Israel and the rest of the world; reflections on comments by Professor Jeffrey Sachs

"The "Promise" is not unconditional"

[Copied and revised from my newsletter, NOTA BENE.]

Regarding Professor Jeffrey Sachs comments:

This is an important video interview with Judge Napolitano:

Here is an article from the Unz Review with additional, important details--specifically--details indicating that the origins of Israel's current, hegemonic, genocidal animus is the language of Deuteronomy misapplied to the geopolitics of today.  

https://www.unz.com/article/israels-ideology-of-genocide-must-be-confronted-and-stopped/#comments

There is one point I would disagree with the Professor about.  Specifically, it is not that Israel desires merely to rule the Middle East from "the river to the sea," but rather it can be reasonably suspected that there is desire by some--eventually--for Israel to have total domination of the world, of all Gentiles. At least this has been the objective observation of many throughout history, many who cannot be said to bear any sort of deep-seated hostility toward the Jewish people.

Whenever gloabally-stated accusations (such as baseless and vague accusations of "anti-semitism," or—as in another case—the undemonstrated claim that "Vladymir Putin desires to conquer all of Western Europe") take on a particularly-complete, hermetically-sealed nature, one must suspect that the accuser is hiding their own strategic intentions, planned tactics and guilty history. This is true in interpersonal and international relations.  

Please provide evidence that this conjectured perspective is incorrect.  It would be delightful if this is wrong.

It is time that Israel understand that it needs to live in peace and safety, as a people no more "special" in a geopolitical sense than other peoples who need peace and safety.  Biblical references to being "God's Chosen people" may have interpretations suitable for religious purposes in a particular narrative or understanding of salvation history, but such interpretations of divine promises--if you will permit me--need to be further assessed in light of the intervening two millennia of history, a large portion of which is understood in its essentials as a "Christologic diaspora of the spirit and idea of the chosenness of anyone."¹  The promise of being "The Chosen People" in the development of a potent understanding of monothesm and ethnic organization, does not extend in the special way that necessarily ratifies the political aspirations of some, i.e., the Zionists, for the rather artificially-created, modern state that happens to be named "Israel." 

Despite the peculiar manner in which the modern, secular state of Israel was created, accommodation can be made for the now-established existence of this Israel if it can learn the lesson of peace.  God, in his inscrutable wisdom and mercy, does seem to acknowledge precedent even when developed in contradiction to his original perfect will, corrected and chastised--of course--by his concurrent interventions.  One rational idea that has been advanced and pursued by world leaders which humanly aspires to justice and peace for all—Jews, Palestinians and the people of the world—is that of the two-state solution.  

Sincerely yours,

David Schmitt, Ph.D.

P.S.: With this nearly-finished newsletter awaiting review, I felt a powerful need for a nap.  I awoke to learn of the missile attack on Israel.  Again, to re-iterate, it is difficult to imagine a future of peace without a two-state solution ("The Blessing")---otherwise it is a risk that a one-state solution may be the default, and that one state just may be a Palestinian state.  I do hope that the present-day Israelis come to choose life.

The "promise" (by God) is not an unconditional one, and the promise is one to be accepted on God's terms.  

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 [Douay-Rheims], "I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  And that thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and obey his voice, and adhere to him (for he is thy life, and the length of thy days,) that thou mayst dwell in the land, for which the Lord swore to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give it them."

1. The Roman Catholic Church, as a notable instance, holds just such an understanding of the Jews, especially during the Deuteronomic time, as being God’s Chosen People. The Church has the tradition of interpretting itself, now and since the time of Christ, in salvific terms as the “New Israel,” and “chosenness” is thus open to all if desired—-anywhere, anytime, regardless of genetic ancestry.

It cannot be expected by the Church that all will in immediacy grasp and embrace the exceeding richness of Her treasures, as I imagine they would say. In a realistic manner, nations and organizations must be encouraged to act in the interim with good will as much as is possible.

Secular states and those states where a particular religion dominates or is even the official religion, generally adapt to the existence of minority religious populations within, or to other nations and religions without. Of course, regrettable situations exist even to this day and hopefully these will be dealt with quickly, diplomatically and politically. Resolution of theological differences—and these unquestionably exist and are important in Man’s understanding of himself—are best pursued with mature circumspection, patience and the safety of peaceful times.