Parshat Balak- A Lonely Nation

From the Canadian Jewish news:

The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted by “consensus” a number of measures critics says unfairly target Israel and makes condemnation of the Jewish state a permanent feature of every future council meeting.

The measures will see Israel’s “human rights violations” placed on the agenda at all future council meeting – no other country is so treated – and will make permanent a special rapporteur to investigate Israeli human rights abuses. Ten other special rapporteurs have mandates that lapse and must be renewed.

The measures were part of a reform package that is meant to set out the mechanisms and procedures that will govern operation of the council, which was established a year ago to replace a largely discredited Commission on Human Rights.
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Why is condemnation of Israel a permanent feature of UN meetings? Why single out Israel rather than China, Saudi Arabia or Iran? Why is the world fixated on a little country that amounts to .000001% of the Earth's landmass? How come a little country in the Middle-East, whose people amount to such a small percent of the world's population, gets so much media attention?
Israel was created with the purpose of giving the Jewish People a state like every other nation. The secular Zionist ideal was a secular state, devoid of Torah and religion, which would be like every other people. Even today, Israel's elite is attempting to transform Israel into a country without Yiddishkeit, with a complete seperation of Church (or in this case Synagogue) and State. Israel's PM, Ehud Olmert, has repeatedly stress that Israel is fighting for its right to normalcy.
It is ironic that Israel tries so hard to fight in and "claim its spot among the nations" while the UN and the rest of the world continue to reject her. In order to please the Nations, Israel's leaders have given up Jewish land, allowed Jewish blood to be spilled, armed our enemies and declared war against those who keep G-d's Torah, by expelling and demonizing them. As Israel attempts to transform itself into a secular California on the Mediterranean, complete with pepperoni pizza, McDonalds and Gay Pride Parades, the Nations whom Israel tries to emulate continue to ostracize her. 'Maybe if we compromise some more or if we uproot the Jews from the West Bank, the world will accept us', Israel's secular leadership believe. 'All we have to do is give the Arabs more land, more rights, more concessions, there will be peace'.
The Jewish People are unique among all other peoples and the nations of the world know it. In the Mincha prayer for Shabbat, we say: "Who is like Your people Israel, a unique nation in the world?" We were not chosen by G-d to be like everyone else, to assimilate and to emulate the gentiles. Hashem did not bring us back to Israel after 2000 years of exile so that it should become a Western multicultural country or that we should fill it with nightclubs and Pride Parades. The nations know that we are different, something that we fail to comprehend. That is why the UN has devoted 45% of her condemnations to Israel. That is why Israel is singled out by anti-semites, even as they deny the Choseness and Uniqueness of Am Yisrael.
In this week's Parasha, the Children of Israel are getting ready to conquer the Land and they approach the borders of the land of Moab. The king of Moab, Balak, sends for the heathen soothsayer, Bilaam, that he should curse the children of Israel. When Bilaam attempts to curse G-d's people, he is unable to. G-d turns Bilaam's curse into a blessing. Bilaam climbed a mountain peak and say the camp of Israel. Amazed by the holiness and purity that he found there, a people completely immersed in Torah and mitzvot, and was in awe. How goodly are they tents, O Jacob, and thy dwellings, O Israel! He realized then, something that the Nations have always known, that we are am levada yishkon ubagoyim lo yitchashav- an people that dwells apart and among the nations is not reckoned.
G-d has other plans for us, a different destiny that that of the Nations, who also have their role in Hashem's plan. He has great things in store for us. Why should we run away from our Jewish destiny? The State of Israel was not created to be just another country, a secular paradise. As the Rav Kook, the father of religious Zionism wrote:
"A normal country is like a large insurance company. It is not the source of its citizen’s supreme joy. Ideals, which are the crowning glory of mankind, hover above a country and do not touch it.
“Not so a country founded on ideals and inherently based on the most lofty message. Such countries truly constitute their citizen’s greatest joy. Therefore, the State of Israel is truly the most supreme on the scale of joy, and it constitutes the foundation of G-d’s throne on earth. Its entire purpose is that G-d should be one and His name one, truly the greatest source of joy.” (see Orot 160). He wrote "The State of Israel is the foundation of G-d’s throne on earth.” How far have we strayed from this awesome task!
May Hashem send us real leaders who are not afraid of carrying out our Jewish destiny, Jewish leaders who will Sanctify G-d's Name in the world, by building a state based on Torah, holiness, justice and righteous. May we merit the day 'when Hashem will be King over the entire world and on that day, He will be One and His Name will be One.' Amen!