It was ten years ago in August that Israel made the decision to completely and unilaterally withdraw their military and all Jewish residents from the Gaza Strip. The move was hailed by the world as the beginning of a path to peace. Instead it has been a path to war, death and destruction.
Three times in those ten years there have been major military campaigns launched by Israel in defense of the Jewish people. Multiplied thousands of rockets, missiles and mortars have been fired from Gaza against Jewish targets. The Hamas terrorists who rule Gaza with an iron fist make no secret of their desire to destroy Israel utterly and annihilate the Jewish people. Giving in to terrorists is not the path to peace -- it simply speeds the path to war. This is a lesson our world needs to learn quickly before the mistakes of the past are repeated...with even worse consequences.
Today you and I have a unique opportunity to be a light to the world from the Holy City through the wonderful Friends of Zion Museum. Thousands of people from across Israel and around the world are visiting each week, and many more are taking the online tour which has been translated into a dozen languages. This amazing and unique museum is truly a light to the world, and we must not let it stop shining.