Israeli friends in the event of a major war. Recently, an anti-missile system named Iron Dome became operational. Israel and the U.S developed this system jointly. In the past two months, it has proven itself by shooting down numerous incoming rockets aimed at southern Israel.
Israel has proven itself to be a pool of stability inside an ocean of instability. Under normal circumstances, Israel has proven itself as a close friend of the United States. It rejected Soviet and Communist expansion. Israel provided the United States to be a friend while all other regional states looked towards the USSR. Since 9/11, our bond with Israel is clearly unbreakable. This unbreakable bond should not grant permission for an American president to back one of our closest allies into a corner. Israel’s unique situation, surrounded by enemies, and under a constant onslaught of terrorism, means we should always give Israel the benefit of the doubt. It is not easy fighting an enemy that does not wear uniforms and lives among civilians, this is a lesson we can take out of Iraq and Afghanistan. That is not a lesson among Israelis it is their reality. As Americans, we must oppose any type of peace that will be enforced, i.e. the UN forcing it on Israel to recognize a Palestinian State. The peace must be brokered between the two parties and not by an outside organization that has proven itself incompetent time and time again. It is our duty to our good friends in a land called Israel to support them and their quest for peace.
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