Memo to Stephanopolos: Quit obsessing about Ben Gurion. He is not the God of Israel

Submitted by DrRJP (United States), Apr 5, 2008 at 11:17

To be sure: David Ben Gurion was one of the most significant political leaders in Israel's short history, and I guess one could argue he was the most significant person when Israel became an independent state,

However, I'm not sure that's the reason why you're so hung up on what he said -- that is assuming you were lucky enough to find an accurate quotation of his. Israel's enemies have taken his words out of context, and twisted them to fit their own, perverted version of history.

About 99.8% of the listings on the Internet are anti-Jewish and anti-Israel -- and that is probably conservative, too!

Anti-Jewish/anti_Israel websites are to Arabs and Muslims what child pornography is to pedophiles.

In other words, they can't get enough of it.

That's a problem in itself. Too many people, and especially young people, seem to get all their information from the Internet. Unless they are asked to write a book report about Israel's, I seriously doubt that more than a handful actually bother to read some of the truthful accounts of the Arab-Israeli conflict, like Joan Peter's "From Time Immemorial."

For those who don't know who he was, David Ben Gurion was the first Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Israel in 1948. Except for a two-year period from 1953-1955, when he briefly retired from public service, Ben Gurion served as premier from 1948 to 1963.

He resigned in 1963 but remained politically active and helped other candidates to become members of the Knesset.

He permanently retired from public life in 1970 and died in 1973.

Some of Ben Gurion's quotes describes the essential differences between a democratic Israel and a fundamental Islamic Gaza:

Without moral and intellectual independence, there is no anchor for national independence.

There are many other, important people whose quotes should be taken to heart every bit as much as Ben Gurion's.

Like George Washington, for example:

May the same wonder-working Deity who long since delivering the Hebrews from their Egyptian oppressors, planted them in the promised land — whose providential agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent nation — still continue to water them with the dews of Heaven and to make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessing of that people whose God is Jehovah."

-- letter from President George Washington received by Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, Georgia, 1789

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