The More Things Change...

The NY Times Magazine carried a fascinating piece (A State is Born in Palestine) on the undercover efforts of Zionist interests to sway the opinions of the UN Special Committee on Palestine - called UNSCOP. It's a short piece, and a captivating read of how the early Zionists embraced the UN committe, and worked hard to win over sceptical delegates who would write the report that led to the creation of the Jewish State. It's an important piece for a number of reasons:
1. It points to the resourcefulness of the Israelis (then Palestinians) who were willing to use whatever tools necessary to promote their cause. Sure we had to have the guns to fight and defend ourselves afterwards. But before we could even fight, we needed an internationally recognized state, which is exactly what we got.
2. It highilghts the critical importance of diplomatic efforts and the need for Hasbarah. Because the world - or at least the committeee - saw our point of view, it was able to write a report that could accept the Jews receiving half of Palestine, and not nothing at all. If you think that these efforts are any less important today, you're kidding yourself. World (and US) opinion really does matter. It matters not only what members of the US Government think (so join and get active in AIPAC). It also matters what your friends, coworkers and classmates think. So share that pro-Israel video on Facebook and forward the YouTube video. Every little bit matters.
3. It highlights just how foolish the Arabs have been - and continue to be. At times, it seems like the only thing that saves us from ourselves is the Arabs' intrasegience. If the Arabs had accepted the '48 plan, would we control Jerusalem today? Would I have been able to pray at Me'arat Hamachpelah last week? What if Arafat had accepted Israel's offer of 97 percent of the "West Bank" in 2000 at Camp David? What would have come of the Palestinians' current UN bid if they weren't also still shooting rockets at us and killing our citizens on the roads?
Clearly, God works in mysterious ways. But sometimes it seems clear that God prefers to operate through our enemies' foolishness. Or, to quote the Iranian delegate to UNSCOP, Nasrollah Entezam, “What asses the Arabs are! The country is so beautiful, and it can be developed. If they gave it all to the Jews, they would transform it into Europe!”
Indeed.