Sunday, August 31, 2014

Exchange with a Jewish Buddhist


To: jcohen2@bezeqint.net; Thursday, August 21, 2014
Hello Jack Cohen,
My sister-in-law sent me your message in response to two articles that I sent to her.  I feel compelled to send these articles to you for your consideration.  As a Jew, I deeply fear the consequences of the Israeli government's waging war.  War/Hatred can only beget War/Hatred!!  I wish the Israeli people would be free to consider the points of view in these articles and rise up and protest the war that Israel is waging with its weapons of destruction provided by the USA.
XXXXXXX

From: Jack Cohen; Thursday, August 21, 2014
Dear XXXXXXXX:
I am sorry that you are so misguided. 
Are you not aware that Israel in 2005 under the right-wing PM Ariel Sharon unilaterally disengaged from Gaza, withdrew all Israeli settlers (who had perfect right to live there) and all IDF forces from Gaza in the hope that there would be peace?
Are you not aware that for 9 years Israel has been bombarded almost every day by 14,000 missiles, rockets and mortars, making life in southern Israel almost unlivable for 3 million Jews? 
Are you not aware that the terrorist organization Hamas, staged a coup in Gaza in 2007 and murdered hundreds of Fatah/PLO (Palestinian) leaders (many by throwing them off roofs)?
Are you not aware that the Hamas covenant calls not only for the destruction of Israel, but for the murder of all Jews everywhere (including you), and for the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate with Sharia Law?
Are you not aware that Israel under PM Netanyahu hesitated for 3 days in July when Hamas increased the barrage of missiles to over 100 per day, that would have caused thousands of Israeli civilian deaths if we had not developed the Iron Dome anti-missile system, with US help?
Are you not aware that Israel accepted the first Egyptian ceasefire proposed within 5 days of the fighting, that Hamas rejected?  Israel has accepted every ceasefire proposal and Hamas has rejected or broken all 13 of them.
Clearly you have no concept or understanding of the aggressive murderous behavior of Islamist terrorist organizations, not Islam in general.  For example, Hamas is a Sunni terrorist organizations with the same methods and aims as the Islamic State terrorists who beheaded the US journalist Foley and have been massacring thousands of Christians and other minorities in Iraq and Syria.
No people wish for peace more that the Israeli people, but it is impossible when the enemies of Israel have no intention of making peace with us, but rather are dedicated to murdering every one of us. 
During WWII I assume you are aware that ca. 6 million Jews died because the Nazis and their collaborators all over Europe participated in the murder of defenceless Jews.  We will not allow that to happen again. 
We are ready to make peace with any on the other side who want to make peace with us, as we did with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.  They only have to come forward and negotiate with us, but Hamas is entirely against any negotiation with Israel.
The destruction in Gaza is entirely in the hands of Hamas, they initiated hostilities, they refused most ceasefires, and yesterday they lobbed 120 missiles into Israeli cities.  We have to defend ourselves.
By the way, most weapons in Israel's arsenal do not come from the USA, but are manufactured here by ourselves.  The USA did provide the funding for the Iron Dome system, a purely defensive system, but would you prefer that they not do this so that we should take higher casualties.
I realize, having lived in the UK and USA, that being a Jew in a hostile environment, where Israel is singled out for most criticism, that other countries with far worse human rights records, such as Syria, Libya, Russia, China, et. etc. are not criticised for, puts a strain on your identity.  You would rather be friends with good leftists and liberals, but in order to do so you must criticise you own people, without really knowing the facts of the situation. 
Desmond Tutu has been an open and severe critic of Israel for 20 years, he is a hypocrite and cannot be trusted.  There are many people who claim to be pacifists.  It is alright to be a live pacifist if your enemy is principled, but if they are merely brutal killers, pacifism doesn't work, then you are a dead pacifist.  Mahatma Ganhdi advised Jews not to fight back against the Nazis but to be pacifists, look where that got them.
Jack Cohen 
PS. Are you a traitor to your own country?

To: Jack Cohen; Friday, August 22, 2014
So, Jack Cohen, what is the solution to this slaughter of innocent people on both sides?   Where is the human dignity and justice in this will to destruction on both sides?
XXXXXX

From: Jack Cohen; Friday, August 22, 2014
SO, XXXXXXXX, what is the answer to the suffering of the world?  Can you tell me the solution to the problem of Black Americans who are rioting in Missouri.  Can you tell me why an Islamist Muslim from Britain beheaded alive an American journalist in Syria?  Unfortunately there is evil and suffering in the world.   I once believed that I was a Buddhist, when I was young and naieve, and I remember this allegory, "a woman came to the Buddha and asked, why am I suffering?  He said "go out into the world and if you can find me one family that does not know suffering, then I will tell you."  And she came back after some time and told him, "Indeed you are right, everywhere I went I found people are suffering." 
There is evil in the world, or rather there are evil men who carry out evil actions.  If I could solve the Arab Muslim- Israeli Jewish conflict I would.  But, I think you and most people in the world recognize that the basic issue is that the Arabs will not recognize or allow Jews to have sovereignty in our own Land.  One reason is that any area that has been Muslim is supposed to remain Muslim, and they fight for this.  Another reason is pure hatred of Jews, inculcated since birth, and another reason is that political Islam or Islamism, a relatively recent phenomenon (look it up), has the belief that it must conquer the whole world (the Nazis once had a similar belief).   As I see it the only way is to fight this evil until we win.  That's what we did during WWII, at great cost, but we did defeat Nazism.  In the end we will defeat Islamism.


From: Jack Cohen; Thursday, August 21, 2014 12:23 PM
XXXXXXX:
I am very concerned.  Can you explain to me why a Buddhist nation, namely Thailand, has a military Government that is oppressing its people and taking away their rights?  Can you explain to me why a Buddhist country, namely Burma (Myanmar) was under a military dictatorship for 50 years, murdered hundreds of thousands of its Buddhist-believing people and imprisoned its leader Aung San Suukyi for 20 years?  Can you explain to me how an American Zen Buddhist leader, Joshu Sazaki, was found to have committed sexual offences against novice Buddhists? 
Can you also explain to me why it is that Israel, that is a vibrant democracy, with the rule of law, elected governments, human rights (for women and gays) and a free press, is singled out for extreme antagonism, when 1. Hamas has started the hostilities against it again and again; 2. there are many countries in the world with much worst human rights records, such as China, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, etc; 3.  In similar conflicts the civilian casualties caused by attacks (such as in Iraq) by the United States, UK and others have been much worse....?  Could the reason be anti-Semitism? 
When you can answer these questions satisfactorily, then you may have earned the right to question me again.
Sincerely
Jack

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