Focus on Israel

Laurie Cardoza-Moore: On our program today, you'll meet Moshe Arens, an Israeli aeronautical engineer, researcher, diplomat, and politician. Since 1949, he was a part of Israel's history and served as a member of Israel's Congress, ambassador to the United States, and as Minister of Defense three times.

Hello, I'm Laurie Cardoza-Moore, president and founder of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and sharing the message of Christian biblical responsibility to the people and land of Israel against the rise of a global genocidal antisemitism.

I've come to realize that Israel is facing threats from nearly every corner: from Iran's nuclear weapons program, from terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. I also saw how much of the world opposes the Jewish state, from the UN to the European countries and to every one of Israel's neighbors.

With threats and hatred spreading from every corner, it seems we're heading closer to the biblical prophecy of Armageddon in the Middle East. This wildfire of global hatred toward the Jewish state is now growing at an alarming rate. An ADL global study on antisemitism found that more than a quarter of the world's population harbors intense anti-Jewish sentiment.

That translates to 1.1 billion people, even though 70% of those queried have never met a Jew. Mainstream media and educational campaigns continue to beat the drum against Israel with weak to little response. The mantra of Israel as occupiers and thieves continues to grow.

But PJTN is not and will not back down in the face of this rising tide. We will stand with Israel and the Jewish people and raise as many watchmen to join us as long as we have breath. Our program today features a gentleman who has put his life on the line to defend God's land.

He did not back down and made a difference for God's people and covenant. Moshe Arens was born in 1925 in Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region of Europe. In 1939, the Arens family immigrated to the United States, where his father had business interests in New York City.

During World War II, Moshe served in the United States Army as a technical sergeant. Following the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, he immigrated to Israel and joined the Irgun. He was sent to North Africa and Europe to help local Jewish communities establish self-defense groups.

In March 1949, he returned to Israel and became a founding member of the Herut party. In 1951, he returned to the United States and studied engineering at MIT and aeronautical engineering at Caltech and later worked in the aircraft industry.

From 1957 to 1962, Arens was a professor of aeronautics at the Technion. He is also the author of a number of articles and several books, including "Broken Covenant: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis between the US and Israel," "Flags Over the Warsaw Ghetto: The Untold Story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising," and "In Defense of Israel: A Memoir of a Political Life."

After the Yom Kippur War, Arens entered politics and was elected to the Knesset as a member of Likud. After being reelected in 1977, he became chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and in 1982 was appointed ambassador to the United States.

When he went to DC, he brought along his young protégé Benjamin Netanyahu, then 32, to work for him. He returned to Israel in February 1983 after being appointed Minister of Defense. After another reelection in 1988, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in 1990 returned to the defense portfolio.

After a short retirement, he returned to politics in 1999 when Netanyahu appointed him Minister of Defense. It was my distinct honor to sit down and speak with the late Mr. Arens in Tel Aviv several years ago. He was a wealth of information and an eyewitness to many events in Israel's turbulent history.

Moshe Arens: When Israel was founded on May 15, 1948, it was a very small, poor, beleaguered country, instantly invaded by the armies of the surrounding Arab states. It really didn't have an army as yet; it had a militia, young people, poorly armed, greatly outnumbered.

It's a big difference from what you know today as the Israel Defense Forces, which although still a small country, is a strong, powerful army, very capable, capable of defending Israel. The IDF has defended Israel throughout the years of Israel's existence.

In the War of Independence in 1948, we had to fight the combined onslaught of the Egyptian army, the Syrian army, the Iraqi army. I was associated with the Irgun already in the United States before I came here. So when I came, I joined the Irgun, and politically I've been associated with the people from the Irgun who then went into politics and created the party that was led by Menachem Begin, afterwards by Yitzhak Shamir, and today by Benjamin Netanyahu.

As I told you, I'm an aeronautical engineer, so I had a certain prejudice in that direction. During my tenure as Defense Minister, I put a great deal of emphasis on the development of systems here in Israel that would make the IDF stronger. One of these developments was reconnaissance satellites.

As you probably know, Israel today has a number of reconnaissance satellites which contribute and add to the information that we can get from the United States and its network of satellites. We have our own satellites that can provide us with information about areas that we are concerned about, like Iran at the present time.

We developed during my tenure as Defense Minister the Arrow ballistic missile interceptor, a concept that at the time people thought was technologically impossible. It's something I wish we had had during the Gulf War. We didn't have it yet, but today we have the Arrow system, and that system has a very high probability of intercepting any missiles that are launched our way.

We've had a number of waves of aggression against Israel throughout the 64 years of Israel's existence. It started with the armies of the Arab countries, who felt very confident that they could defeat Israel. These were regular armies. They had tanks, they had aircraft, they had naval craft.

