“You Can’t Let the Jew Win”

Al Bienenfeld

President Trump’s vision of Middle eastern policy is going down paths previously pursued by Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, both Bushes, and Obama in their administrations. The idea being to embrace an enemy, cater to them seeking their favor and ignore the concerns of allies.

In a February 2017 piece at Tower Magazine author Michael J. Totten opens with two observations.

“American presidents make the same foreign policy mistakes over and over again. Intervening when they should not. Sitting on the sidelines when it is the worst possible choice. Treating friends and allies like dirt while trusting duplicitous hostiles. If as Karl Marx said history repeats itself first as tragedy and a second time as farce, what are we supposed to say when history repeats itself decade after decade ad infinitum?

Historians are tasked with delivering us from George Santayana’s curse, where those who cannot remember, the past are condemned to repeat it, but historians can only save those who take the time to study the historical record, and even then, it only works if the historical record is accurate.”

American leadership historically has not concerned itself with dead Jews, either in America or abroad. This was demonstrated by the American refusal to take any action to save Jews during the Holocaust. In fact, it was worse than that. In North Africa after the Germans were driven out by the allies, General George S. Patton’s army came in and took over. He made the decision to leave the French Vichy (pro-German) government in place. They were running slave labor camps in Tunisia, and the decision was made not to release the Jewish prisoners, to avoid conflict with the local Arabs. Patton proceeded with the approval of FDR and Allied Commander for the war in Europe, General Dwight David Eisenhower. However, because of pressure from the Jewish community in America, FDR relented and later freed the Jewish prisoners.

On November 29th, 1947, the UN partitioned “Palestine” into two separate areas. Jewish and Arab. A week later America embargoed arms to the Middle East. While this affected the 650,000 (different estimates use 600-650,000) Jews, the Arab forces were well supplied by the British. They built several armies drawn from a population of 50 million. British soldiers led them into battle on the ground and RAF pilots took to the air on behalf of the Arabs and United Kingdom. Israel had secured WWII surplus armaments primarily from the Soviet satellite nation of Czechoslovakia and triumphed over the combined British and Arab forces. Another Jewish miracle.

While the Truman Administration supported the partition plan, their embargo of arms to the Jewish State spoke to the desire for the slaughter of Middle Eastern Jews to prevent the birth of a Jewish State. This was driven by Secretary of State George C. Marshall. In fact, March of 1948, saw an American State Department attempt to walk back the partition in favor of a trusteeship. Translation: No Jewish State. [Most likely this was done without President Truman’s knowledge.] Think about it. Not even three years after the full disclosure of the Holocaust, an American Secretary of State was supportive of the slaughter of another 650,000 Jews.

In 1956 Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser seized the Suez Canal in an act of nationalization or more bluntly, piracy. The Canal was owned by the British and French, who acquired control by purchasing stock in the canal. Not an act of aggression. The British, French and Israelis jointly moved to take it back, but American President Eisenhower forced the withdrawal of British, and French forces through economic coercion. When he tried the same tactic with Israel, the Israelis initially stood firm. He then negotiated a promise/guarantee to keep the Strait of Tiran open to all commercial vessels. Afterwards the Israelis withdrew as the American pressure proved too much. Eisenhower later was known to have said in 1958, that supporting Egyptian nationalization of the canal and Nasser was his biggest mistake in office. A Muslim in a suit and tie could fool an American President even back then. [Totten’s 2017 piece “We Are Still Living With Eisenhower’ Biggest Mistake” is timely today.]

One of Nasser’s deceptions is all too familiar today. Michael Totten quotes Mike Doran, then at the Hudson Institute, referencing the “dangle and delay” tactic.

He repeatedly dangled the tantalizing idea of peace between Egypt and Israel. In front of Eisenhower’s eyes, only to delay moving forward for one bogus reason or another. He never planned to make peace with Israel or even to engage in serious talks.

Does this look familiar?

