The Jewish people are called upon to be a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, God’s witnesses, and a light unto the nations. These ideals stand at the heart of Judaism’s understanding of its mission in the world. Yet today Israel, the Jewish State, is facing unprecedented international isolation, while Jews around the world confront a dramatic resurgence of antisemitism. The question we must ask ourselves is not merely why this is happening, but whether some of our own actions have contributed to it.

Israel’s standing in much of the world has deteriorated sharply. Countries that were once among its strongest supporters have become increasingly critical and even somewhat threatening, which makes us question just how sincere their support ever was.

However one views the actions of the current Israeli government, claims that Israel has been the stumbling block to peace from the very beginning and thus is in large part responsible for its current situation, bear no relationship to the truth. The record is clear and unambiguous on this crucial point.

The U.N. General Assembly Resolution (181) that carved out part of Palestine for a Jewish state, it carved out a bigger chunk for a Palestinian Arab state. The Jews accepted it. The Arab side chose war instead. Israel was prepared to negotiate a Palestinian state in 1949, but Egypt, Syria, and Jordan preferred to divide up the land among themselves. Egypt took Gaza, Syria took the Golan, and Jordan took the West Bank (Judea and  Samaria). Israel was prepared to do so in 1967, but the Arab world responded with the infamous “Three No’s”: “No peace, no negotiations, no Israel.”

In 1993 1995, and 2020, Israel actually negotiated and signed agreements that would have led to the creation of such a state. The Palestinians responded with renewed and sustained violence.

The world’s leaders ignore all of this and instead they pounce on Israel for defending itself. The result: Recent surveys indicate that unfavorable views of Israel have risen substantially in the United States and elsewhere.

There are also worrying signs within Israel itself because many Israelis are losing faith in Israel’s future. Because of this, Israel now faces a negative migration balance, with more Israelis leaving than Jewish immigrants arriving. Many of those departing are young professionals whose talents are needed in medicine, education, technology, and........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)