Israel at the time had almost nothing. But in a succession of wars—the War of Independence, the Suez Campaign in '56, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War in 1973—it became clear that the Arab armies, even when they combined all their forces, even when they surprised Israel, were not capable of defeating the IDF.

The next wave of aggression against Israel then was terrorism. If it couldn't be done by conventional armies, then maybe it could be done by terrorism. In this day and age, terrorism is capable of inflicting massive casualties, as you know in the United States on 9/11.

Israel has had to battle this wave of terrorism for a number of years. We were successful in defeating that terrorism in the year 2002 when the Israeli army entered Judea and Samaria, which had been under Palestinian control essentially prior to that, and which was the springboard for terrorist activity against the cities of Israel. So that wave of terrorism I think we have overcome.

There came another wave then that goes under the initials of BDS: divestment, boycott, and sanctions. They try to isolate Israel economically. Fortunately, Israel is strong economically, and I think that that has not been successful. Today we are facing the ultimate weapon of terror, namely a nuclear weapon in the hands of the Iranians, who announce almost daily that it is their intention to wipe Israel off the map. I think we will handle that as well.

The Golan Heights originally after World War I, when the Middle East was parceled up between Britain and France, had been intended to be part of what was called the Palestine Mandate designated to be the future Jewish state. But the British and French in negotiations that they held between them delineating the border between Syria and what was then Palestine concluded that the Golan Heights would be moved over to be part of Syria.

So those who claim that the Golan Heights have always been part of Syria simply don't know what they're talking about in terms of the historical facts. As a result of the Syrians being in control of the Golan Heights—and that's what they are, they are heights overlooking the Jordan Valley and overlooking the Sea of Galilee—they were in a position for many years to fire down upon Israeli civilians, Israeli settlements, and Israeli towns that were down below the Golan Heights.

It was only in the Six-Day War that the IDF managed to capture the Golan Heights and free the Israelis living in the valley from the terror that endangered them for so many years from up above. The United Nations does not have the capability, does not have the power, and certainly does not have the will to really do something about violations of UN Security Council resolutions.

They also failed to do something about the fact that Iran threatens Israel, another member of the United Nations, with destruction. The United Nations has some 90 Arab and Muslim member states. There's an automatic majority against Israel regardless of whatever motion is put forward.

We would have liked to be in a situation where we could turn to the United Nations and make sure that the United Nations would assure Israel's security and would prevent aggression against Israel. Unfortunately, that's not the case. I'm not a believer in the "Land for Peace" formula, and I think today most Israelis do not believe in that formula, although in past years some did.

They were under the apprehension or misapprehension that if you only gave the Arabs enough land, in return there would be peace. Israel's made very significant concessions. The biggest one of all was to the Egyptians in the peace treaty with Egypt where something happened that had never happened in the history of international relations.

A country that attacked Israel five times, was defeated five times, had everything they lost in the war returned to them. That's never happened before. The Gaza Strip in effect has been turned over to Hamas, and Israelis have suffered grievously as a result of the rockets that were launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

I think today most Israelis realize that if an Israeli government were to turn the Judea and Samaria—what people call the West Bank—over to Palestinian control, the direct result would be missiles from that area into the population centers of Israel. So that's not likely to happen.

The Israeli government has been trying to be very, very meticulous, I think because of criticism and pressure that's been applied from abroad, also from the United States. I think the position of the United States government to this day is that Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria are illegal, which is very far from being correct.

It has no justification in international law or in Israeli law. As our Prime Minister Netanyahu, when he spoke before both houses of Congress, said, we do not come to Judea and Samaria as foreign occupiers. You just need to read the Bible to know how true that statement is.

One of the great and maybe the greatest Zionist leaders, Jabotinsky, wrote a very famous article many years ago in 1923. We're approaching almost 90 years from the time it was written. It was called "The Iron Wall," in which he said that the only possibility for peace being established between the Jews and the Arabs in this area is once the Arabs are convinced that they have no chance of throwing the Jews into the sea, that they have no chance of destroying the Jewish state.

I think that that almost prophetic vision is correct to this day. When that day comes—and I think it will come—when it's really clear to everyone that there's no chance of forcing Israel out of the area or of throwing the Jews into the sea, then there may be a chance to proceed towards peace.

In the wake of the defeat of Arab armies, we had a wave of terror strike Israel. During a two-year period or so, we lost a thousand Israeli civilians as a result of Palestinian terrorist acts in the cities of Israel. Now, the base for that terrorist activity was in Judea and Samaria, in the Palestinian towns and villages of Judea and Samaria.

So we don't have to hypothesize what might happen if Israel were to evacuate that area, if the IDF were to evacuate that area. We've seen it before. We've been to that movie. That's what you call déjà vu. We've seen that, and I don't think Israelis want that to happen again.

