By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

Jewish scholars may say that these issues are intertwined, and require a lengthy discussion of history. Simplistic answers will not suffice. The fact is that the state of Israel came into being in 1948.[2] Anti-Semitism has been rising globally for decades; and the world has erupted since Hamas’ attacks of October 7th, with almost unprecedented vitriol directed at the Jewish state—and against innocent Jews wherever they live.[3]

One prominent American Jew asked an important question years ago about the treatment of non-Jews in Israel: “Is this how I wanted to be treated when I was a minority in another people’s country?”[4] Another prominent American Jew predicted that Israel would not survive.[5] Both have been strong supporters of Israel; and both have impeccable credentials.

Anti-Semitism has existed for centuries[6]; and it won’t be explained in a short article like this. Will “Osama bin Laden 2.0” emerge, and desecrate if not destroy Israel?[7] Time will tell. In the interim, will Benjamin Netanyahu, the “Settlers” and rabid Zionists ignite World War III?[8] Courageously, IfNotNow states:

Today we mark 76 years since Nakba, or catastrophe, when over 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from their homes and countless villages were wiped off the map during the establishment of the State of Israel. The Israeli government has continued the Nakba by carrying out a policy of land expropriation and deprivation of Palestinians’ fundamental rights from 1948 through today.

As we bear witness to the continuation of the Nakba over the decades, we recognize the chilling parallels between 1948 and today’s catastrophe in Gaza, as the Israeli military slaughters tens of thousands of Palestinians and forces over a million people from their homes—the largest displacement of Palestinians since 1948.

This history—together with our history as Jews of facing ethnic cleansing and mass slaughter—compels us to call for an end to the Israeli military’s genocidal assault on Gaza and to work towards an equal, just, and thriving future for all Palestinians and Israelis, free from ethnic cleansing, violence, apartheid, and oppression that reckons with and addresses the Nakba and other injustices.[9]

_____

© 2024, Timothy D. Naegele

_____

[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass).  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6  and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/   He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at The Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service).  Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams.  He can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel (“Israel”)

[3]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2023/10/31/americas-jews-are-americans/ (“America’s Jews Are Americans”)

[4]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2023/12/11/why-j-street-deserves-support/ (“Why J Street Deserves Support”)

[5]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/is-israel-doomed/ (“Is Israel Doomed?”)

[6]  See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism (“Antisemitism”) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_antisemitism (“History of antisemitism”)

[7]  See supra n.5.

[8]  See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2024/05/03/is-the-second-holocaust-coming-which-may-be-far-worse-than-the-first/ (“Is The Second Holocaust Coming, Which May Be Far Worse Than The First?”)

[9]  See also https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/the-madness-of-benjamin-netanyahu/ (“The Madness Of Benjamin Netanyahu”)