Israel and the surrounding countries
Israel is in a very unique situation. They are right in the middle of several countries that want to do nothing more than to wipe the country and citizens of Israel off the map. Specifically, but not limited to Iran, Syria, and Lebanon.
While I was in Israel many of you may have heard about the terrorist attack in Jerusalem where an Israeli-Arab hijacked a bulldozer from a construction site and began running into people on the street, cars with children in it, and tourist buses. In this attack 57 were injured and I could be wrong but I believe there were at least 3 killed, one of which was a very young girl not older than 12. I had been on that very street in that very same spot not more than 48 hours before. When I heard about the attack I and the other Americans on the trip were shocked, one girl even cried. However, our Israeli guards were not nearly as shocked as we, not because they do not care, but because this attack and pointless attacks like these are not uncommon in Israel. I know just reading this Israel may sound like a scary place and you would think that the Israeli people might live in fear, but this is not the case. Even with rockets being fired into Israel, bulldozers being hijacked for the purpose of murder, or suicide bombers, Israelis live their life. Even after rockets are fired they are very hesitant to retaliate, because they unlike many of the Arab terrorist committing these unthinkable acts care about life, and look for any and all other alternatives before a military response.
I would like you all to think about something… What do you think would happen if a neighboring U.S. country such as Mexico fired rockets into our cities? If I had to guess I would say without a doubt we would and should immediately retaliate the second we know the source. However, contrary to what the media would have you believe, Israel does not. In my opinion it’s almost like they can’t, so many people in and around Israel want to kill and destroy Israel that if they militarily responded to every attack or threat they would be in a constant and never ending war. What I am trying to say is we as Americans take for granted the security and safety we enjoy. I should note however, that even with all of these attacks Israel is safer in many ways than America. If you are a female or male for that matter and are walking at 2am in the streets you are safer and are much less likely to be mugged or attacked then if you were in the United States. The Israeli military and police are everywhere, 24 hours a day, for one reason, to protect everyone in the country. At any point and time it is safe to say you will see about 15 people with weapons, either M-16s, handguns, both, or rifles. At first you may feel alarmed by this, but once you get past this initial American view of these weapons you begin to like and appreciate the extreme lengths the Israeli government takes to ensure as much as possible a safe and peaceful place to visit and live.
Now while you are there, you tend to hear a lot about Arab terrorists from this country and Arab terrorists from that country attacking parts of Israel, or the want and desire to kill the United States and Israel. So you would think Israelis would view the Arab community in a negative aspect. However, Israelis, as they should, recognize that fact that not all Arabs are terrorist. In Israel Arabs are welcomed into the country and are given all of the rights as Israeli citizens. In fact, in parts such as the West Bank, which Arabs control, they are offered to become Israeli citizens. If they do not want to be Israeli citizens they can remain residents, who are still given all of the rights as Israeli citizens. They not as citizens but “resident” are given social benefits, protection, are allowed to vote in Israeli elections, and are even allowed to vote in Palestinian elections if they so choose. The Israeli government in my opinion does everything they can AND MORE to not discriminate and cater in many ways to the Arab community.
Tags: Anthony Pugliese, Israel, Middle East