Another American son is gone. Where is the outrage? He didn’t die warring in the hills of Iraq or Afghanistan but instead was as a casualty of war while visiting a popular seaside boulevard in Israel. Killed by a terrorist no less.
Taylor Force, an American and a U.S. military veteran, died in a stabbing rampage near Tel Aviv by a terrorist at war with Israel and anyone else who stood in the way. Force’s wife and 9 others were injured by the attacker’s blade. Force was 29 years old. His father Stuart Force stated to his hometown news, “He was such a hard worker, an Eagle Scout, and loved by everybody,”
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said on Twitter. “A Palestinian terrorist murdered an American citizen, Taylor Force, tonight in Jaffa,” “May his memory be a blessing.”
His family, friends and colleagues may hold onto Force’s memory but they must deal now with some very raw and painful emotions. How do they begin to fathom what was lost? How do they begin to grasp what Force’s contributions to this world would have been? This hopeful man, this inquisitive American son is gone, and evil stopped him cold.
Looking at Force’s life accomplishments will not help anyone better understand this tragedy. What do we know about Taylor Force? His father said Congressman Randy Neugebauer appointed Force to West Point upon his graduation from high school. He served as an Army officer from 2009 to 2014, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to information gleaned from his LinkedIn profile. According to his profile at Poets and Quants, Force was a first-year M.B.A. student at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt. He was part of the class of 2017. He enjoyed playing guitar and singing for entertainment.
When he was asked what he wanted to achieve post-graduation, Force said:
“In addition to learning the skills needed to be successful in business, I want to establish life-long connections and friendships with my fellow students from the U.S. and around the globe.”
Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos stated, “Taylor embarked on this trip to expand his understanding of global entrepreneurship and also to share his insights and knowledge with start-ups in Israel. He exemplified the spirit of discovery, learning and service that is the hallmark of our wonderful Owen community.”
The truth is Force will not be the first nor the last innocent person, or American, killed abroad by terrorism. Does it make it any better that he was killed in Israel rather than Iraq or Afghanistan? No it does not and it makes my blood boil. There is much injustice in this world. Force was travelling as a tourist and not as a soldier. His wife was was stabbed too. Do you understand how sick these people are?
The truth is murders at the hands of terrorists will continue to happen regardless of how many people want to push the myth of the Palestinian state. If Palestine ever becomes a recognized entity expect terrorism and murders to continue.
The truth is Arab propagandists will continue to brainwash generations of naïve and willful people, from Berkeley to Harvard, from the White House to Israel, to believe there is a Palestinian people.
The truth is the truth will be eroded, covered up and destroyed by groups that demonize Jews and Israelis, and get generations to believe a lie that Jews and Israelis are a threat to the Palestinian life and existence.
The truth is Americans who subscribe to the false narrative of Israel creating all the ills in the Middle-East and that Israel actually does much of the harm to itself are promoting legitimacy for groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Palestine Liberation Front and others whether they think so or not.
A sane person is thankful when armed and evil men are killed. A sick person celebrates whenever unarmed and innocent men are killed. In places like Israel a majority of Palestinian society celebrates when unarmed civilians like Force are killed by armed terrorists. Polls taken reveal this truth. Do the real research. Violence in any form against others in order to promote the Palestinian Authority’s political goals is looked upon as being heroic and legitimate by these people; the most disgusting kind of violence is seen as valid; terrorists are seen as heroes and role-models.
This has been helped in large part by President Obama, the European Union and their ilk who continually equalize Palestinian and Israeli society as if each makes the same contributions to this world. Stability to a society is a contribution while fomenting terrorism is not. Get that?
Vice-President Biden needs to do more than ask for Palestinian leadership and the international community to publicly condemn the attacks. How about witholding money and other forms of aid? Seeing as the Obama administration did little to hold Iran accountable for anything, this is very unlikely. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas won’t ever do this or he’ll find himself out of a job. A simple internet search will turn up many videos of Mahmoud Abbas praising terrorists particularly those who’ve killed many people. They are are deemed as “Martyrs” from Hamas, Fatah and other factions. Abbas refuses to recognize a Jewish state while he simultaneously promotes the myth of a Palestinian people that need a state.
