The historical depth that encompasses the land of Israel, and what is established today as the State of Israel, is extremely intricate and dynamic. We as Jewish people living outside of the flourishing state feel an inevitably deep connection to our true home, and our historical past which breathes through Israel. We are proud, we are emotional, and considering the constant security threats, we are fearful.
On December 1st at 8:30 p.m., Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis gave an address be-fore eager Yeshiva University students on the uptown campus. Akunis has been a member of the Likud party of the Israeli government since 1992 and active since 1996. He currently serves as the Deputy Minister of the 19th Knesset. He exuded, merely through his presence, the strong and proud state of Israel; the fact that he traveled a long distance in order to stand before us spoke volumes in and of itself.
Akunis began by proclaiming, “I am coming from Jerusalem; the only democratic state within the Middle East.” He further stated that this highly sought-after city has survived attempts of violent eradication many times over. He then described that the United States and Israel share many values; especially in regards to democracy and human rights policies, and he noted the large amount of immigration that takes place between the two countries.
After a bold introduction, Akunis announced four specific lies that are accusa-tions against Israel which are considered to be common truths around the world. The first of the four was that Israel commits war crimes by using weapons to attack civilians. “Israel went to extraordinary lengths to limits civilian casualties,” said Akunis. “So much so, that the Pentagon sent a team to Israel to learn lessons from their morality during war.”
Another argument that many seem to hold to is that “Israel occupies Arab land.” Akunis referred back to the foundation of the State of Israel, specifically the division of a two state solution. As history can attest, this attempt at a two state solution was not accepted by Arab nations at the time, who violently and ruthlessly attacked the new Jewish state. The Jewish state prevailed in the war, and as the victors, their claim on land is therefore just and correct.
Akunis made his opinion very clear: a two state solution will not be a harmonizer, instead, such a proposal will in fact bring about the beginning of the end of the Jewish State. “Each area we withdraw from will become a new base of terror,” said Akunis. “It will be a disaster. The PA regime will not rule, it will be extremist such as ISIS or Hezbollah.” He believes that direct negotiation is key, although almost impossible due to Israel’s’ desire for peace, and the Palestinian desire for the annihilation of Israel.
The third argument that Akunis mentioned and proceeded to tackle is the claim that Israel is an apartheid state and denies basic civil rights to it Arab citizens. Said Akunis, “We have 11 Arabs as members of the Knesset, that is 10% of our government body. These members hate the state of Israel and believe it is not a government.” For contrast, Akunis pointed out the absence of Jewish individuals as members of Syrian or Lebanese governing body, two close neighbors of Israel.
The last lie that Mr. Akunis dismissed is the claim that the Koran describes Jerusalem as holy to Islam, and not to the Jewish people. He asserted that the opposite is true. The Koran never mentions Jerusalem, and Muhammad, the founder of Islam, never set foot in Jerusalem in his life. While on the contrary, Jerusalem is mentioned multiple times within the Torah and prayer.
Akunis concluded with exuberant praise for the State of Israel. He marveled in the bravery of the young and devoted soldiers going into battle knowing con-sciously that they may not come back home. He also praised Israel’s instant re-sponse to natural disasters around the world, in addition to often being one of the only countries to send military and trained staff to sites of destruction.
“We have enemies on all sides that pose a physical threat to our very existence, as well as the threat of lies pulsating through media, which are essentially skewed manipulations of the truth,” said Akunis. He closed by emphasizing the absolute necessity that befalls on Jewish people in the United States to counteract these lies, and to create the opposite force that will ultimately educate and make the truth clear to the world.