Here’s an excerpt from my IDF journal.

I hope we can all glean a lesson on what happens to a group of people when they have the someone-else-will-do-it mentality.

February 14th, 2006
Jordan Valley

A classy-dressed Palestinian came up to the checkpoint in a nice car.

“Irfa el blusa- lift up your shirt,” I told him in arabic¹. He was clean.

I asked him in Hebrew where he was going. But he looked confused and said, “English?” A lot of the businessmen, doctors, and teachers speak English or other languages, depending on which foreign country they went to for education.

He explained in English that all he was transporting were brochures for his telecommunications company. He was extremely proud of his brochures, I think because they were proof that he wasn’t just a poor Palestinian. Well since he wanted to talk in English, and I wanted to dig for the truth (always a tough excavation when dealing A. with Palestinians and B. who will tell you whatever you want to hear since you have a gun around your shoulder), I opened conversation.

“You learned in a Palestinian university?”
“Yes,” I forgot which one he had said.

“Do they have liberal people there?”
he didn’t know the word “liberal.” So I asked, “Were there activists, groups, for the environment, for politics, you know…”
“Oh yes,” he said, “Of course.”

“So what did you think of the [recent Palestinian] elections?” I asked.
“I think that very soon, next week, or in a few weeks, the Palestinians are going to realize what a terrible mistake they just made.”

“Really?”
“Oh yes, the first law that Hamas has proposed is to have full body and face coverings for women.”

“So who did you vote for? Did you vote for Salam Fayyadh, for the Third Way party (the most moderate and liberal choice in the elections)?”
“Unfortunately, I was in Jordan on business during the elections…hehe.”

He then told me that the majority of Palestinians just want to live a normal life. This is not the first time that they told me this at the checkpoints when I open short discussions. However, it’s hard to accept their statements when you realize that they would never say to a soldier at a checkpoint, “No way, I want war! we want to destroy Israel!”

“So if everyone wants peace, why are there terror attacks?”
“The terror is from a very very small group of people, but you can go to the streets and you will find that most people just want to live. They don’t want war.”

Hmmm…”Then why did Hamas win [a landslide] election?”

To this, he had no answer. So I said to him,
“Look. You’re smart. Your educated. Why don’t you lead the Palestinians to a better life?”

He thought for a moment and then said, “Well…maybe later…”

MAYBE LATER?!?!

I looked shocked, and didn’t hide it. “You see this land,” I gestured to the hills and the surrounding settlements, “You know how we built this beautiful country? Because we Jews say, ‘If not now, when? And if not me, then who?’²”

He gave a smile.

I walked away, and he drove off.

What’s the lesson to be learned for the emerging and growing Noahide community

You tell me.
Comment below.

Links:

• Noahide Volunteer Opportunities
• Petition Congress: Noahides ≠ Christians
• Sukkot 2008 Gathering
• N.O.A.H. (Noahide Online Association of Homeschoolers)
• Poll: Next Step for Bnei Noach Communities