Israel

Twenty-three years ago today, Israeli Prime Minister Rabin and PLO negotiator Abbas agreed to the Oslo Accords.

As a broad set of ethical principles, the just war outlook is vital to civilized society. However, errors come—and they can be dangerous ones—when proponents of just war take their categories too narrowly and apply their axioms without historical context.

Despite an adamantly proclaimed right to self-defense and a proven ability to carry it out during historic conflicts like the Six-Day and Yom-Kippur Wars, the tensions in and around Israel have only seemed to worsen. Cooperation with our Judeo-Christian cousin is more crucial now than ever.

The lesson of the greatest generation is “Don’t repeat the mistakes of the America First Committee,” and here we are.

Everything about Israel was, and is, draped in layers of irony and paradox. Israel is a Jewish state. It is also a secular democracy. Israel is the resurrected form of an ancient polity that disappeared two millennia ago; it is also a modern, economically-vibrant society that embraces progress in astonishing ways.

Yom Ha’atzmaut marks the return of the Jewish people to national sovereignty after 2,000 years in exile. It’s a way of expressing solidarity with, and a Jewish connection to, the land and the State of Israel.

Obama’s decision to reject the Bush-Congress letter soured U.S.-Israel relations. From the Israeli perspective, it was a betrayal. But it was also a setback to the cause of peace.

Why is the Muslim sector of Bethlehem growing while the Christian sector is falling? Both face the same exact set of circumstances. Could it be that this disparity tells the true story?

“With history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.” -John F. Kennedy, January 20, 1961