Exploding Hezbollah Devices Show Need for Ending US Timidity on Israel Aid, Says The Israel Test Author, George Gilder

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Sep 19, 2024, 16:12 ET

SEATTLE, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- "The exploding pagers and radios of Hezbollah point not only to the tactical brilliance of Israeli technicians (who are likely responsible) but also to the largely unacknowledged value of Israel to our own defense." This is the view of Discovery Institute co-founder George Gilder, author of The Israel Test and increasingly a critic of current US and European half-way measures in support of Israel.

"Why should Israel be pushed constantly by the Western allies to make peace with terrorists?" Gilder asks.

Many Americans wrongly believe that official US pressure on Israel to bring the Gaza war to a halt before Israel has won is in the interest of American foreign policy, says Gilder, a noted tech writer, economist and futurist.

"An Israeli defeat of terrorism is vital for the defense of America and long term Middle Eastern peace," he states. "For survival, we now need the skills and creativity of Israel at least as much as they need us."

The Biden-Harris Administration continues to pressure Israel to stop short of victory over Hamas and the taming of Hezbollah. Former President Trump has called for an American version of Israel's anti-missile defense system, but the issue has hardly entered public discussion.

"Even in the midst of current fighting," Gilder reports, "Israel is leading the world in the rate of tech invention, growing by 31 percent in venture funding for tech startups in the first six months of this year, according to Our Crowd CEO Jon Medved, outpacing the rate achieved by the number two startup power, the US, at 28%. Europe and Asia actually declined in the rate of tech startup funding this year."

The Israel Test is Gilder's call for the West to combat antisemitism as a form of envy of success that eats away at the moral basis of the West and undercuts real chances for civilization's progress. The book has been updated and revised in a new 15^th anniversary edition, and is aimed at college students who, Gilder notes, "are being confronted right now by ignorant and thoroughly biased leftists who lack any understanding of the true history of either ancient or modern Israel and its contributions to progress."

"Instead of faulting our ally we should be emulating their nimble and profound innovations," Gilder said. "We need the media and US politicians — including the presidential candidates — to acknowledge the positive realities of today's Israel and respond affirmatively."

Discovery Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to advance a culture of purpose, creativity, and innovation. George Gilder is a co-founder and Senior Fellow of Discovery Institute where he directs Discovery's Technology & Democracy Project.

SOURCE Discovery Institute