May of 1967, saw Nasser seize the Strait of Tiran. When, called upon to honor the American commitment, President Johnson procrastinated and made excuses. The American government argued that the promise was not a true guarantee. They needed to form an international coalition to clear the waterway, with UN approval. Israel wisely did not wait and went to war even after being threatened by the American President with consequences. They called it a Six-Day War, but it was closer to three. This was despite lacking armaments for a prolonged fight. A true act of courage and wisdom as events played out.

Golda Meir failed her people in 1973 by allowing Henry Kissinger to intimidate her. Israel could have struck first before the combined forces arrayed against them secured their emplacements and attacked. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Kissinger went as far as to forbid Meir from calling up the reserves. He was later quoted as saying that “he wanted Israel to bleed.” His goal was to see massive losses by the IDF to force a “peace” on Israel to preserve the status quo and satisfy the Soviets in this Cold War era event. He feared Soviet action to save their Arab allies. The remark about Israel bleeding was confirmed by the New York Times and American Admiral Elmo Zumwalt.

Israel ultimately turned things around after a week’s delay in resupply. Kissinger blamed this on the Pentagon and they blamed Kissinger. More than likely this delay was a joint effort until President Nixon raised his voice. After resupply Ariel Sharon had the Egyptian army in his sights for destruction until America stepped in to save them.

Meir to her dying day would regret allowing Kissinger to intimidate her and the resultant loss of Israeli life.

Approximately 2700 Israelis died in the Yom Kippur War compared to less than a thousand in 1967.

 In June of 1981, Israel under the leadership of Menachem Begin bombed and destroyed the Iraqi nuclear facility being built by France, 11 miles southeast of Baghdad. Worldwide condemnation was immediate. Virtually every nation in the world joined in the chorus attacking Israel. The NY Times called it an act of aggression while the LA Times called it terrorism. America suspended weapons sales to Israel until they realized they needed Israeli intelligence. It was subsequently restored after President Reagan met with Prime Minister Begin.

In 1991 after Operation Desert Storm, Vice President Cheney called the Israeli mission commander to thank him, acknowledging that had the Israelis have not done that, the swift American victory would have been more complicated. Of course, in 2003 America invaded Iraq to prevent their acquiring weapons of mass destruction, which included nuclear materials.

America and the Western World have always interceded to preserve Arab interests, just as today. In 1973 when it looked like Israel might be defeated early, the UN remained silent. When the tables had turned, they and the West could not act fast enough to save the Egyptian military. After all, they have agreed that no matter what happens,

“You Can’t Let the Jew Win.”

This philosophy has two purposes. First to keep Arab oil flowing and secondly, just as important to the West, is to restrain Israel’s growth. The West, including America are jealous and envious of Israel’s remarkable rise. They are deathly afraid to see where Israel is heading in the future, knowing that their societies cannot do the same. The American poet Walt Whitman once said, “life’s best revenge is living well.” We hope to see Israel live exceedingly well.

There have been many righteous gentiles who were great friends of the Jewish people but unfortunately, they were too few to change the world. It is the reality that Jews must support other Jews if we are to survive as a people. In 1939 there were 16.7 million Jews in the world. After WWII, 11 million. Today the number is 15.8 million. The Jewish population has never fully recovered from the Holocaust.

You cannot call yourself a Jew unless you are committed to the survival of the Jewish homeland. Eretz Yisrael. It is the lifeblood of the Jewish people. Ultimately it is where all Jews come from. It has been said that the Jew is no more than a guest in any land.

In Israel, you are not a guest. You are home.

 President Trump like Eisenhower is being taken for a ride, only is incapable of recognizing it. After Eisenhower gave the Egyptians everything they wanted, they turned away from America towards Russia. Today they and others are turning towards China, as has Canada. The reasoning is simple. Trump has shown he is an unreliable ally as well as being a foul-mouthed bully.

Trump is ignoring China’s growing influence in the Middle East and has failed to confront them in a meaningful way. However, he has shown a willingness to go against America’s best ally, Israel!