Of course Israeli Government screwed up royally a number of times, screwing up and having a policy of screwing up are different. I was actually in the US when that ship was attacked during the 67 war, the only information I had was from "Walter Cronkite", and he stated that the ship was in the wrong place at the wrong time. No big consolation to the families of the sailors lost.
As for the cause of the Palestinian angst, it is the State of Israel itself, but frankly, without it, they would probably be part of the Hashemite Kingdom (as they were in the years 1950 to 1967). Now, they can do the best from what they consider a bad situation, and my point is that the sooner they do it the better they are. They could have done it in 1947 and today be a prosperous country just as Israel is, 50 years wasted. The current leadership is preparing them for another 50 years of misery, that is really my main point. There is only a small minority in Israel that really believes that Israel should span both sides of the Jordan, and once facts in the field (peace and cooperation between the two entities) this minority will be no more than our own various "milizia" here in the US, some fringe groups that need be controlled.
By the way, none of us is "with nothing at stake", every time you allow terrorism to dictate the terms, you pay a dear price, not just Pan-Am 202, but bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, the failed attempt to smuggle a bomb through Canada last year, it was destined to be a special year 2000 present, and many other terrorist plots that were foiled. The fact that you have to pass extreme security measures at airports is one of the prices we all pay, we are all involved. If you accept these infringements on your freedom without anger, the state will make sure you accept further limitations on your freedom.
Zeev
Zeev |