Laurie Cardoza-Moore: From studying history, it's very clear that what starts with the Jews never ends only with the Jews. We must strongly stand against any antisemitic trends, for if not stopped, they'll cause harm to all of us and we'll witness the downfall of our Judeo-Christian Western culture.

Today many people say there's no longer a need for a Jewish state, that Jews around the world no longer need a place of refuge. But anyone who has heard recent statistics about the worldwide rise in antisemitism would never make such a claim. The reality is that neo-Nazi groups and Nazi sympathizers are increasing around the world.

Surveys show that over 1 billion people in the world harbor antisemitic attitudes. Close to 50% believe that Jews have too much power in the business world, and two-thirds of the world's population has never heard of the Holocaust or believe the historic accounts of it are inaccurate.

Don't let yourself be manipulated by evil people with a wicked agenda. When the self-serving villains are in control, good people from all religions suffer. Muslims, Christians, and all people of conscience should stand proudly and show respect for a country that gives so much to the world in so many ways.

Do your part, do your research, and do what you can to make a difference because what happens in Israel does affect us all. This is not just a Jewish or just an Israeli problem; this is a problem for all humanity, for each and every one of us who believe in freedom and human rights.

Guest (Male): In 2008, Dr. Irving and Cherna Moskowitz established the Moskowitz Prize for Zionism to recognize people who put Zionism into action in today's Israeli society, at times risking their own personal security, placing the collective before the personal needs and doing what it takes to ensure a strong, secure Jewish homeland.

The need for this special prize arose from the feeling shared by many that the true Zionist heroes in today's Israel, those known to the public as well as those far outside the public spotlight, both young and old, do not always receive the institutional recognition and public praise they deserve.

One of the traits shared by the Moskowitz Prize winners and many of the candidates is that each does not see themselves as an extraordinary person, not as a hero, but as one who simply fulfills their duty as an Israeli to make Israel a better, safer, more just place and, at the end of the day, a more Zionist home.

Moshe Arens, the gentleman of Israeli politics, belongs clearly to another generation. A generation that knew Jabotinsky personally. A generation that did not recoil from pioneering manual labor in order to settle the Land of Israel. When they say "They don't make them like that anymore," they mean exactly him.

He doesn't get excited, he doesn't shout, and when something is not to his liking, he's not afraid for his position and does not remain silent, but takes action and leaves the government. An idealist.

Moshe Arens: If I had remained Defense Minister, the Lavi would be flying today in the Air Force, the best fighter plane in the world.

Guest (Male): Another achievement recorded to his credit during his tenure as Israeli Ambassador to the United States was the location of a talented and skilled diplomat, the young Benjamin Netanyahu.

Moshe Arens: If you had asked me then whether I thought this young man would one day be the Prime Minister of Israel, elected not once but twice, a third time, maybe even a fourth time, I would have told you it's a dream.

Guest (Male): Tonight, Moshe Arens receives the award of recognition of the Moskowitz Prize for the year 2017. To present the award, I am pleased to invite to the stage the wife of Irving Moskowitz, a woman of vision and action, Mrs. Cherna Moskowitz. Round of applause, please.

Benjamin Netanyahu: My friend, I see in you a great teacher, and I want to wish you many more years of continued fruitful creativity. You are young, an upright man, clear in thought. You contribute all your energy not only to the people of Israel but also to the historical truth.

You did something extraordinary in your book that reveals the truth about what happened in the Warsaw Ghetto, about the part of the Betar fighters of the ZZW. I think you corrected here a huge historical injustice. And I thank you both personally and on behalf of the people of Israel. I thank you on behalf of the people of Israel for everything.

Moshe Arens: Good evening. I am a proud Zionist. Zionism is the love of the Land of Israel and loyalty to the State of Israel. Zionism is also an attitude of respect for the minority that lives among us: the Druze, the Circassians, the Muslim Arabs, and the Christian Arabs.

For them, we want to ensure what is promised to every Jewish Israeli citizen: equality of rights, equality of opportunities, those same opportunities that the advanced State of Israel allows every one of its citizens to reach. And in this day, we also expect equality of duties, including the payment of the debt of defending the state.

The integration of the non-Jewish citizens of the state in Israeli society, in the Israeli economy, must be one of the top goals of the state and of the Jewish citizens. Zionists who have reached my age have merited a prize to see during their lifetime the fulfillment of their dream. There is no prize greater than it.

To see the State of Israel established, getting stronger, growing, also getting richer, confident in itself and in its ability to stand before every challenge, before every enemy. I thank the committee that decided to award me the Moskowitz Prize. I thank Cherna Moskowitz. I thank each one of you who came to celebrate here with us tonight the unification of Jerusalem. Thank you very much.

Laurie Cardoza-Moore: We want to thank the Moskowitz Award Committee for allowing us to join in this historic event. I pray you found some inspiration and hope from the amazing story of Moshe Arens. Well, that's our show, and I want to thank you for watching.

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