Civil Rights? Israel is your Answer.

Whenever we get into debates with people who have not learned the history of the Middle East, at some point we say "It's complex."  Actually, what those newcomers need to know only takes a moment.  Read any one of the following questions.  It only takes 5 seconds to understand the basis for our hope in and our alliance with Israel as a nation of profound and shared values with all Americans.

5 SECONDS PER QUESTION 

WILL TEACH YOU MORE ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST THAN A YEAR OF INTERNET MEMES.

If you wish to vote in open and free elections, would you rather live under the governance of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Hamas/Gaza, the Palestinian Authority or Israel?

If you wish to write or read a free press, where profound conflicting ideologies and ideas regularly meet in public to debate and criticize all levels of power without persecution of oppression, would you rather live under the governance of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Hamas/Gaza, the Palestinian Authority or Israel?

If you or anyone you love is exploring or asserting their LGBTQ+ identities, would you best keep them safe and valued under the governance of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Hamas/Gaza, the Palestinian Authority or Israel?

If you seek full equality of women in the workplace, do you think you/they have a better chance in the economies of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Hamas/Gaza, the West Bank Palestinian Authority or Israel?

If you support the free choice between quality public education and private education, do you think you would find it more accessible in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Hamas/Gaza, the West Bank Palestinian Authority or Israel?

If you demand freedom of religion, to attend and observe the religion of your choice without persecution or government oppression, would you rather live in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Hamas/Gaza, the West Bank Palestinian Authority or Israel?

If you wish to pursue your financial dreams in a free and developed economy, with freedom to achieve at the level of your talents, dreams and effort in an open capitalist system, would you have better chances in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Hamas/Gaza, the West Bank Palestinian Authority or Israel?

If you believe that health care is a civil right and that the nation owes it to all of its citizens to be provided ongoing health care and a dignified retirement, would you rather depend on Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Hamas/Gaza, the West Bank Palestinian Authority or Israel for your care and safety?

If you believe in peace with secure borders and diplomatic relations to resolve differences and build a shared future, do you believe that is the current policy of Lebanon, Syria, Hamas in Gaza, or Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel who have signed and implemented peace treaties and/or agreements between them?

If you believe that Palestinians deserve all of these rights under Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, demand that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority: 

1. hold open and free elections;
2. support and empower a free press;
3. protect sexual orientation and gender identity in all their forms;
4. create equality for women in the workplace;
5. allow for open educational choices and create an robust system of secular public education;
6. protect freedom of religion for Sunni, Shia, Druze, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jewish and humanist faith systems under their control, and all of their sacred places of worship; 
7. insist and prove that all foreign aid is used only for peaceful purposes;
8. build and maintain a health system with international administration and control until it is fully developed;
9. proclaim and protect the civil rights of all people;
10. proclaim that their own aspirations for a state are not at the denial of Israel's right to a state.

Every Israeli government shares your hopes for the Palestinian People and your values about humanity and government.  Some things are simple, and crystal clear:

If you believe in Civil Rights, Israel is your best hope and ally in the Middle East.