A people out of phase

The Jews were internationalists before it was considered safe or fashionable
to be. During the nineteenth century and up until the 1930's most Jews
cared little about national borders. They considered them mere
inconveniences, stopping the flow of people and goods, and Jews were more or
less immune to the ultra-nationalism that was sweeping Europe. While German
nationalism was manifested in the growth of the Nazi Party, Jewish
internationalism was manifested in the iconic status of the Rothschilds, who
had brothers and Branches in every European country and transferred funds as
needed.
There were of course the Zionists, Jewish nationalists, but they were a
small minority, and certainly the Jews of each European country preferred to
emphasize their loyalty to that country to avoid the claim of "dual
loyalty." Thus, British Jews prayed for the Queen, while German Jews prayed
for the Kaiser and Russian Jews for the Czar. But, neither they nor their
non-Jewish compatriots were taken in, every one knew that national loyalty
sat lightly upon the Jewish head, it seemed so inappropriate to the Jews.
Why couldn't different peoples get along? The Jews were natural liberals,
seeing beyond the militant quarrels of the European tribes.
But, then came WWII, and the Jews paid the ultimate price for their inherent
disloyalty to the most ultra-nationalist of peoples, the Germans. In fact,
even today it is difficult for Germans to admit that anyone of another
ethnicity can be German. The Jews were amongst them, were cleverer than
them, were controlling the financial system, but were not of them, were
alien, were outsiders. The best solution, the final solution, was to kill
all of them, get rid of them, no more liberal internationalists!
But, then the US came into the war, and the liberal democracies won, and the
central Europeans were forced to take on the mantle of democracy. How a
majority treats its minorities became a mark of how successful it could be
in the world. Although at first there was some resentment, the Germans and
the Japanese, having been soundly defeated by superior forces, and then
eventually also the Russian Communists, bowed to the power and became
democracies in the image of their conquerors, just as Iraq is doing today.
The evolution of the European dream of a continent without borders came to
pass, as the Jews had envisaged it should. Now no one waits at a European
border, people and goods flow without hindrance, just as the Jews foresaw.
But, in the meantime, the surviving Jews, taking their cue from the fate of
a people without a country or an army to protect them, moved into the
nationalist phase. Zionism after WWII triumphed, Israel was finally born
and the IDF grew into a formidable military force. So while nationalism was
waning among the conquered Europeans, nationalism was growing among
the surviving Jews. The Jews and the Europeans were out of phase
with each other.
Now we come to the present day, and anti-Semitism is increasing again in
Europe. But, everyone acknowledges that it is a "new" anti-Semitism.
While we are not fooled by the substitution of anti-Zionism for the
classic features of anti-Semitism, but then again consider the responses of
the diaspora Jews. When nationalism was rearing its ugly head, every Jew
wanted to profess loyalty to the nation-state where he lived. But, now that
internationalism is king, all diaspora Jews want to profess loyalty to that
creed. So you have Jews like the Roses in the UK and Barenboim in the US
fervently protesting that they are as liberal, more pro-Palestinian, than
any non-Jewish liberal. Just as before they want acceptance within their
society, but in order to attain it they must profess the opposite than Jews
had to profess previously. And the simple test is their position on the
Palestinians, if they are sufficiently anti-Israel, they will be accepted as
a conforming member of the new internationalist order in their diaspora
society.
So that every time Israel finds it necessary to send in the IDF or to build
a barrier to protect Israeli citizens from the terrorists, you can be sure
these liberal conformists will come out "clucking" against such moves as
"provocative" or "apartheid," but without considering the Palestinian
actions that caused these reactions or their own suspect motives. And
these are the same Jews who 70 years ago or more would have been
proclaiming their loyalty to Germany.
To be out of phase with European history can be fatal, but not this time.
Now we have our own country and our own army to protect us, and even the
Palestinians are getting the message that they can't defeat us. No Arab
countries are prepared to come and fight for them, and I cannot see any
likelihood of the EU sending their boys to fight on behalf of the
Palestinians, especially when they are so against war in general. So let
the EU foster their own form of stupid internationalist anti-Zionism, until
they are forced to recognize the reality of their actual enemy, militant
Islam. Only when the Arabs in general and the Palestinians in particular
succumb to the force of liberal democracy, can we all become good
internationalists like the Europeans.