Being Without Natural Enemies

America had long been thought of as a country without natural enemies. Now, it is apparent that we have enemies and they are not such simply because they envy our way of life. We must begin to re-evaluate our foreign policies. To continue to support the policies that have not brought change to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict may indeed be destructive and unwise, if not insane. The very definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing over and over again without a different result. Perhaps it becomes even more so when it engenders extremists and terrorists to act against us.

America should be in support of any nation that supports peace and the well being of others, while forever looking at our policies and determining which ones have worked and which ones have failed. This is necessary for our own good and others. We must not continue to support policies that do not benefit the whole. What seems to be occurring right now in Israel is the destruction of democracy and the inciting of extremists and terrorists worldwide against us.

Like it or not, the Palestinians have chosen Hamas. The question is why have they chosen such leaders? We don't seem to want to answer that question. The bombing of Gaza seems like a direct retaliation to the will of the Palestinian people. "Since you have chosen such leadership," Israel seems to say. "We are going to bomb the hell out of you and you will think twice the next time." Is this democracy?

We cannot be for and against democracy simultaneously. While we support another nation that must defend itself, we call for restraint. Ariel Sharon once arrogantly boasted that “restraint is power.” Where is the restraint now? If America continues to support Israel without realizing the potential for terrorism and extremism against its own people, we are heading for a nuclear showdown between Israel and Iran, one that America will have instigated or at the very least permitted.

America, we must begin to look at our policies to determine why there are those who wish to harm us. (Our destructive actions in Iraq which Israel seems to have followed suit has not helped.) Perhaps we need to look at our own actions, including the Iraq war, and our policies toward Israel to determine why a country which once had no natural enemies have those who now fly planes into our buildings, attack our ships in peacetime, and bomb our embassies.

Americans are not against the existence of Israel or of any nation that must defend itself. But we are for restraint and against policies executed by ourselves and others that destroy human life and lead to resentment, extremism, and terrorism against a country and a people that once had no natural enemies.