What is so different about Jews and Muslims and Judaism and Islam that obligates Muslims to have more rights to their holy sites than Jews to theirs?
Sixty years ago the Jewish problem was that Jews did not have a place to go and which to call their own. Near the end of 2006, that part of the Jewish problem has been solved, but a new one has arisen; now that we have our own land (back), we are suffering from an identity crisis within it. The source of the Jewish problem, which has now become the Israeli problem, is that our national and social identity is in the dark as to what exactly it should do in order to patch up the Palestinian problem. The problem does not lie within the very fibers of the State of Israel's society or national paradigms, at least several of which, or the policies associated with them, are beneficial to the State and its Jewish inhabitants. There are many beneficial points to the State of Israel's society, and only a morbid person would fail to see all of them. Clearly there are many negative and destructive points as well, which are easily enumerated and demonstrable, but this should not place one in a locale where he is not able to see the benefits of this Jewish state, yes, as is. The decomposition of the State's national, social, and religious paradigms, as well as those related to its self-esteem, are not entirely decomposed. The fact that there is a presence of several positive aspects, also easy enumerable and demonstrable, should give an Israeli hope that the end is not as near as one might think. However, he should not rejoice with glee so quickly; the fact that there is some reason to rejoice should not neutralize him to think that since there is good, the battle to put an end to the bad has concluded. The wrongs of the State, which it acts upon its own population and therefore puts its future in jeopardy, cannot be balanced out like some kind of national, political karma; the goods of the State do not exempt Israeli's from resisting the bad, and the presence of either one does not "break even," as in a poker game.
The illness of the society is tolerated, and this is not unique to Israeli society, as long as the society can still function. It is somewhat like a person who has a nagging toothache in the back of his mouth that gets progressively worst, but since it does not keep him from going on with his day, he finds a way to ignore the throbbing pain. Plus, how can you blame Israeli's? They have succeeded in building an entire social network and fully functioning system and economy and transportation industry; one thing that only Israeli's know is that even though the Palestinian issue is always in the back of their mind, there is a huge element of life and culture in Israel that is not dominated by the Palestinian/Arab rejection of the State of Israel. As long as the problem is kept relatively at bay and away from the eyes of the civilian population, we can allow ourselves to become anesthetized to the problems and pretend that they are not as bad as we fear they might be. Everyonce in a while the pain strikes, in the form of a terrorist attack, kidnapping, Qassam bombing, propaganda television broadcasts, or funnelled money, and the Palestinians bring the threat to the Israelis' front door where it cannot be ignored.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
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