Every Missile Fired at Israel has Potential to Set Back World Progress

By Lee Bender

This past week, as is becoming increasingly more frequent, yet another announcement of an amazing discovery came from the high-tech, innovative, Start-Up Nation, Israel. This time, a cure for terminal cancer was discovered with breakthrough immunotherapy.

At only 67, Israel is the most reliable, capable, predictable, democratic and unequivocal ally of the US. This is in direct contrast to the violent, unreliable, turbulent and generally anti-US Arab “Street. ”

As stated by Amb. (retired) Yoram Ettinger: “Moreover, Israel is the most battle-tested, cost-effective laboratory of the US defense industries, sharing with US manufacturers thousands of upgrades and modifications, enhancing the US global competitiveness, exports, research and development and employment. Israel is to the US defense industry what triple-A tenants are to shopping malls: increasing value and drawing clients – a mega-billion dollar bonanza.” (April 22, 2015) “Some 280 global high tech giants (mostly from the US) have given kudos to Israel’s economy, in general, and Israel’s brain power, in particular, by establishing research and development (R&D) centers in the Startup Nation. Thus, Intel operates four R&D centers, Microsoft – 2, IBM – 3 R&D centers, etc.” (June 5, 2015).

Israel’s accomplishments are astonishing, as illustrated by Nobel Prizes awarded: Israel (with a population of 6.2 million Jews): has 12 Nobels, including six in chemistry. (In contrast, of the 22 Arab states with a combined population of 350 million, they have received only 6 Nobels, of which 1 was in science). Israel is also a major first-responder to natural disasters around the planet.

But this good news of cancer breakthroughs was not widely celebrated because it clearly does not fit the narrative the mainstream media prefers to portray about tiny, embattled Israel. Instead it chooses to depict Israel as the unrelenting oppressor of the Palestinian Arabs.

Forget that the Palestinian Arabs of Israel have more freedom, rights, educational and employment opportunities than in any Arab country; that they have rejected a state of their own living side-by-side with Israel six times since 1937; that their charters (P.A., P.L.O., Fatah and Hamas) call for the destruction of Israel; and in the case of Hamas – who is the elected government in partnership with the Palestinian Authority – the murder of all Jews worldwide; that their mosques, schools and media regularly engage in some of the most vile anti-Semitic measures promoting hatred and demonization of Jews; name streets and plazas for their “shaheeds/martyrs” who have engaged in mass murder of Jews; pay the families of these shaheeds for their nefarious deeds; and that they have failed to abide by the Oslo Accords of 1993, which called for an end of incitement to hatred and murder, outlaw terrorist groups, arrest and extradite terrorists, confiscate illegal weaponry, and amend their charters advocating terrorism and the elimination of Israel. In short, it is a dark culture of hate whose identity is based on negating that of Israel.

So remember: Every single missile, rocket, bomb and other terrorist attack against Israel – from Gaza, Lebanon, or Iran – has the literal potential to rob the world of incredible cures for cancer, medicines and treatments, and other high-tech biological, agricultural and scientific innovations. Each missile has the potential to retard progress and the ability to repair the world (tikkun olam).

So when our government funds the Palestinian Authority or Hamas (via UNRWA) or Lebanon (Hezb’allah) or frees up money for Iran, via the impending nuclear agreement – this is what is at stake.

And when the European Union, the U.N., NGOs, academic groups, and organizations promote BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) and delegitimizing actions against Israel, these “missiles” also are aimed at jeopardizing Israel.

This is the moral case for Israel, acting out of a sense of Jewish values to treasure life, share its know-how with the world, even with its Arab/Muslim neighbors. Every rocket, missile, bomb directed at Israel is aimed at driving a stake into the heart of our Judeo-Christian values and civilization, and is a direct expression of the barbarism of our enemies.

Lee S. Bender co-authored a book, “Pressing Israel: Media Bias Exposed From A-Z” (Pavilion Press) with Jerome Verlin. He is co-President of ZOA- Greater Philadelphia. 

This article was published by Times of Israel and may be found here.