Against terror & fear

In shadows of vast numbers, one state, brave,
Four hundred million against a smaller enclave.
Once seventeen million, now reduced by hate,
Memories of Holocaust echo a fearful fate.

Nine million dwell in Israel, a complex brew,
Two million Arabs, and the Jewish crew.
Surrounded by nations, twenty-two to one,
In the Great Assembly, Arab voices spun.

Six times war danced, since forty-eight unfurled,
Acquiring buffer zones in a hostile world.
Land returned for peace, Gaza’s gate set free,
Yet in twenty-three, terror proclaimed its decree.

In a land where ancient tales and lores are aired,
October seventh became a day much feared.
Innocents at festival met despair and scare,
As terror from Hamas was unleashed, a nightmare.

Through zeal, they sought to wound and cruelly claim,
A dark worldview, in many Arab lands, found fame.
Visions of bitterness, hate’s cruel conceive,
Brought forth intolerance, many deceived.

In lands where tales of old once gently spun,
Under a setting sun, Hamas's cruel deeds were done.
Core of crypto-fascism, seeking to soar,
Hatred took flight, bringing blood and gore.

Fundamentalists, with vision stark and skewed,
Rights and freedoms heartlessly eschewed.
Innocence shattered, families torn and broke,
Through the night, fear and terror spoke.

Yet, the heart's resolve, in fearful dark,
Glowed with courage, a defiant, enduring spark.
In love and peace, we found our stand,
Against the hate, together, hand in hand.

But in love's fierce light, their efforts pale,
Their haunting terror eventually did fail.
For courage and love perpetually rise,
Defeating fear and its mournful cries.

In Jewish hearts, ancient rhythms hum,
Echoing Joshua, Deborah, David’s drum.
Valor remembered, yet peace they hold dear,
Against terror and fear, they stand, clear.

Each soul, each nation, claims its right,
Guarding homes and dreams, in the quiet of the night.
From days of yore to the present, our song rings,
For the rights of all, let the bell of freedom swings.

The Western World, side by side, takes a stand,
With the Star of David, a beacon in this troubled land.
Against the dark tides of terror, we decree,
Together we forge an age of peace, for you and me.

NOTES:

• In 1940, there were 17 million Jews on the planet.  Today there are 14. 
• Today there are c400 million Arabs on the planet. 
• There are 22 Arab nations covering 6.66 million square miles of earth; and 1 Jewish nation with 8,019 square miles. 
• Israel has defended itself successfully in 6 wars against Arab onslaught since 1948, and the intervening period has seen organized acts of individual terror against its people. 
• In 2007 Israel swapped "land for peace" and did not occupy Gaza. 
• The Knesset, or "Great Assembly," has 12% of its current elected representatives as native Arab members. 
• Hamas is a terrorist organization that advocates a radical alt-left fundamentalism that denies the rights of women, gays & lesbians, and members of any other religious tradition.