אין לנו על מי להשען אלא אבינו שבשמים
In the war of 1948, Israel miraculously defeated the five Arab countries that attacked her, after Israel declared its independence on Iyar 5, May 14 of that same year.
As we have already mentioned, none of the world powers at that time, the United States, France and England, came out to defend Israel. On the contrary, these countries established an arms embargo that placed Israel on the brink of extermination. Israel’s triumph in 1948 was, in my own words, a miracle of biblical proportions.
THE PARALYSIS OF THE ENEMY
After the first ceasefire, when the war started again, the Arab forces were paralyzed. Despite having Israel surrounded on all sides, the enemy did not advance. As if something was stopping them. Israel, on the other hand, began its counteroffensive, regaining territory and conquering land beyond the original borders. The prophecies that the Tora had announced in the Parasha we read this last Shabbat were fulfilled. The Creator promises His people (Leviticus 26: 7-8) that He will be with them when they go to war: “You will chase your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. “
“YOU SHALL NOT BE UNGRATEFUL”
We Jews must be infinitely grateful to HaShem for His Providential intervention. As King David wrote in his Psalms, when he was saved from a certain death “I will sing Your praises and I will not remain silent; HaShem, my God, I will thank you forever. “ A Jew —who is permanently training himself to see Divine Intervention in his personal life— who does not see or does not declare his or her gratitude to God for the birth and survival of Medinat Israel, in my opinion, is not only spiritually blind but is also accountable for the great sin of ingratitude. And there is no worse ingratitude than ingratitude to God.
ENGLAND, OF ARABIA
Of the three countries mentioned, the one that harmed Israel the most was Great Britain. England remained passive while thinking that Israel was going to lose the war. But intervened when realizing that Israel might win.
A couple of examples.
√ Jordan had the direct support of the English. The English trained their troops and supervised all their operations, especially in the fight for Jerusalem, which costed many Jewish lives. When Israel began to counterattack and bombed Jordan’s capital Amman, in reaction to the ongoing bombings of Tel Aviv, England threatened to destroy Tel-Aviv’s airports with its Royal Air Force. Israel had to withdraw.
√ In early January 1949, Israel, against all odds, was winning the war. Israel bombed Cairo and Damascus, and the Jewish army continued to advance towards the Suez Canal. The United Nations rushed to demand a ceasefire and declare an armistice. Israel, against its own interests, accepted the armistice. At that time Israel had already conquered Gaza, Rafiah, and much of the Sinai peninsula. And according to international law territories conquered in the war belong to the country that wins the war. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED WITH ALL THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
ISRAEL IS DIFFERENT
Now: In an action that went against all historical precedents and military conquests, including the conquests of the English colonies themselves, Great Britain denied Israel this right. And threatened to intervene militarily against Israel if the Jewish State did not return the conquered territory, the Sinai peninsula, Gaza, Rafiah, to Egypt (A history of Israel. Howard Sachar, page 346). David Ben Gurion was strongly opposed to this unprecedented concession. Ben Gurion considered it unfair and inconceivable that the Arabs would not pay a price for the war that they themselves had launched! And no one would have required the Arabs to give up their military conquests, if they had defeated Israel.
Ben Gurion said that Israel will return the Arabs the conquered territories when the Arabs return to Israel the 6,000 Jews who died in the war that they started”
HOW DO YOU SAY “PRESSURE” IN ENGLAND?
But the international pressure was so great that Israel, completely isolated, had to give in.
To this day Israel continues to pay the price for this concession.
Why?
Firstly, because the outrageous international impunity enjoyed by any country or organization. that attacks Israel, encourages them to attack Israel again.
Second, because Israel inadvertently set a very dangerous precedent: Israel is willing to accept conditions that are not required of any other country in the world! Like, “return” conquered territory, or repatriate enemies (Palestinian refugees) who voluntarily fled a war that their own allies started!
Instead of “bringing more peace” Israel’s permanent concessions only encouraged the Arab countries, with the approval of the great powers, to demand more and more from Israel.
Until today, in the United Nations, Israel is not considered as just one more state. Israel is the only country in the world that can be threatened with extermination without fear of global condemnation. Israel is the only country that is permanently condemned, and accused of the very crimes that its accusers perpetrate with impunity, with the complicit silence of the United Nations.
As Bil’am prophetically said (Bemidbar 23: 9): Israel “is a nation isolated [by other nations] and that other peoples do not consider [Israel as one of them ]. We cannot forget that the nations of the world abandoned us when we needed them most: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.
