The recent cynical statements and actions of certain Western European leaders in relation to sanctions, embargoes, and the extreme censure of the State of Israel, along with their malevolent conspiring to recognize a so-called “Palestinian state,” make this more than an appropriate time to remind them of a few inconvenient truths.

At the most fundamental level, these same leaders, whether in Paris, London, Berlin, or elsewhere on the continent, should have understood by now that after two millennia of being at the mercy of those who came before them in one iteration or another, the Nation of Israel no longer wanders and is no longer helpless.

Hebrew blood is no longer forsaken, and Israel is once again the master of its own fate.

These leaders, their governments, and those who support them cannot even feign legitimacy when attempting to delegitimize, libel, and hold to a double standard the very nation, that proportionally was more than any other a victim of their predecessors’ prejudice, hatred, and capacity for violence.

Rome conquered Israel

It was Rome, of course, a European empire, which brutally conquered and occupied the Land of Israel, destroyed Jerusalem, and along with it innumerable towns and villages, the Temple of the G-d of Israel, and the independent Hasmonean Kingdom, which ruled the country two thousand years ago.
The Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by Francesco Hayez (credit: Francesco Hayez/Wikimedia Commons)
The Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by Francesco Hayez (credit: Francesco Hayez/Wikimedia Commons)
Not satiated, the Romans, in an imperialistic frenzy, tore our ancestors from our land in numerous waves of exile.They bound and chained child and adult alike and flooded the slave markets of the empire, collapsing prices – centuries upon centuries before later Europeans established a slave trade from Africa (a crime remembered and held beyond reproach as opposed to the conveniently forgotten multiple enslavements of Israel throughout history).

The Roman Empire would further set the stage for the obfuscation and negation of the Nation of Israel’s historic and natural rights to the Land of Israel by renaming the geographic area Palaestīna – this in an attempt, after a third massive war between Rome and our ancestors, to once and for all disconnect the nation from its land and erase the identity of both.

The name Palaestīna, sourced by the Hellenophile Roman Emperor Hadrian, came from the Greek name of Israel’s already extinct ancient and bitter enemies, who were native to the Aegean - the Philistines. This took place centuries before Islam and the mass advancement of our cousins, the Arabs, out of Arabia.

Romans with a citizenry and soldiery hailing from across the European continent – exiling our ancestors and then trying to erase our identity, and by extension our rights. As history records, this was still only the beginning phase of Europe’s injustices toward the Nation of Israel.

From the Crusader to the Inquisitor to the first ghettoization in Venice; the York massacre of the 12th century to the pogroms in eastern Europe of more recent centuries; and culminating in the genocidal crescendo of the Holocaust, oppressor after oppressor would arise in Europe to tyrannize a nation scattered in exile.

What a farce, then, for President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and other European leaders to attempt to undermine Israel’s efforts to defeat yet another genocidal enemy. Even more so, these leaders’ statements and actions also strengthen fictitious narratives, ignoring the actual history of the region and Israel.European countries are the absolute last entities on earth that have any right whatsoever to rebuke, moralize (morals they adopted from the faith of Israel and its scriptures, which extended to the teachings of Jesus), or act against Israel.

A hostility toward Israel made all the more trivial by it being based on libel (as has occurred so often in Europe’s past), double standards, and, in many cases, pure antisemitism.

Some European countries support Israel

There are, though, many in Europe today who not only spurn the vitriolic cynicism and hypocrisy directed at Israel but also actively work against it and prioritize their countries’ relations and partnerships with Israel.

They can be found mainly in right-wing parties across the continent and in countries across eastern and southern Europe. They are righting the wrongs of the past.

Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Serbia, the Czech Republic, and others understand the common goals, priorities, and values that they share with Israel. These countries’ leaders recognize that in a multipolar world that is increasingly unstable, Israel, with its traditionally strong military and growing technological and economic might, is an ally-partner very much worth having.

By contrast, those leaders in Europe who seek to harm Israel’s vital interests should keep Israel’s strength and capabilities in mind and understand that Jerusalem can wield its power to harm their interests in kind.

The most advanced air defense systems on the planet, best-of-breed cyber warfare capabilities, critical intelligence sharing, and tactics and methods to fight in the new multi-dimensional and multi-tiered war space saturated with asymmetrical threats – are just part of the value proposition that Israel offers its foreign partners.

If some in Europe miscalculate their cost-benefit analysis when it pertains to relations with the State of Israel, others in Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and across the globe will not make the same mistake.

The Nation of Israel never forgets a friend and never absolves an enemy. Frenemies choose wisely; you might end up on the wrong side of the term.

The writer is an Israeli hi-tech entrepreneur and a member of the Israel Leadership Forum. He is involved with various Israel advocacy causes, including working with Christian Zionist and pro-Israel Noahide groups.