Build, Bibi, Build

Ma'ale Adumim panorama.

In recent days, Israel has been subjected to what Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot termed a “diplomatic tsunami.”

Frantic efforts to halt Israel’s operation Pillar of Defense were followed by aresounding rejection of Israel’s position at the United Nations, where the General Assembly voted to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority to nonmember observer state.

After the Israeli government announced the approval of new Jerusalem developments less than a week later, European states practically fell over each other in their frenzied efforts to denounce and criticize Israel’s actions.

Even some of the more supportive statements that have been made about “Israel’s right to defend itself” or British Foreign Minister William Hague’s assurance Tuesday that “I don’t think there is enthusiasm around the European Union … about economic sanctions in Europe on Israel,” amount to veiled threats by inference. By stating the obvious, doubt is cast. If America needs to announce that Israel has a right to self-defense, it means that there is in fact an argument to the contrary.

Of course, the position taken by most in the international community is by no means altruistic. It is obvious how little the international community cares about suffering, real or perceived, simply by examining the cases of Syria, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other meccas of brutality. These real trouble spots have not engendered a fraction of the diplomatic output that Israel has.

It is also becoming increasingly apparent that global leaders themselves don’t really believe that Israeli concessions will lead to any sort of peace, or that the Arab nations are interested in living side by side with any form of Jewish state, or community for that matter.

Appearing on MSNBC Tuesday, Quartet Envoy on the Middle East Tony Blair saidthat “at the moment it’s very hard to say to the Israelis ‘negotiate with them’ in circumstances where they’re firing rockets out of Gaza.”

Hillary Clinton told the Saban forum on Friday that “in the last 20 years, I’ve seen Israeli leaders make an honest, good-faith effort and not be reciprocated in the way that was needed.” At the same venue, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert failed to adequately answer a question posed by an audience member as to why PA President Mahmoud Abbas walked away from his bounteous land for peace offer in 2008.

The true reason why governments around the world are rushing to take the anti-Israel position was acknowledged in a moment of honesty from Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr who, according to the Australian Herald Sun,explained his country’s United Nations vote for “Palestine” by saying, “I don’t apologize for the fact Australia has interests in the Arab world. If we had voted no that would have been a body blow to our interests in over 20 Arab countries. The truth is they all see this is as bedrock issue.”

At its bottom line, the international argument for halting Israeli building in East Jerusalem, upgrading the formal status of the Palestinian Authority and for limiting Israel’s operations against Hamas in Gaza is; because the Arab states don’t want it.

These are the same theocratic and radical Arab states that for the most part, in one way or another propagate vile anti-Semitic material, insist on Israel’s destruction, are guilty of oppressing their own people, are intolerant of religious freedom and have abysmal human rights records.

No wonder Israelis are resistant to their message, no matter if it comes via Europe.

In this regard, Israel is increasingly isolated but not alone. States and citizens of moral conscience have stood by Israel and will continue to do so.

This experience of isolation is not new to the Jewish people, but for the first time in recent history we are sidelined not as individuals, but as a robust unified collective in the form of the state of Israel.

If Israel is being offered up by the international community as an appeasement sacrifice to the Arab states, the Jewish people’s only recourse is to strengthen its position and secure its citizens in every possible way.

And this is why it is imperative for Israel to build and settle Jews in every corner of Jerusalem and the West Bank territories; because a Qassam rocket has never been fired from a Jewish neighborhood.

In Israel, no amount of international pronouncements has the ability to stem Arab terror as the building of one Jewish apartment block.  But from the lands controlled by Israel’s enemies has sprung forth hate, terror, intolerance and bigotry.

As such the Prime Minister of Israel has but one prerogative: Build, Bibi, build!