The only endangered species the president is not interested in protecting: The Jew of the Middle East
By Harold Witkov
In the modern-day world, the death of a species can be attributed to shrinking habitats, and out of control hunters and poachers. To what extremes wildlife protectionism should go, is open to debate. For those who believe that the protection of a species from extinction is paramount, two reasons are often voiced: the extinction of a species is irreversible and therefore a tragedy; the loss of a single species can cause a chain reaction that could upset the balance of nature. On the other side of the issue is the belief that human needs (in the form of labor, economics, and energy) should take precedence over species protection; that creatures come and go all the time (like the dinosaur) while life continues on unimpeded with all its diversity.
Today, unfortunately, whether or not a species is placed on the endangered list can be a matter of politics. For instance, many believe the polar bear is not an endangered species but is on the list because the photo of a solitary polar bear floating on a chunk of ice makes a great propaganda poster for global warming. Then there is the endangered mammal that should be on the endangered list but, due to political correctness, is not -- the Jew of the Middle East.
In the Middle East, not long ago, Jewish communities were widespread throughout the Muslim world. Although life was always precarious, there were Jewish enclaves of existence. But with the rise of Muslim fanaticism, the Jewish populations in the Muslim world became victims of property confiscation, murder, imprisonment and expulsion. Despite the occasional sighting of a Rabbi arrest in Iran, Muslim countries are virtually Judenfree. Gaza is now Judenfree. The Middle Eastern Jew, who once lived in small enclaves across millions of Middle Eastern square miles, now lives in a shrinking habitat of less than 10,000 square miles.
In the Middle East, it has always been open hunting season on the Jew. Once the United Nations voted Israel into existence, it took only one day for hordes of Muslim hunters, known as the armies of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon, to invade. These out of control hunters did not seek military victory but to "Slaughter the Jews." When the hunters were not at work, the poachers, the missile firing and suicide bombing terrorists, were. Never has the Middle Eastern Jew experienced peace, only hunters and poachers. Sometimes, when the poaching is down, decoys are floated near the Jewish quarry. These hunter decoys sometimes go by the names, "the two-state solution" and "the new peace initiative." They provide camouflage for the hunters while they reload, and then the killing, in earnest, begins again.
There have been some forboding omens coming from the Obama camp in the first 100-plus days regarding Israel. Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff, reportedly said confronting Iran and reaching a diplomatic solution over its nuclear program was dependent on progress toward a Palestinian State. Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State, warned, "For Israel to get the kind of strong support it is looking for vis-à-vis Iran, it can't stay on the sidelines with respect to the Palestinians." President Obama thinks he can work with Ahmajinejad and he said he is not looking for an Iranian regime change. Finally, Benjamin Netanyahu had to cancel his AIPAC trip to the U.S. because President Obama, who has no problem shaking hands with dictators and bowing to oil kings, refused to meet with him.
Now it seems the two will meet this May18 after all. No doubt, the Prime Minister of Israel will be in for a tough sell convincing the President that the Jew of the Middle East is an endangered species, under threat of extinction, and in need of protection. How can Bibi Netanyahu possibly convince President Obama that the ten thousand square miles called Israel should be a protected Jewish life sanctuary?
Perhaps Netanyahu could make his point best if he entered the Oval Office wearing a painted target on his back and an (imitation) spotted owl yarmulke on his head.
Harold Witkov is a Chicago-based writer and a regular contributor to Enter Stage Right.
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