This Christmas break, I had the pleasure of taking a pilgrimage of sorts to Israel. During my stay in the Holy Land, I traveled up and down the country, seemingly going back in time as I visited all the different holy sites.
Before I left for this life-changing excursion, several people asked if I was crazy for wanting to leave my safe Houston home to travel to the most volatile region in the world. I shrugged off their doubts, but frankly I was a little uneasy in the days leading up to my trip. Why wouldn't I be? It seems like every day the news is filled with images of violence from the region, and everyone knows that both Israel and its enemies don't care much about collateral, civilian damage. Having voyaged safely there and back, however, I can report that Israel is not in the constant state of danger or utter chaos that is depicted in the news.
I can confidently say that I have never felt safer in my life, perhaps due to the many Israeli military officers on the street who openly carried M16's on their backs, or the warm Israeli people who welcomed me everywhere I went. Actually, I think that it was much deeper than that - I was finally home. I am not Jewish, but I know Judaism through Jesus Christ. For this, Israel is the most important place in the world for me. Being there literally meant I was walking in the footsteps of my Savior.
During my journey, I was reminded time and again how special and unique the people of Israel are. Throughout history, there has been no group of people more resilient than the Jews. They experienced the most austere of discriminations in the Holocaust and were then forced to wander the world with no place to call home. Despite these misfortunes, they incessantly persevere and excel in almost every endeavor they embark on. In my opinion, these unparalleled triumphs are testament to the fact that they are truly God's chosen people. Today, the Jews finally have safe haven in the state of Israel, and many of them continue to immigrate to the Holy Land due to family ties, ideology and connection to the land.
Jerusalem, truly the center of the world, was the most diverse and culturally rich place I have ever been. It seemed as if all religions and races were represented in this great city, and everywhere I looked I could see a piece of history. Visiting all four quarters of it, I was able to see how the different people live their daily lives and interact with each other.
It was not hard to understand the animosity between Jews and Muslims. Try to put yourself in the Israelis' shoes. How would you react toward a group of people that fails to recognize your statehood, vehemently opposes the claims you have to your land and constantly launches vicious suicide attacks on you?
Coming back home so affected and influenced, I believe it is my duty to become a quasi-ambassador for Israel. A dangerous wind is blowing in America today. Many people - including Condoleezza Rice, unfortunately - are starting to sympathize with Palestinian militants. Some of these people call Israelis aggressors and reprimand them for violent attacks against innocent Palestinian citizens. But this view could not be more erroneous or further from the truth. Israeli attacks are a response to Palestinian aggression. Contrary to popular belief, the Israelis are peaceful and loving people who do not want to have to continually fight for their rights - and who can blame them? Imagine if the British continued to attack America throughout the past three centuries and refused to trade with us. How would you feel about them?
As opposed to the Palestinians, the Israelis are completely in favor of living peacefully with the Arab Muslims. But Palestinians and all the Arab countries want the complete destruction of Israel, and they would rather push all of Israel into the Mediterranean Sea than ever live in amity with them. That's why there are so many problems in the Middle East.
Being the single beam of light that shines in the darkness that is the Middle East, Israel needs America's full support. Both America and Israel are fighting Islamic extremists who venerate a completely different set of values than we know. Islamic jihadists do not value life or the family unit like Israelis or Americans do. Rather, they enthusiastically offer their lives and the lives of their women and children to kill innocent civilians. Also, do not be fooled into thinking that we can talk about peace with radicals. How can you talk peace to people who have never experienced it for themselves? We must be strong enough to realize this fact: The Islamic extremists do not want to engage in peace talks with us; they want to kill us.
In addition, we must comprehend that, whether we support Israel or not, Israel's enemies are our adversaries as well. As we saw on Sept. 11, these people do not care if we are actively engaged in warfare with them - they will attack us even if our backs are turned. Some Americans believe that if we did not support Israel, we'd have no problems in the Middle East and Arab countries wouldn't hate us. However, those who feel this way are only showing their ignorance as they fail to recognize that the goal of Islam is to dominate the world, not just Israel.
Many may wonder how a country the size of New Jersey can be so important and attract so much worldwide attention. After all, I cannot think of a time that I have ever watched the news and not heard something about Israel. The reason for all the exposure, negative and positive, is because the Israelis are God's people, and God has been the most influential, controversial character in history.
Earnest is an economics sophomore.
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