|
By Ira Sharkansky
 JERUSALEM—It is not always pretty, what a country has to do in its defense.
To many observers who consider themselves the epitome of moral virtue, Israel is not pretty. Some Israelis agree with them. If there is a symmetry between Israel's self critics and those who think that Barack Obama is pro-Israel, they are somewhere around four percent of the Jewish population.
A larger percentage are uncomfortable with a recent statement by Minister of Defense Ehud Barak. He spoke to a group of high school students, many of whom were demanding greater action to obtain the release of Gilad Shalit, held prisoner in Gaza for more than three years. The audience included young men soon to be drafted, who felt that Israel should do everything in order to bring prisoners back home. A popular slogan is, "pay any price."
Barak said that some prices are too high. Freeing hundreds of murderers for the sake of one prisoner would make it likely that more than one Israeli would die as a result of the deal. Barak went on to say that life is tough in the Middle East, and that some soldiers do not come home.
Yet another insight to what Israel may do is the claim that the pirates who seized the Russian freighter alongside Europe and brought it to the Cape Verde Islands were Israeli security personnel. If true, this will upset good thinking, law-abiding
|
|
citizens of Israel and other places. The assessment is that a declared cargo of Russian lumber was actually a cargo of missiles on its way to Syria and/or Iran. In these kinds of operations, there may be a movie thriller in the theaters before it becomes certain that Israel, did, in fact, do it.
A not so pretty domestic story concerns those Ethiopian children of Petah Tikva.
News of them being barred from religious schools sent the rabbis into operation. They persuaded the schools to back down and accept Ethiopians. The pressure may have included the offer of a leading Sephardi rabbi to open his schools to the Ethiopians, thus showing up his Ashkenazi colleagues.
On the first day of school both municipal and Ministry of Education authorities announced a agreement.. Israel was saved from the labels of racism and apartheid, as least when used by individuals who stay reasonably close to realities.
On the second day of school the organization of Ethiopian parents announced that 30 children from the community still did not have a place in school. We may now be in the realm of how many Ethiopians each school has to admit, and a concern for not tipping the balance between pupils from strong backgrounds and those from weak backgrounds. Still to come may be allegations that Ethiopian children are in school, but not fully integrated into the classes and recreational programs with other students.
One hates to be a pessimist, but experience teaches caution before bringing on the full volume of applause.
Life goes on. It is good, but not perfect. Among the troubles are those who look upon us from a posture of moral purity.
Remember that I welcome comments.
|
|
