Pro-Palestinian protests miss the point: Israel is fighting for its existence | Opinion

Of course college students protest Israel's actions in Gaza; to them nothing existed before they started following the news, perhaps 10 years ago. Of course college administrators avoid public announcements; they fear losing their jobs because of strident critics. Of course Palestinian supporters condemn Israel and ignore Oct. 7; that's the essence of partisanship. The resulting noise makes a bad situation worse.

But few people know the history. Israel was created some 75 years ago as the only Jewish state in the world. As Golda Meir said, "We have nowhere else to go."

True, it's in the middle of a huge Muslim area that wants it gone but such opposition would likely happen any where else in the world. What has been forgotten by many, perhaps conveniently, is that for 75 years the Palestinians have turned down every two-state solution. For the Israelis this war is about existence. They understand that, "from the river to the sea" means the elimination of a Jewish state. Do college students?

For its first 25 years Israel was attacked again and again by several Arab nations. It not only repelled the invaders but also gained land. As an unexpected result of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Arab nations changed their tactics. They stopped invading and employed the Palestinians as proxies to fight on their behalf. For 50 years those nations have operated behind the scenes. In support of this strategy, they won't allow the Palestinians to settle in their countries. So for 50 years, the Arab nations have avoided direct conflict with Israel; the PLO, Hamas and Hezbollah became their proxies as guerilla warriors. For 50 years no Arab nation has attacked Israel.

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The guerilla warfare changed on Oct. 7, when Hamas slew some 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped about 240 more. As we all know, Israel responded forcefully. Many people believe Hamas expected Israel to respond forcefully. It's possible that Israel's massive reaction is intended as intimidation; they may hope it will prevent similar attacks for another 50 years.

The irony? All the Palestinians and the other Arabs have to do in order to stop the fighting is recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state — and to mean it. The only alternative is for Israel to disappear.

Richard Kalman is a resident of Boynton Beach.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Pro-Palestinian protestors ignore Israel is fighting for its existence