(RealClearPolitics) George Gilder - The issues in the Middle East could hardly be simpler. On one side is tyranny, dependency, and resentment; on the other is liberty - and the essence of liberty is self-government. A self-governing people does not whine. They do not expect to be catered to like children. Unlike the so-called "Palestinians" who depend entirely on funds from Western "charities," the Israelis give back far more than they take. They assume responsibility for their own fate and flourishing. Israelis don't complain; they fight. The very essence of Zionism is that no Jew should ever again be dependent on the forbearance of some alien elite for survival. The question is between envy and admiration of excellence. Do you view the exceptional accomplishments of others as examples to admire and emulate, and new sources of opportunity? Or do you greet these achievements with envy and hatred and charges of conspiracy, and demands for some unearned "fair share"? A nation's reaction to Israel has become the most crucial test of a free people. Equivocation by the U.S. toward Israel and its enemies, even to the extent of tolerating antisemitic violence at home, may be the most alarming signal yet of American decline in leadership for liberty. Israel has emerged from five deadly wars over 50 years with a per capita income - for Jews and Arabs alike - higher than the per capita incomes of Germany, the UK, South Korea, or Japan. Fully 100,000 Israeli citizens work in Silicon Valley and are indispensable to its inventive powers. Israel also is the key source of life-saving military technology for America and the Free World. Forty-plus years after Ronald Reagan launched the Strategic Defense "Star Wars" Initiative, America still does not have a serious missile defense. The U.S. Patriot air defense system is more expensive and less effective than Israel's system. If the Iranian nuke program is terminated, it will be by Israel and not the U.S. Israel is now fighting our wars and winning. So, who is the leader of the Free World now? The writer, an American investor and economist, is the author of The Israel Test: How Israel's Genius Enriches and Challenges the World (2024).
2024-08-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive