Patrick Henry: Stand With Israel

Sderot and Haifa
(Their fight is our fight)
Beslan and Bali
(Their fight is our fight)
Darfur and Moscow
(Their fight is our fight)
Mumbai and Delhi
(Their fight is our fight)
Rishon Lezion
(Their fight is our fight)
Davao and Kenya
(Their fight is our fight)
Hat Yai and Baghdad
(Their fight is our fight)
New York and London
(Their fight is our fight)

The dream of the faithful: Though "[t]he destruction of the existing Jewish society in Europe during the Holocaust accelerated migration to Palestine, in turn accelerating the creation of the State of Israel in 1948," "[r]eturn to the Land of Israel had remained a recurring theme among generations of diaspora Jews, particularly in Passover and Yom Kippur prayers which traditionally concluded with, 'Next year in Jerusalem', and in the thrice-daily Amidah (Standing prayer). Aliyah (immigration to Israel) has always been considered to be a praiseworthy act for Jews according to Jewish law, and is included as a commandment in most versions of the 613 commandments."—Wikipedia
Return to lyrics

Betrayed: For example, consider "UNIFIL's . . . collaboration [in 2000] with terrorists [in] the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli soldiers, and the subsequent cover-up" (David Kopel, 6/21/06)
Return to lyrics

outnumbered: Israel: total population 6,352,117; Jewish population 4,859,369. Israel's neighbors (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria): total population 107,549,178; Muslim population 95,856,693. Israel's neighbors plus Iran and Saudi Arabia: total population 203,257,342; Muslim population 190,191,088. (All data derived from The World Factbook)
Return to lyrics

Sderot: "From September 2005 to July 2006, some 800 Qassam rockets were fired from Hamas-controlled Gaza into Israeli towns and cities, most notably Sderot, which is located just three miles from the Palestinian border."—DISCOVERTHENETWORK.ORG; "We have decided to turn Sderot into a ghost town."—Statement by Hamas, 6/11/06, at ABC News (Australia) Online
Return to lyrics

Haifa: "A suicide bomber set off a powerful explosion Sunday in a crowded restaurant in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, killing himself and at least 14 other people, police and medical officials said. At least 33 people were wounded in the terror attack and taken to hospitals, authorities said. Three of the wounded were in critical condition, they said. "—CNN.com, 3/31/02; "In Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, abandoned warehouses, factories and garages dotted the landscape, and there were no cargo ships in the normally bustling port. . . . The city has become a battleground, as Hezbollah continued its rocket assaults on northern Israel and the Israel Defense Forces responded with heavy shelling and aerial attacks, according to a statement from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon."—CNN.com, 6/27/06
Return to lyrics

Bali: "The final death toll from last October's bomb blasts on the tourist island of Bali is likely to be 202, Indonesian police said on Wednesday."—BBC News, 2/19/03
Return to lyrics

Darfur: "[M]ore than 200,000 people have been killed since 2003."—CNN.com, 8/24/06; "Probably one of the most lethal religious and racial war [sic] combined in contemporary times. . . . Darfur, it seems, has uncovered the mask of Jihadist racism against Black Africans."—Walid Phares, 9/10/04
Return to lyrics

Moscow: "Moscow has been marking one year since Chechen rebels stormed a city theatre taking over 800 people hostage. Some 129 hostages died in the siege, almost all of them killed by incapacitating gas that was pumped into the building to end the stand-off."—BBC News, 10/23/03
Return to lyrics

Mumbai: "At least 44 people have been killed after two powerful explosions struck the Indian city of Bombay within minutes of each other. Nearly 150 people were injured, many seriously, by the double car bombing in the country's commercial capital, also known as Mumbai."—BBC News, 8/25/03 (Later: "The final casualties in the bomb blasts were put at 52 dead and 150 injured."); "A series of seven explosions killed at least 174 people on crowded commuter trains and stations Tuesday evening in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, police said."—CNN.com, 7/11/06
Return to lyrics

Delhi: "Three bombs exploded almost simultaneously in the Indian capital, Delhi, on Saturday, killing 62 people and injuring 210."—BBC News, 10/31/05
Return to lyrics

Rishon Lezion: "A suicide bombing in the center of a crowded pedestrian district here Wednesday killed two Israelis and wounded at least 37 others, including four critically, according to Israeli authorities. . . . On May 8, a suicide attack at a pool hall in Rishon Letzion killed 15 people and wounded dozens of others."—CNN.com, 5/22/02
Return to lyrics

Davao: "A bomb hidden in a backpack exploded at an airport terminal in the southern Philippines early Tuesday evening, killing 19 people and wounding 147. The explosion at the city of Davao in Mindanao is the country's worst terrorist attack in three years."—CBC News, 3/4/03
Return to lyrics

Kenya: "A gray mist covered Nairobi like a shroud on Sunday and church bells pealed across the country in tribute to the dead as rescuers continued to comb through the rubble for survivors of Friday's devastating bomb blast outside the U.S. Embassy in Kenya's capital. . . . The death toll in Nairobi stands at 139, including 11 Americans. Nearly 4,300 people were hospitalized with injuries."—CNN.com, 8/9/98; "At least 15 people have died in a suicide bombing at an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, just as two missiles were fired at an Israeli holiday jet that had taken off from the city's airport."—BBC News, 11/28/02 (Later: "An Islamist web site on Monday has posted a statement purportedly from the al-Qaeda terror network, claiming responsibility for the twin attacks on Israeli targets in Kenya.")
Return to lyrics

Hat Yai: "Five people were killed and about 60 injured in a series of six explosions in Hat Yai's business centre last night. The blasts went off at two shopping malls, one of the city's biggest hotels and three other locations. . . . Just two weeks ago, intelligence officials predicted stronger, more vigorous attacks by militants in the deep South between September 16 and 20 since this is the week to celebrate the setting up of the Pattani Islamic Mujahideen and Pattani State."—The Nation (Thailand), 9/17/06
Return to lyrics

Baghdad: Among the latest violence as of this writing: "In rebel violence Saturday, a trio of bombs killed three people and wounded dozens in Baghdad. Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and two policemen wounded when a booby-trapped car was blown up as security forces arrived to remove a body placed inside the vehicle, a security official said. In another attack, a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle, killing one civilian and wounding 22."—AFP, 9/17/06
Return to lyrics

New York: "Estimates of the dead gradually declined in the years after the attack, eventually settling to a number around 2,750." ("9/11 Research: NYC Victims")
Return to lyrics

London: "56 people, including the 4 bombers, were killed in the 7 July 2005 London bombings. About 700 people were injured; some 350 were treated on the scene, and 350 in hospital."—Wikipedia
Return to lyrics

Like many others, I was astonished and appalled by the way the mainstream media reported Israel's recent war with Hezbollah. Though Hezbollah started the war, most news organizations seemed to consider the two sides equally at fault. Even more amazingly, the media presented Israel, which took extraordinary steps not to kill Lebanese civilians, as less honorable in battle than Hezbollah, which sought throughout to kill Israeli civilians, and which consistently and deliberately put Lebanese civilians at risk.

Israel has proven itself time and again a defender of reason and freedom. We in the West—and it should be, but appears not to be, all of us—who want to triumph over the barbarians of the Muslim world must recognize Israel as our ally, and give it our support.

The bridge of the song includes the names of places around the world that have suffered terrorist attacks. In the next-to-last draft I devoted half the lines to sites within Israel. My goal was to convey how much this tiny country has endured. But I couldn't achieve the effect I wanted; Israel's been hit too many times, and somehow naming five or six attacks was less effective than naming only three. Here's a comprehensive list. It may sicken and anger you, as it did me.

Several people helped me with this song. A few strangers were kind enough to advise me on pronunciation; my thanks to Ted Belman, David Frankfurter, Israel Perspectives, and Gavriel Raanan, among others. Their participation in no way implies their approval of the finished song, though I hope that they don't regret assisting me.