Word: israel
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...Israel has changed. No longer are the Israelis an unorganized horde of European refugees who hope that the world won't notice if they eke out a meager living on a few square miles of sand somewhere in the Middle East. Ben Gurion successfully described the process of assimilating the diverse Jewish populations which came to live in Israel when he said, "It's not like a melting pot, it's more like a pressure-cooker." Visiting Israel, one can not help but experience the feeling of excitement and confidence which fills its streets today...
...worried about world opinion as their fathers were; they have recognized (and rightly so) that their country can not depend on allies for its defense. Their experience has taught them the Machiavellian maxim that guarantees mean very little when the cannons speak. They are building a political place for Israel in the Middle East in the same manner in which their fathers worked a garden out of the desert...
...years the older generations of Israelis who hold positions of power, have tacitly accepted the fact that Israel was a second class nation. Bombarded by the neighbors, continually harrassed by Arab terrorists, Israel remains the only nation whose shipping is not permitted to pass through the Suez. Today, one gets the sense that the Sabras are no longer willing to submit to these conditions, and that they plan to translate their newly gained position of strength into bargaining power...
...horrifying to speculate what would have happened had Israel been over-run by Arab forces at the outbreak of hostilities. Not only would the blood-shed have surpassed anything in recent history, but we doubtless would have heared very little from the U.N. England and the United States would have avoided involvement for fear of further escalation, just as Russia has failed to give the Arab nations the support which they expected. With the greater powers neutralized, the pawns have become decisive in the chess game of world politics...
...what was special about this war; why choose this crisis when crises are cheap. As a Jew I naturally wanted to be in Israel when the very survival of the state was in the balance. In contrast to Vietnam, the crisis in the Middle East was not over some vague Domino Theory nor was it the universal anti-Communist crusade. After listening to Nasser's broadcasts it all seemed very simple: the Arab nations had formed a coalition and were openly plotting the liquidation of the Jews. "Throw the Jews into the sea" was one of their more moderate proposals...