May 13, 1948: A dream, a hope, people without a country

May 14, 1948: Independence: “A nation is born in a day”

May 16, 1948: War: Israel is invaded by Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Jordan

June 5, 1967: Six-Day War with Egypt, Syria and Jordan

October 6, 1973: Yom Kippur War: Israel is attacked by Egypt and Syria

On one hand, it is a literal testament to blood (wars, intifadas, ongoing terrorism, thousands of rockets launched against unarmed civilians – 1,000 missiles in four days against 3.5 million residents this past week alone), sweat (limited water supply, two-thirds of the land was desert and barren hills) and tears (children murdered on school buses and in their beds at night). On the other hand, Israel has absorbed and settled millions of immigrants, revived a centuries-old language, ranks third in the world in the number of university graduates per capita, has produced numerous Nobel prizewinners, has the highest per capita number of scientists in the world, has a high-tech industry second only to California’s Silicon Valley and, oddly enough, is one of the world’s largest exporters of fruits and flowers. Despite her remarkable progress and continuing attempts to make peace with her neighbors, Israel is still the only country that not only must consistently defend to the international community of nations her right to exist, but it is the only nation in the U.N. actually threatened with extinction by other countries also in the U.N. Iran, for example, in the process of developing nukes, has repeatedly threatened to “wipe Israel off the map.” Israel’s very right to exist is being openly questioned, and any military actions it may take to defend itself are universally criticized. Any effort to defend itself against terrorist attacks and rockets launched against its civilians has the U.N. member states accusing it of “war crimes.” This, despite the fact that Israel treats Palestinian wounded and sick while allowing all manner of humanitarian aid to pass through its security checkpoints (which, by the way, routinely stop suicide bombers attempting to sneak through). Could it be that there really is a global campaign to vilify and delegitimize the Jewish nation around the world in national governments, global institutions, universities, radical groups and now even on the Internet? To those who would leap to the conclusion that Israel and her supporters are overreacting, I call your attention to the following occurrence: Not long ago, I wrote the following article that was subsequently recorded and posted on YouTube, titled, “And the Most Hated Nation Award Goes to …”

Why is Israel the most hated nation in history? This is not just a recently-observed or Muslim-inspired hatred. Anti-Semitism has been rampant for centuries – virulent anti-Semitism of the Third Reich (Hitler’s Holocaust) to the modern-day radical Islamist. But why does Israel generate such a visceral response? There is no structured hatred against any Arabic nations that I am aware of. To my knowledge, no African, European or Asian nation is so marked for destruction. So why Israel? Massive armies have marched and powerful intrigues have been introduced against her. In the fifth century BC, Mordecai and Esther appeared on history’s stage to save the Jewish nation when “Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes, even the people of Mordecai” (Esther 3:6). Today, substitute almost any radical Islamic leader for Haman, and discover that the goal is identical: the total destruction of the Jewish state. Since Abraham, there have been almost incessant attempts from every quarter to destroy his progeny. In the mid-1800s, the Queen of England asked Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli for proof of the existence of God. “What is there to prove the existence of God, Benjamin?” she asked. His response was simply, “The Jew, Your Majesty.” A simple answer on the surface, but profound in its implications. As a minuscule Israel on a map seems to point like a dagger at the heart of radical Islam, the Jew points at the heart of every human being hostile to the concept of God. Man “scientifically” explains away the Creation, and we alter history to explain away the Exodus. We can dispute almost every evidence of God’s existence, except one: the Jew. In spite of every effort toward their deliberate extermination, from Haman to Hitler, the Jewish nation remains. The real war against Israel is not religious, economic or even territorial. It is spiritual.

The following is an excerpt from an email to a person of influence, and copied to me, by the head of a media/booking agency:

“YouTube just pulled down this video due to ‘hate’ speech; what is your opinion on this? It is a video column by Ben Kinchlow, former co-host of ‘The 700 Club.’ Ben is well respected and not a hater. “Nonetheless, YouTube says that the ‘YouTube Community’ has deemed this video to be ‘hate speech’ and is counting this as one blow against me and can take down my entire YouTube site if I have one or two more ‘infractions.’ “What on earth is wrong with this text? What is my recourse, if any? You helped get [redacted] page back up and I thought you might be able to shed some light here. “This video had been up for more than one year, yet suddenly they receive a complaint and take it down.”

You read the article. You be the judge. You answer the question posed by my friend, “What on earth is wrong with this text?” Not a paradox? No assault on Israel’s right to exist? I rest my case.

Ben Kinchlow
Ben Kinchlow is a minister, broadcaster, author and businessman. He was the long-time co-host of CBN's "The 700 Club" television program and host of the international edition of the show, seen in more than 80 countries. He is the founder of Americans for Israel and the African American Political Awareness Coalition, and the author of several books.