- INTRODUCTION
- WRITER SUBMISSION
Hello. My name is JoJo. The purpose of this blog is as a response to those blogs and websites that purport to be supportive of Judea and Samaria and to explain the Jewish point of view. But the fact is that most of those blogs and websites are nothing but insulting to Judea and Samaria. They might as well have been written by someone from Peace Now. Instead of actually emphasizing the Jewish point of view, they usually focus on two main themes: “strategic depth” and the Bible.
RE the “strategic depth” argument, they say that Judea and Samaria’s security value to Israel is such that if Israel wasn’t there, then these territories could very well be used as a place where Arabs could launch missiles on Tel Aviv and so, Israel must be there. Now fact: Tel Aviv is the biggest slum in the Middle East and any missile strike on the city would be an improvement. Simply put, if Tel Aviv would be attack and destroyed, then Tel Aviv will be attack and destroyed. Worst thing have happened. Personally, I would fully and unequivocally support the destruction of Tel Aviv – for peace. Also, one must consider that the “strategic depth” argument is tremendously insulting to our ancestral homeland. No other people in the world thinks of their homeland in such a way.
The Bible is also used as a justification for a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. When someone uses the argument that “God gave us the Land”, that’s like saying “the devil made me do it.” It’s amazing how much people use god or the devil as an excuse when they have no other reason for their actions. I just wish the advocates for Judea and Samaria would realize how utterly ridiculous and stupid they actually sound. The “god” argument is simply something to say for people who refuse to acknowledge their roots. They simply don’t know what else to say. The fact is THE BIBLE IS NOT THE REASON FOR THE JEWISH CLAIM TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL! THE FACT THAT JEWS ARE THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF ISRAEL AND HAVE NEVER LEFT, THAT’S OUR RIGHT!
Now the Arab “Palestinians” may be liars, being settlers themselves or the descendants of settlers, but at least they treat with respect, the land they consider theirs, based on their insistence that they’ve been living there for 157,000 generations. However you think of that, this is the mindset that mentally normal people have their country, or perceived country. Jews on the other hand, refuse to acknowledge their longevity on the land. And those few who do, really don’t care at all. People like Yaacov Katz or AB Yehoshua who are 5th generation Israelis (according to Wikipedia), or Avraham Burg whose family has lived IN HEBRON since the early 19th century, or Yitzhak Navon since around 1700, or Yehoshua Matza since the exile from Spain, and I can go on and on. Among any other people in any other country in the world, this kind of family lineage would be a source of pride – except for Israelis who view it as a source of shame. It sort of makes one ashamed to be Jewish.
At this point, many, if not most, will turn off this blog and condemn me for being a self-hating Jew. It’s easy to accuse people of something that the accuser is himself. For those few who agree with me, this [piece] could very well be an educational tool as well as an attempt to present Israel's POV - the way it should be presented. It entails 3 points that, at present, most Jews refuse to consider:
1. Jews are the indigenous people of Israel. (Here, most people would say that the Canaanites were the indigenous people. That may be true, and Cro-Magnon Man was the indigenous people of Europe);
2. Jews have live throughout Israel (including Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, etc.) uninterruptedly, for close to 4000 years. That’s including the period of the myth of the “2000 year exile” which NEVER WAS. Admittedly, there are wide swaths of land that have been empty of Jews for 2000 years, but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that in general, Jews have never left their ancestral homeland; and
3. Historically, the Arabs are the intruders. In spite of the multitude of fancy names they give themselves today, like Palestinian, Jordanian, Iraqi, Egyptian, etc., the fact is they are still
Arabs and they are still intruders.
(By the way, without the 3 points I just mentioned above, the Bible is absolutely meaningless.)
One last note. This is not an attempt to justify Israel’s very being. That would also be insulting, if not humiliating, and I would be just as guilty as those who do advocate those things. Rather, this blog strives to provide the real Jewish POV. It’s also a reminder to Jews of the deep historical roots they have to Israel, and to Judea and Samaria specifically. It is important to note also that the subject areas covered are not exclusively over Judea and Samaria; it also covers Gaza and part of the Sinai, the territories immediately to the east of the Jordan and including the Golan Heights, and what is now southern Lebanon. The insulting “strategic depth” argument or the idiotic “god” argument aren’t even factors.
RE the “strategic depth” argument, they say that Judea and Samaria’s security value to Israel is such that if Israel wasn’t there, then these territories could very well be used as a place where Arabs could launch missiles on Tel Aviv and so, Israel must be there. Now fact: Tel Aviv is the biggest slum in the Middle East and any missile strike on the city would be an improvement. Simply put, if Tel Aviv would be attack and destroyed, then Tel Aviv will be attack and destroyed. Worst thing have happened. Personally, I would fully and unequivocally support the destruction of Tel Aviv – for peace. Also, one must consider that the “strategic depth” argument is tremendously insulting to our ancestral homeland. No other people in the world thinks of their homeland in such a way.
