Friend or Foe?

July 29, 2024

by: Cheryl Hauer, BFP Writer

 

Our world is getting smaller all the time and with it, the need for a few friendly neighbors and some reliable trading partners becomes increasingly important. The global society of today can only exist because governments are learning the art of social, economic and political interdependence. Yet the international community remains fragmented, with over 110 armed conflicts—45 in the Middle East and Africa alone—while the diplomatic and military routes to resolution remain in constant tension. No one knows this better than Israel.

A Constant Quest for Peace

The 1947 UN partition plan saw only 13 nations voting against granting Israel statehood, while 33 voted “yes” and 10 abstained. One could easily have thought change was actually in the air, that anti-Semitism was on its way out and that the saga of the “wandering Jew” had ended. But one would have been wrong.

Arab violence erupted almost immediately, and when Israel declared statehood in 1948, five not-so-friendly neighbors attacked with full force. For the most part, Israel’s “friends” were nowhere to be seen as she fought for her survival. Friendly nations that had voted in favor of Israeli statehood six months before, now initiated a crippling arms embargo. Though Israel won the war, it was a costly victory with over 6,000 Jews dead.

Since that time, Israel has been on a constant quest for peace. However, partners for peace have been in short supply. The Jewish state has been involved in six wars with her not-so-friendly neighbors since the 1948 War of Independence. And while none of these were wars of aggression, Israel bore the brunt of international condemnation and censure, while her “friends” remained silent at best or even joined the chorus of criticism.

In addition, Israel has been forced to carry out several military operations in response to terrorist incursions and thousands of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip. Over the past 30 odd years, Hamas and other terror organizations have murdered nearly 5,000 Israelis. Terror attacks on Israelis have occurred in 69 of Israel’s 76 years. That means any Israeli who is 75 years old has only known six terror-free years, and Israelis born after 1968 have never experienced a year of peace. But as Israel faces a perpetual battle for survival and safety, her “friends” often respond with denouncement instead of solidarity.

 

Israel’s Friendship Dilemma

While dealing with global isolation, international pressure and anti-Semitism on every level, Israel has remained committed to seeking diplomatic relations wherever possible. For instance, under Golda Meir’s leadership, Israel launched an initiative to build relationships with emerging African governments. By 1973, 31 African states were home to Israeli embassies and ambassadors. However, the Yom Kippur war changed all of that. Under pressure from Iran and Islamic extremists, many of those nations proved to be fair-weather friends. The war ended on October 27, and by November, Israeli embassies remained in only five African states. Now, over 50 years later, Israel has ties with 42 African states, but only 10 have Israeli embassies.

Such has been the case repeatedly as nations who purport to be “friends of Israel” are just not there when the chips are down. Today, the Jewish state has diplomatic ties with 165 of the UN’s 192 states. Twenty-eight UN member states refuse to recognize Israel as a legitimate state, and precious few of the rest of them are willing to take a stand for Israel in the face of the UN’s blatant anti-Semitism. Four of those so-called “friends of Israel”—Ireland, Norway, Spain and Slovenia—have voted to recognize a Palestinian state, claiming their actions to be those of “friends” of Israel. And recently, political leaders in America—supposedly Israel’s stalwart friend and ally—called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation and demanded Israeli elections.

Perhaps the worst example of Israel’s “friendship dilemma” is apparent in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre. Initially, 84 countries openly declared their endorsement of Israel, affirming her right to self-defense and the need to take whatever action necessary to dismantle Hamas. The US, the UK, Australia, France, Norway, Austria, Germany, India, Canada, Poland, Spain and the EU as a collective entity were among them. Within a few weeks, however, the news was filled with reports of anti-Israel, pro-Hamas demonstrations worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of protestors carrying signs calling for death to the Jews and repeats of the October 7 massacre.

A recent survey reported in Time magazine revealed that of the nearly 50 countries polled, only one—the US—still had net positive views of Israel. Eleven other countries have recalled their ambassadors to Israel or severed ties altogether.

 

True Friendship

Yet through it all, Israel remains dedicated to making the world a better place. As Israelis have risen to the forefront of innovation in fields like agriculture, technology, science, security and medicine, millions around the world have benefited. And when a disaster occurs anywhere on the globe, Israel is often the first to volunteer supplies, first responders, medical teams and field hospitals, using their expertise to help their fellow man.

On the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, a document called Basic Foreign Policy Principles of the State of Israel contains the following:

And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Israel will continue to demonstrate its peaceful intentions and explain the clear advantages to all the peoples of the area of peaceful co-existence, without aggression or subversion, territorial expansion or intervention in the freedom and internal regimes of the States in the area. The Government of Israel will persist in manifesting its desire to attain productive cooperation with every State in the Middle East for the economic and social well-being of all the peoples of the area.

In other words, at bedrock, Israel’s foreign policy is based on the Bible. And Israel has shown a largely unfriendly world what it actually means to be a friend. At the same time, history has proven an uncompromising teacher and Israel has acquired some valuable lessons. Perhaps Australian writer Josh Feldman summarizes it best, “Israelis have learned to believe their enemies’ threats, and not to rely on their friends’ promises.”

Photo Credit: Click on photo for photo credit

Photo License: IDF field hospital

Photo License: Israeli Search and Rescue team in Turkey