What if Egyptians were Attacked in Tel Aviv?
Just imainge if…A horrible thing has happened in Israel on Shabbat. A mob of thousands of angry Jews marched over to Basel Street 54, the Egyptian Embassy, and stormed inside, beating one Egyptian, lighting fires and destroying property and documents. And amazingly, the Israeli police did nothing to stop them until after the damage was done.
The Jews had been stirred into a frenzy by their wild-eyed, Arab-hating rabbis during the Shabbat services. Even though it was the Sabbath, the rabbis incited them to riot against the Egyptians.
In a secret mission, Egypt’s ambassador escaped with 80 embassy employees but six poor Egyptian security guards were trapped inside, while the mob of angry Israelis, burning Egyptian flags and chanting death to the Arabs, grew closer to breaking through a security barrier and gaining entrance into the embassy. (One lone Israeli artist was seen outside actually drawing caricatures of Mohammad!)
Israeli police finally intervened to stop the protesters, injuring as many as 1,000. This move was only after an hysterical phone call from the US State Department—maybe it was from the President himself. Details are fuzzy.
Maybe you are making a face like this guy…you know, the confused dog face…
Wait, I am sorry. I got that backwards…it was the Israeli embassy in Egypt. To be clear, the story above is just that—a story. Pure fiction. No wild-eyed rabbis and no whipped up crowd in Tel Aviv. However if you just replace the word Israel with Egypt and vice versa, it did happen almost exactly as portrayed above.
Why did I start this article the way I did? First, because it is unthinkable that Israelis would do such a thing—especially to a country with whom we have had a peace treaty since the late 1970’s. Despite how the media depicts the citizens of this nation, we simply don’t act this way. We are not an emotion-driven nation with a mob mentality.
Secondly, if for some reason we did do such a stupid and heinous act, how would the world react? Would there not be international outrage? Within minutes the UN would be involved, the Arab league would issue a condemnation and even the US would feel the need to express deep concern—and rightly so. Embassies are sacred. Once diplomats feel unsafe in their own embassy, the end of diplomacy is right around the corner.
However, while most news agencies have reported on the Egyptian attack, there has been very little international outrage expressed. While I would like to believe that this is just another example of the anti-Israel bias in the media and UN, the truth is I think it is anti-Arab bias.
Let me explain. It is not just Israel—if Americans, Brits or the French decided in mob-fashion to storm an embassy of an ally, or even an enemy, in their respective countries, the world would be in shock. Why? Because we expect more from the civilized world.
Honestly, can you even envision American citizens storming an embassy? Or in the event that it did happen, our police taking hours before deciding to intervene? It would never happen.
In fact, yesterday was a great example. Even from Israel, I was about to watch much of the September 11th coverage. There was hardly a mention of Osama Bin Ladin or Saudi Arabia or Al Queda. The focus was on the memories of the victims, the children whose parents died and the heroic actions of not only first responders, but average Americans who risked their lives, and in some instances, gave their lives, to help others.
I heard of dozens of private organizations that raised millions of dollars for interests connected to 9/11. Yes, in the beginning there was anger, but 9/11 made America stronger. It brought us together and ten years later I have never been prouder to be an American. Through tears I watched much of the coverage yesterday. I am proud of how we responded.
But the Middle East is a different story. Unless you live in Israel, you are under a dictatorship, a monarchy, an Islamic theocracy or, in one case, Iraq, a fledgling democracy. As we have said before, Arab children have no reason not to believe that America is trying to destroy Islam and Israelis are bloodthirsty savages. That is what they are taught from the time they can think.
While there were no “wild-eyed rabbis” involved in this story, there were hate-filled Egyptian imams (preachers) who fired up the masses with venom of lies and exaggerations and then sent their followers out to wreak havoc.
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(Watch this video as police look on while Egyptian roiters tear down the security wall around the Israeli embassy)
But by not expressing outrage at the behavior of the Egyptian masses and the slow acting police, the UN and NATO are simply saying, what do you expect from uncivilized people. The lack of rebuke and criticism for what these people did is actually the worst form of criticism. It only underscores that Western nations have grown to expect as much from the emotion-driven, undereducated masses in the Middle East.
As one who hates oppression and loves to see people obtain their freedom, I was blessed by the Arab Spring. My left brain, the freedom-loving part of my noggin overrode the questions that were lurking in my more rational right brain:
Can these people govern themselves?
What will their attitude be towards Israel, given all the lies they believe about us?
Will the Islamic extremists end up with the power, and thus enslave and indoctrinate the people at a far greater level than Gaddafi or Mubarak ever did?
My left brain is getting concerned.
