The Flotilla and Israel’s Indomitable Spirit

I had the pleasure of hearing Elliott Abrams speak last month at a symposium organized by the Baltimore Zionist District. The symposium was titled “U.S.-Israel Relations In A New Era,” and Abrams, who held important positions in Ronald Reagan’s and George W. Bush’s administrations, was the keynote speaker.

Abrams gave a passionate and enlightening speech, in which he delineated three waves of aggression that the country of Israel has fought against:

In the FIRST WAVE of aggression, Israel’s neighbors (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, etc) attempted to destroy Israel by using military force. These were the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973. These wars were unsuccessful, however, and the last major war against Israel was in 1973.

In the SECOND WAVE of aggression, terrorism rose to predominance, because waging war proved to be  unsuccessful. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) grew to stature as the major terrorist association against Israel after murdering 12 Israeli athletes at the Olympic games in Munich, Germany. This terrorism includes the First and Second Intifadas, and it only ended recently.

According to Abrams, we are now witnessing a THIRD WAVE of aggression against Israel. This is a public relations attempt to delegitimize Israel, where Israel’s “acts of self-defense” are spun by the media to be “acts of aggression." For example, both Operation Cast Lead and the erection of the West Bank barriers were measures that Israel took to defend itself and maintain security.  However, the media and global opinion considered these to be "acts of aggression.”  Turning self-defense into "acts of aggression" is typical of this THIRD WAVE.

Abrams’ comments may be considered prescient in light of the recent events of the Flotilla.  After raiding an “aid flotilla” bound for Gaza, an Israeli navy command killed 9 people.  Israel has received widespread international condemnation for this action.  However, the aid was organized by a Turkish group connected to several global jihadist terrorist movements, including al Qaeda — this is a fact that is being underreported.  Additionally, Israel had offered to distribute “the aid” to Gazans, if only the flotilla would first dock into Ashdod, instead of heading straight to Gaza.

As the Wall Street Journal put it: “[T]his was a no-win situation. Allow the ships to dock in Gaza and they would unload supplies that might be used to arm Hamas. Stop the ships and you risk a public relations disaster.” In other words, this event is quintessential of the third wave of aggression, where Israel's actions to defend itself is unacceptable to the world.

Abrams concluded his speech with a story. At the moment, several European countries refuse to play Israel's national anthem, Hatikva, at international sporting events.  Last November, Dana Sterlinkov  won a gold medal for fencing at the Cadet World Cup in Austria. When she ascended the podium to receive her medal, Hatikva was not played! So she improvised, and began to sing it herself. Soon after, the rest of her team and Jews in the audience joined along.

Sterlinkov's actions were courageous, especially considering that she was only 14 at the time.  Her actions represent the national mood of Israel; despite international condemnation that threatens Israel's existence, Israel continues to be brave and march ahead. Much like Sterlinkov, Israel’s courage is indomitable, and she will continue to thrive.  This is the courage that has allowed Jews to survive 2,000 years without a homeland, and it's the courage that led Jews to rebuild after World War II.

To conclude, here is a link that I found last week and shook my very essence.  It is an old BBC recording of survivors from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, singing Hatikva five days after liberation.