Rubio gets it

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s condemnation of the “Free, free Palestine” chant, as an emblem of Jew hatred, was an important and timely assertion, following the premeditated, cold-blooded murder of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, D.C. three weeks ago, but certainly not the only profound and meaningful statement he expressed while speaking at the International Conference to Combat Antisemitism in Jerusalem.

Addressing an audience of “envoys, foreign ministers and Jewish community leaders from dozens of countries,” perhaps the most significant reflection was Rubio’s thought-provoking comparison between the two different people groups who inhabit the Middle East, because it distinguishes them in stark contrast one from another.

He stated, “It took Moses 40 years to find the only place in the Middle East with no oil. Israel’s wealth lay not under the ground, but in its people who are exiles, pilgrims and dreamers from around the world who made the desert bloom into a hi-tech superpower.”

Continuing his message, he related to Israel’s neighbors, saying that “they failed to appreciate how following Israel’s example could have brought prosperity to the region.  Instead, they chose war. They decided to impoverish their people in a futile effort to destroy Israel. They succeeded in the former while failing in the latter.”

Why were these words so penetratingly deep?  Because they perfectly encapsulate the two sides with precise accuracy – characterizing Israelis as builders, innovators, creators, wealth makers and those whose legacy will leave behind a better world than the one they found. In contrast to that description, Rubio portrays the other side as having squandered and wasted their resources, choosing to inflict pain, suffering, poverty and a bitter existence for their people as well as those they call their enemy. 

Ironically, despite all of their concerted energies, they utterly failed at their mission to eradicate the Jewish state which they see as a blight against mankind. It is reflected in their present situation of defeat, shame and a population who, instead of reaping the promised bounty, has been left homeless and beaten down by their own ruthless leadership.   

These two contrasting depictions was a powerful message, articulately communicating why there is such a great divide in mentality, translating into the difference between embracing life and prosperity versus the longing for death and destruction.

Rubio’s masterful picture acknowledges Israel’s success story being due to what lies above the ground – her people’s incomparable drive for excellence as opposed to the natural wealth of other Middle Eastern countries, all of which lies underneath the ground – a gift endowed to them by virtue of their proximity to those assets. 

However, when it comes to developing their greatest treasures to help the world, they have bitterly failed to invest in the betterment of society. Their doomed choice was to eliminate everyone who didn’t think like them, wasn’t part of their tribe or shared their hatred, because those are the required elements in order to be extended camaraderie.

Arriving at these conclusions takes a bit of thought, and clearly Marco Rubio has spent a few hours of his time on the subject of antisemitism, Middle East dynamics and the differences between the people who plan wars for 20 years and the people who advance opportunity and progress for the entire planet. 

Rubio recognizes that you cannot be of any benefit to mankind if you’re busy constantly invested in antisemitism. It’s why he defined it as “the world’s oldest bigotry.” But despite its being around for millennia, he also recognized its futility, claiming that the mere fact that Jews are all still here attests to the fact that it is not working.

Tracing it as far back as “the pharaohs and emperors,” he brings us to the more modern days of the last century when a madman called Hitler tried his best to succeed where others failed. Recognizing the common threads between Hitler and Hamas, Rubio puts it all into focus by summarizing its complete waste of energies on trying to destroy a people who cannot be destroyed.

By reminding us that those who tried to do so ended up as “crumbling empires,” relegated to the dust, he elevates Israel as the country which “stands and the Jewish people who prosper,” adding that “he prays for the day when the entire world will recognize the futility of antisemitism,” marked by “leaders who will abandon self-destructive hatred and forge a new future in partnership with Israel.”

It is this type of clear thinking and acknowledgement of Middle East reality which sets aside the Secretary of State as one of the great men of our time, unafraid and unashamed to speak truth in the face of those who are still determined to implement a two-state solution, even after being told by self-identifying Palestinians that they don’t want two states but rather one - ours.

Undoubtedly, Rubio, after having understood the ramifications of the D.C. Jewish murders, is deeply concerned over the madness which has taken hold of his country, threatening to pick up the mantle of antisemitic hatred which has already been fiercely ignited, having the capability to wreak havoc in just about any city which sponsors Jewish events or has a Jewish population. 

Invoking the well-known motto, “Never again,” Rubio is very committed to making sure that America remains the bastion of freedom and tolerance which it has always represented – a refuge for those who have suffered the pain of persecution and unjustified hatred, and who better embodies that description than the Jewish people who have endured centuries of rejection, exile, forced conversion and genocide attempts throughout many generations?

It is that kind of evil which Rubio is willing to take on, because as he hears the all too familiar “battle cry for the death of Jews,” he understands the need to rise up and protect the Jewish people, millions of whom still live in America, who may not even have any connection to their homeland but who, nonetheless, are being persecuted for having the ethnic link. He knows that this has nothing to do with Israel but everything to do with simply being a Jew.

Rubio is a man of his time, possessing the greatest gift of all – the ability to honestly assess and call out the evil that is right before our eyes, threatening to destroy each one of us.