The Bible is also used as a justification for a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. When someone uses the argument that “God gave us the Land”, that’s like saying “the devil made me do it.” It’s amazing how much people use god or the devil as an excuse when they have no other reason for their actions. I just wish the advocates for Judea and Samaria would realize how utterly ridiculous and stupid they actually sound. The “god” argument is simply something to say for people who refuse to acknowledge their roots. They simply don’t know what else to say. The fact is THE BIBLE IS NOT THE REASON FOR THE JEWISH CLAIM TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL! THE FACT THAT JEWS ARE THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF ISRAEL AND HAVE NEVER LEFT, THAT’S OUR RIGHT!
Now the Arab “Palestinians” may be liars, being settlers themselves or the descendants of settlers, but at least they treat with respect, the land they consider theirs, based on their insistence that they’ve been living there for 157,000 generations. However you think of that, this is the mindset that mentally normal people have their country, or perceived country. Jews on the other hand, refuse to acknowledge their longevity on the land. And those few who do, really don’t care at all. People like Yaacov Katz or AB Yehoshua who are 5th generation Israelis (according to Wikipedia), or Avraham Burg whose family has lived IN HEBRON since the early 19th century, or Yitzhak Navon since around 1700, or Yehoshua Matza since the exile from Spain, and I can go on and on. Among any other people in any other country in the world, this kind of family lineage would be a source of pride – except for Israelis who view it as a source of shame. It sort of makes one ashamed to be Jewish.
At this point, many, if not most, will turn off this blog and condemn me for being a self-hating Jew. It’s easy to accuse people of something that the accuser is himself. For those few who agree with me, this [piece] could very well be an educational tool as well as an attempt to present Israel's POV - the way it should be presented. It entails 3 points that, at present, most Jews refuse to consider:
1. Jews are the indigenous people of Israel. (Here, most people would say that the Canaanites were the indigenous people. That may be true, and Cro-Magnon Man was the indigenous people of Europe);
2. Jews have live throughout Israel (including Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, etc.) uninterruptedly, for close to 4000 years. That’s including the period of the myth of the “2000 year exile” which NEVER WAS. Admittedly, there are wide swaths of land that have been empty of Jews for 2000 years, but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that in general, Jews have never left their ancestral homeland; and
3. Historically, the Arabs are the intruders. In spite of the multitude of fancy names they give themselves today, like Palestinian, Jordanian, Iraqi, Egyptian, etc., the fact is they are still
Arabs and they are still intruders.
(By the way, without the 3 points I just mentioned above, the Bible is absolutely meaningless.)
One last note. This is not an attempt to justify Israel’s very being. That would also be insulting, if not humiliating, and I would be just as guilty as those who do advocate those things. Rather, this blog strives to provide the real Jewish POV. It’s also a reminder to Jews of the deep historical roots they have to Israel, and to Judea and Samaria specifically. It is important to note also that the subject areas covered are not exclusively over Judea and Samaria; it also covers Gaza and part of the Sinai, the territories immediately to the east of the Jordan and including the Golan Heights, and what is now southern Lebanon. The insulting “strategic depth” argument or the idiotic “god” argument aren’t even factors.
WRITER SUBMISSION
In the course of writing this, I know I will be leaving out a lot of important places. Therefore, feel free to submit any historical information about your hometown or region or anyone else’s to jojoblog1@hotmail.com. It could be in any language as long as it’s also translated into English. Both languages will be displayed and you will receive credit on that entry. If there is a factual error that you feel I made, or if you want to add anything to what I already posted, by all means, let me know about it.
There are only 4 rules for submission to abide by:
1. The history must be Judaic. Arab or other non-Jewish history could be included but only if you feel it’s a necessary addition. (“Strategic depth” or “god said this” or “god gave us that” will not be considered.) Also, there is no limit to the length of the piece, but try not to go over 2000 words.
2. The subject location must be in Judea or Samaria, or the Golan, or formerly in Gaza or the Sinai. If you have any historical information on the territories on the east side of the Jordan (within the tribal territories of Reuben, Gad, or Menasheh), or southern Lebanon (within the tribal territories of Asher or Naphtali), feel free to send them.
3. Provide sources. The Bible could be used as a historical reference.
4. Emphasis should be on the period – a) from the rise of Islam to 1914, b) the period since then, and c) the Biblical/Talmudic period – in that order. Since there are many places in Israel that have been empty of Jews for 2000 years; then obviously, the Biblical/Talmudic history as well as the modern contemporary history should be emphasized.
Anyone is welcome to submit – right, left, religious, secular, atheist, Jew, non-Jew, Samaritan, Karaite, Palestinian or other Anusim, B’nei Menashe, B’nei Noach, Black Hebrew Israelite, Beta Yisrael. In other words, if you’re a member of the human race, you’re qualified.
NOTE: If I feel there must be dramatic changes to your piece, I’ll notify you by email and we’ll proceed from there.
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