Murder in Jerusalem

Today we read about a terrible murder of Jewish rabbis and a policeman by Palestinian terrorists in a West Jerusalem synagogue. There is no excuse for murder. The 2 murderers were shot and killed in a gun battle with police. Nenayahu promised a strong response as he should, but the response should be done intelligently with a Jewish head. There will be some Jews (like the idiots who pulled a Palestinian kid off the street and brutally murdered him in retaliation for the murder of 3 Jewish kids last summer) who will want to respond stupidly. The homes of the terrorists families will be destroyed which is OK if that is the best way to do it. But indiscriminate group punishment of Arabs who have nothing directly to do with the murders will further the goals of Hamas. Hamas openly praised the murders as expected. Mahmoud Abbas condemned them but added an implication that this is caused by encroachment of Jews on the Temple Mount. This was not a time for “but.” Simply condemning the murders would have been enough just as Yitzhak Rabin did after the murder of Moslems praying at a site holy to both Jews and Moslems years ago by a Jew. At that time he started his talk by saying something like “today I am ashamed.” But Rabin was a hero, and Abbas is a chicken. Rabin was murdered by a Jewish terrorist for his courage. Abbas lives with his cowardice just as Arafat did when he rejected an opportunity for a Palestinian state in the Clinton-Barak plan and instead opted for the intifada.

But while condemning Abbas for his lack of courage, one must look for how Israel can deal with the almost impossible predicament it is in. Israel is located in a wild neighborhood. How can it make peace with an enemy many of whom if not most are not willing to compromise. Adding to the problem is that on a lesser scale, there is a zealous Jewish faction which is also delusional in its goals. The Jews of Israel are there to stay, no matter what, but so are the Palestinian Moslems.

The problem has changed somewhat in recent years. Early on it was Arab nationalism versus Jewish nationalism. It has changed in that political religious fundamentalism is taking over, particularly in Islam, but also to a lesser extent in Jewish Israel and to some extent in the Jewish world outside of Israel. The problem is not religion. Belief in God does serve a purpose in life. Even fundamentalism does not necessarily demand disregard for others. But political religion does. Political religion gone wild can be misused to justify the most vile and cruel behavior as we have seen today in the murders in Jerusalem.

In dealing with the Arabs, Israel needs to maximize its advantages. It has the most advanced military in the neighborhood. It has great intelligence capabilities. It is far ahead of its neighbors in science and technology. In spite of all its faults, it is a democracy. Even though it is a pressure cooker nation, it has civility and stability that do not exist in the surrounding countries. These are the positive streams in Israel that make it strong. But there are challenges where Israel could do better to secure its future. More should be done to include the 25% of the nation that is not Jewish. There are many if not most Israeli Arabs who very much want to be included as equals in Israeli society. Israeli children need to be taught inclusiveness toward all their fellow citizens, not just the Jewish majority. Israel is and should be a country where Hebrew is the predominant language. But when Netanyahu insists that the Arabs including his own citizens must recognize that Israel is the Jewish state, he is cutting out 25% of his country.  Of course Israel is a predominantly Jewish nation, but he doesn’t have to shove it down their throats. Israel should also encourage a reasonable amount of immigration to bring in people who will raise their children to be Hebrew speaking loyal Israelis, Jewish or not, and keep the demographic clock in Hebrew Israel’s favor. Israel should encourage various forms of Judaism, like Reform and Conservative, to fill the void between Orthodoxy and nothing. Eventually, globalism, science, and open mindedness will win out over the medieval darkness that is taking over the Middle East. I am sure there are people out there in the surrounding Moslem world who share the same hope that Israelis want, but are afraid to say so. Israel needs to open up to them. The road ahead is now and will be difficult, but what else can Israel do but keep trying? Eventually reason and enlightenment have to win in Israel and all over the world.