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Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/07/getting-it-started/
How One Small Endangered Nation Prospered
[Washington Times] Clifford D. May - People forget how small Israel is. Its land area is smaller than New Jersey. Its entire population is a little over 7 million. There are more than 20 Arab states with a combined population of 325 million and more than 50 majority-Muslim states with a combined population of well over a billion. Some 20% of Israel's population is Arab, most of them Muslim. Israel's critics say the Jewish state has deprived Palestinians of a homeland. But Jordan, situated on the three-quarters of historic Palestine lying east of the River Jordan, is populated, not surprisingly, mostly by Palestinians. Palestinians also inhabit Gaza, from which Israel withdrew every settler four years ago. Economically, Israel punches way above its weight. Israel defies the "international community" by daring to defend itself, and it prospers even while under attack. For much of the world, such behavior is unforgivable. The writer is president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.