The late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir stated “There is no such thing as a Palestinian people.” She was met with laughter and derision as if she was a denier of truth and real history yet Yasser Arafat stated there is no distinct Palestinian cultural or national identity.
I mentioned this in another article I wrote here. Zahir Muhsein, a Syrian Sa’iqa faction leader and Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member told the Dutch newspaper Trouw in a March 31, 1977, interview how fake this was. The propaganda war was created these groups as a means of justifying how Arabs and Muslims could legitimately war against Israel and the Jewish people.
Muhsein stated, “The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism.
For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.”
How telling this is and yet the news agencies, leftist students all over America and the world, politicians and anyone with an agenda to reduce Israeli legitimacy continue to push the Palestinian nationhood argument.
While Yasser Arafat was alive he stated on Jordan TV, “Since we cannot defeat Israel in war, we do this in stages. We take any and every territory that we can of Palestine, and establish a sovereignty there, and we use it as a springboard to take more. When the time comes, we can get the Arab nations to join us for the final blow against Israel.” Through US support, Arafat was able to acquire, and squirrel away more than $900 million dollars into his personal coffers. Creating tragedy, while deflecting blame, is a way to get rich.
In 2012, the Hamas Minister of the Interior and of National Security Fathi Hammad stated, “Brothers, half of the Palestinians are Egyptians and the other half are Saudis”. Why do you think no one wants to give them residency? Because they are a terrorist creation. Can we empathize with their plight since those who want to leave Gaza and those who are born in “Palestine” are effectively “stuck” there? Innocents are trapped while being culturally, politically and economically oppressed.
There will never be a resolution to this thorny issue while demagogues like Obama and Biden exist. Even the Romans knew there were few choices when one society or culture jutted up against another. Societies had a choice to destroy the other society, be destroyed by it, or attempt to co-exist. We’ve already seen how leaders in the Palestinian Authority only want Israel to be destroyed. How can Obama and the rest of the EU demand Israel give over half of its country when these facts exist? Historical evidence supporting my argument can easily be found by anyone doing a truthful search of the facts.
Those who so willingly believe that the main agenda is to liberate a people would do well to ask themselves what is the actual agenda? Sadly, those who lead America and the EU will force others to reap what the world leadership has sown.
Force went over to Israel to share his insights and knowledge with start-ups and be a part of global entrepreneurial spirit. The dynamism of Silicon Valley can be found in Silicon Wadi where Israel has more venture capitals per person than any other country in the world and over 6000 startups exist there. Israel became the second Silicon Valley in the world because of diversity. Israel did this by attracting talent, huge investments from abroad, and allowing diversity to exist in it’s community. In fact no other nation in the Middle-East has the diverse community that Israel allows to exist; religious diversity exists in Israel and while not perfect is far better than anywhere else in the Middle-East. If the ability to succeed in a place surrounded by countries which dislike diversity is possible then the idea that Israel dominates other societies is plain foolish. The Palestinians are culturally, politically and economically oppressed by many Arabs and Muslim groups for profit and gain. Its leadership uses its people as pawns.
Force was a military veteran who went overseas to help others even though they did not share the same belief system he did. He was part of the newest generation of veterans, back from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, who wanted to make something of their experience and skills by changing the world dynamic. Force served honorably in uniform and took the oath to serve and defend our country at all costs, and to help other nations if needed, and he upheld that oath with dignity and courage. What words will ever bring back a loved one who has been lost? What ceremony will ever do justice to his memory?
As a two-tour veteran, a graduate of West Point, and with an American can-do attitude, Force would have done well in Israel. The philosophical snobs, the moral relativists, the postmodern fools, and those who feign to be above this kind of fray need to get emotional about these kinds of injustices. Force went to Israel to learn how diversity, entrepreneurship, and a commitment to building businesses could exist in Israel. He had a very open mind unlike those who cannot see the forest for the trees. Those who want to wait until tomorrow when things get better are waiting on a dream. I am sorry for your loss Mr. and Mrs. Force and I am angry that the world continues to allow these injustice to happen and refuse to speak out against what is so evidently clear.
Rest easy warrior. It is time to go home now. The world is a much better place because of warriors such as you. We will fight on though you are gone.
“Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o’er.” — Sir Walter Scott, novelist, poet, playwright.
picture from NYDailynews.com