Purchasing Israel

Submitted by Elliott Meisel (United States), Jun 27, 2011 at 18:45

Thanks for the illuminating history which in fact goes much further back. In the parsha "Chayai Sara" which, though translating as "the life of Sara" tells of her death (presumably because only at death can one's life be appraised), we learn that Abraham went to the Hittite king to acquire a burial plot for her and when offered the Cave of Machpela as a gift graciously declined and insisted on paying in shekels on the theory that what was given could be taken back, but what was sold was rightfully owned. Thus was the first ownership of Jewish land in the region. I say region and not Israel because, despite the Cave of Machpela being one of Jews' holiest places where many of its early luminaries were buried, I was not able to visit last October because it was in "Palistinian territory".

Jews may have taken possession, whether by purchase of military force of territory, but they invariably improve it and make it available to all, including protecting the religious sites of all religions. When the Arabs got Jerusalem they leveled the Jewish quarter, bar Jews from the Temple mount and the Rock (Where Abraham brought Isaac to be sacrificed in the story of the Akeda), much holier to Jews than the Muslims who have usurped it. They throw things at Jews reduced to praying at what is essentially the basement foundation of the Temple. Jews are also the only people in the world asked to voluntarily surrender their land, and that for empty promises from those whose very charter is committed to their destruction. The hypocritical world then ignores the genocidal and political slaughter of Muslims and others by Muslims in every country or territory they occupy to chastise Jews for accidently, but inevitably, killing civilians behind whom the cowardly terrorist hide when hurling deadly rockets at Jewish children.

Everything I've said above has been said before, and nothing I've said will in my, my childrens, or their childrens' lifetime (if they have one) change anything in our cynical, manipulative, corrupt world where the most pathological few live in palaces the size of cities while their populace eats camel shit and dreams of murdering the people who bring them food, medicine, jobs, education and the promise of a better life.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".