Can Israel's PR Problem be Solved?

This question came to mind during a conversation I had with a person shortly after attending a Delray Library news-and-views session. The person made the following statement, "I am Jewish, but I'm first and foremost an American. I'm not a Zionist."

I asked him what he meant by saying he wasn't a Zionist. "Does it meant you're against the State of Israel?"

"No," he replied, "I'm not against them and I'm not for them."

I didn't want to push it. I had no ready response to his comment. But, I've since given it considerable thought and I think I've figured it out. Oh, one more item about this person I should mention; namely, he's liberal; indeed, quite to the left. That comes out clearly in his remarks during news-and-views.

I have nothing personally against people on the left. I view myself as center-right but it takes all kinds of people to make this world and I know any number of people on the left. Unfortunately it also explains why they're so cold towards Israel. It's their very "idealism" that turns them against that wonderful state.

To understand this, it helps to understand "exceptionalism." A reporter once asked Pres. Obama whether he considered American to be an exceptional country. "Do you mean, like the British consider Great Britain exceptional, or the French consider France exceptional? No, I don't."

Obama's attitude explains a lot. He wants to be like everyone else. But, unfortunately that that's not the way it is. We have different cultures and different histories. Being exceptional doesn't necessarily mean being superior, or being better. But, it does suggest differences. And, there may well be a number of differences in which we might take special pride. Is that so bad?

I think not. But it does run against the liberal grain. Liberals believe that all the world's problems can be solved by an international consensus. But look at the UN and the General Assembly. Count the number of brutal, totalitarian regimes that make up it's membership.
And yet when these countries consistently overlook the genecides perpetrated in their midst and focus on but one country, and that country perhaps the most democratic of the lot; namely Israel, upon which to heap scorn and abuse, you've got to wonder what's going on.

You don't have to wonder too much about the many Islamic states that hate Israel for reasons of religion. Islam will be Islam and there isn't much you can do about those countries. But, why do the Europeans hate Israel so. Is it that they've never completely come to terms with their earlier anti-Semitism. To some extent, perhaps. But, there is much more and I believe it's related to their liberalism. The European Union was originally contemplated as a way of countering America's size and economic strength. And, in this regard, it has achieved a great deal. However, it has given the liberals the idea that they can now extend their ideology beyond their European borders.

I'm not sure they will ever completely succeed, but until the lion lies down with the lamb, I doubt they will ever be able to include Islamic nations in their liberal tent. Still, it's a vision they do seem to harbor even though when faced with the possibility of including Turkey in their tent they find that Greece objects. And, the US and Israel are for the Europeans especially intractable. The USA continues to supply the military strength that shields these very independent Europeans and Israel insists that it will not allow itself to be wiped of the face of the map by its Islamic neighbors. Such impudence.

The liberals are still very far from their goals, but as with the communists they remain firm in their conviction that they are on the right side of history. Let's hope not.