IDF officer killed near Immanuel
in gunfight with perpetrators of yesterday’s terrorist attack.
The Palestinians got it wrong
Yesterday I reread Stefan Sharkansky’s translation of that Die Zeit article from June 7th. It was posted on an Israeli forum and Bish sent it to me. (It does state the translator’s name, which is nice).
It reminded me once again of how much the Palestinian leaders misunderstand Israeli society and Israeli democracy. Unfortunately, the Israeli left’s naivete encouraged these misunderstandings. We seem to have made every mistake in the Middle East negotiation manual. No wonder the Palestinians thought we were such suckers.
“Yassir Arafat's change of direction can be retold like a chapter out
of a historical war epic. For the Palestinian witnesses are slowly beginning to
break their silence. They report on PA strategy sessions (requesting anonymity).
The meetings started even before the outbreak of the Intifada in the Fall of
2000 and apparently ended with the recommendation to launch terror.
One of these meetings occurred in February 2001, shortly before the elections in
Israel. It took place in Jerusalem's Orient House. Two scenarios were discussed.
Option One: Arafat's people would initiate a controlled uprising. The Intifada
had by then been going on for five months, with stones, shots, deaths. Yassir
Arafat had at the outset released jailed assailants and thereby showed that he
now tolerates the radical terror, and would use it. A strategy of murder that at the same time would be instated only in the occupied territories. The Israeli
Prime Minister would supposedly become unnerved and would be forced to
compromise.
Our wish is for Sharon to perpetrate a massacre
Not if Ariel Sharon is elected, countered the aides with Option Two. They
offered a different, putatively modern analysis. Because as Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon would never offer more than his predecessor Ehud Barak offered at the
Camp David negotiations in the previous year, a war would need to be launched.
Was it not shown just a few months earlier that Israel can be defeated? This is
how the group interpreted Israel's retreat from Lebanon. Israelis are incapable
of suffering and would not tolerate ongoing losses. The invisible suicide bomber
is the weapon that would strike at the heart of this mollycoddled western
society. The aides felt this theory would be an even better solution for a
hard-line Prime Minister. If Sharon were sufficiently provoked he would strike
back with brutal force. Arafat's personal troops, the Al-Aksa Brigades, stood
ready. One cynic, placed very high up in the Palestinian hierarchy, said at the
time "Our wish is for Sharon to perpetrate a massacre" After that the "Kosovo
model" should go into action. The world, disgusted at Israel, would hurry to the
rescue. In the end international troops would be stationed in the Holy Land and
protect the new Palestinian state. Even heretofore moderate Palestinians climbed
on board this tragic, feverish dream.”
Boy, did Sharon ever fool them!
When I talk about the Israeli left, I’m talking about ME. I was just as starry-eyed as the rest of them, blinded by euphoria over the “New Middle East”.
Well, that’s over and done with.
But one thing hasn’t changed. Most Israelis still yearn for peace (although it’s no longer with a capital “P”), and are prepared for painful compromise. But not out of weakness, never in surrender or submission. And not one minute before it is completely clear to each and every last Palestinian, and all of the Arab world, that Israel is a strong, durable society and that there’s no getting rid of us. And they can stuff “world opinion”. The “world” doesn’t have to live here with them.
Jenin, again.
Ze'ev Schiff explains in Haaretz how the Jenin massacre myth came about.
Tisha B’Av
Tonight is the beginning of the Jewish holy day commemorating the destruction of the temple. It’s a day usually actively ignored in disgust by secular Jews like myself. Just another opportunity to get annoyed with religious Jews who demand we all close all restaurants, coffee shops, nightclubs, cinemas and anything else enjoyable you can think of. Many secular Jews feel uncomfortable with the idea of the temple, which was a place of ritual animal sacrifice. Also, there are some scary fundamentalist nuts that want to rebuild the temple and keep stirring up trouble. A bit off putting, no?
But I think we secular Jews shouldn’t be so eager to ignore this day and the lessons of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel in ancient times and how it all ended. It may have relevance to our life here today and is worthy of our attention.
European lefties and Arab publicists quip that Israel is just an American colony in the Middle East. Many Israelis would react to that with “We wish…” But we don’t really (no offense to our American friends, may God bless them all). Those Europeans can’t understand why we can’t accept a bi-national state here. That’s why they think we’re racist bastards. But we really can’t (and aren’t). Not just because the Palestinians and us have major differences in philosophy and values. Even if we were sharing this place with a bunch of meek, peace loving Scandinavians (no offense to any unmeek, unpeace loving Scandinavians who may be reading this), we would still need our Jewish state.
Why? Because of countless years of being homeless and persecuted. We’re tired of being pushed around. We want to dwell “safely, every man (and woman) under his (her) vine and under his (her) fig tree.” We need to be able to determine our own fate, for a change.
That’s why Tisha B’Av should be of interest to us secular Jews, too. Because we had all that once and we lost it. Maybe we could learn from our mistakes and do it better this time around.
Bish will, no doubt, say he’d rather have some blonde Scandinavians. Me, I prefer the dark dangerous type.