Israeli Women’s Sympathetic Message To Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese

The Old Testament Book of Judges is about certain leaders being raised up by GOD to enforce Justice in the land that had been conquered from other nations under Moses and Joshua’s leadership. But the last three chapters of this 21 chapter book exposes inhumane and exceptionally shocking treatment of Israeli women by Israeli men. In fact, the attitudes toward women which are revealed in these chapters are unimaginable for a supposedly civilized people.

Surprisingly, these three chapters are written without the author specifically condemning the inhumane attitudes that led to the savage treatment of so many Israeli women. So these specific chapters of this significant Book of Judges, leaves this horrible impression. It appears that it is virtually acceptable and normal for Jewish men to treat Jewish women or any woman as a disposable object such as disposable dirty diaper, rather than as the precious woman that each is to GOD.

The regrettable reality is that today’s Israeli men read these three significant historical chapters and are at least subconsciously influenced by their inhumane values toward women. The savagery that is presented was not only directed against one Hebrew sister from the small town of Bethlehem. But also it was directed against at least hundreds if not thousands of innocent Hebrew women and even children from the ancient Israeli town of Jabesh Gelead. This multitude of innocent Israeli’s human beings were murdered in cold blood by male representatives from all of the Hebrew Tribes accept for the Tribe of Benjamin and possibly Levi. But much more regrettably, there appears to be shocking evidence that this devaluation of Hebrew women by Israeli men is still prevalent in today’s Israel.

As a direct consequence of this blatant devaluation of Hebrew women that has led to contemporary Israeli women being treated in such inhumane ways, does this not paint a very bleak picture of the treatment that Palestinians, Lebanese, and Syrians can reasonably expect from today’s Israeli men? For it is obvious that today’s Hebrew women are much more valuable to Israeli men than are the predominantly Arab Muslim men or Arab Muslim women who do not begin to have the leverage over Israeli men that their own Israeli women have over them. But still even these Israeli women are often treated as no more than sex objects by these men. But in stark negative contrast, Arab Muslims who have virtually no psychological leverage over Israeli men, are seen at best as inconvenient nuisances and often as insects to be exterminated.

Providing current evidence of the contemporary dehumanizing attitudes that many Israeli men have toward Israeli women, is a shocking and revealing short article in the September 15, ’06 – “The Week” magazine which first appeared in the “Jerusalem Post.” Sheera Claire Frenkel explains that “Israeli women are beginning to rebel against our nations rampant sexism.”

As vivid examples of this prevailing sexism, she cites how both President Moshe Katsav and Justice Minister Haim Ramon have recently been accused of “sexual misconduct in the workplace.” She further elaborates that: “Just about every woman who has reached a high position in the military, government, or business can tell tales of being groped or propositioned by a male boss.”

“There is a whole generation of people, mainly who came from the army, who figure that part of the requirement of female employees is that they service their bosses,” said Knesset Member, Coletha Avital.

“As a young Romanian immigrant in the army Avital was harassed by her commanding officer, who made her scrub floors for months after she refused his advances.”

If so many present and former male Israeli military leaders consider it their right to treat Israeli women as objects to be exploited and manipulated, this presents a very relevant question for even the United Nations to get involved in answering. In view of this unpleasant reality of the dehumanizing sexual exploitation if Israeli women, what remote chance do the present Israeli government and its military have of treating the predominantly Muslim Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians as valuable human beings? Or, will they continue to view these valuable people groups only as valueless objects to be manipulated, harassed, exploited, driven from their land or eventually killed?

My final point may be dismissed by many as the ravings of a religious radical. Nevertheless, if the explicit teachings of ALLAH’s now risen Bethlehem man are to be taken seriously, my point is both exceptionally valid and relevant. But it is also controversial and so is much more comfortable to avoid than to address.

When the Messiah wept over his rejection by the leaders of Jerusalem (Al Quds), he cried out in sincere agony:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolates. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say. ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Matthew 23:37-39

Please take careful notice of these profound words. Please remember that these words were thoughtfully and prayerfully spoken by the world’s only true Messiah who now lives in the very presence of the GOD of all the universe. Yes, he is truly the most powerful man in the Universe even though Fox News on October 13, ’06, proclaimed “President George Bush is the most powerful man in the universe.” (This was the introduction that Fox News had for this inept President when he publicly signed his Port anti-terrorism bill.) Furthermore, ALLAH’s Messiah is fully aware of what goes on in both Jerusalem and all its surrounding areas even yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Significantly, the fact that he, himself was treated in a dehumanizing way by the leaders of Israel and was even murdered by them, directly relates to the dehumanizing attitude that still prevails today among Israeli leaders. Until current Israeli leaders can finally acknowledge the calloused arrogance that previous Israeli leaders displayed to the one Messiah of the very GOD of the entire universe, a similar calloused, arrogant attitude will continue to characterize their relationships with all human beings over whom they have some kind of leverage. This long list includes Israeli women, American Christian Evangelicals, U.S. government officials, the U.N., as well as Syrians, Lebanese and Palestinians.

But this arrogant, dehumanizing attitude will finally discontinue when ALLAH himself causes cataclysmic and possibly apocalyptic events to occur in Jerusalem so that the amazing prediction of the Prophet Zecheriah (12) is finally fulfilled.

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, (crucified) and they will mourn for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great…”

So both the world and the nation state of Israel must be continually reminded that the Israeli nation has not yet shown remorse or even acknowledged their own responsibility for their actually forgivable great crime against ALLAH’s eminent Messiah. But in our remembrance of their consistent arrogant attitude and absence of contrition, all of us must avoid the two contrasting mistakes of both the Roman Catholic church and also the crime of its former Priest, Martin Luther.

The Catholic Church made the expedient political choice to absolve the Jews of major responsibility for the unjust execution of ALLAH’s Messiah. But the former Catholic Priest, Martin Luther, went the opposite direction. He made such negative comments about the Jews that Adolph Hitler later used them to manipulate German hatred against Jews. In contrast to both positions, all of us should pray that the Hebrew leaders in Israel would soon sincerely and deeply repent of their arrogant, calloused attitudes toward all humans including ALLAH’s once executed but now Risen Messiah. But millions of Jews changing their minds about who their Messiah is, does not begin to mean that these Jews will, quote “become Christians.” Nor does it mean that they will accept the highly commercialized Christianity that is so prevalent today.

Significantly, the Seattle P.I. carried a November 16, ’06 Associated Press article about the rape charge the Israeli police are now recommending against the current President of their nation. The article included a picture of the quite handsome man. The first paragraph of the article reads:

“Police recommended Sunday that Israeli President, Moshe Katsav, be charged with rape, sexual assault and fraud, the most serious charges ever to face an Israeli leader.”

This following through by the Israeli police on violations against women may be a sign of a needed break-through for Israeli women who some feel have virtually been treated as second class citizens by the predominantly sexist Israeli leadership.