Rant++

[arpad]

Burg got his minute of fame in New Yorker. Funny, but his story makes me not gloomy, but optimistic. In a way.

Israelis are stretched between family, army and multitude of jobs. Rift between orthodox and secular society, rifts between Jewish communities, Arab minority, outside enemies, tax burden, crisis of elite, corruption, et cetera. Makes one feel awful.

But when I read all that fuss about Burg - I understand that outside world don't know a thing about real Israel. Holocaust-obsessed, militaristic and xenophobic - that's the line that Burg is selling there.

Those who listen to him can't grasp that majority of people voting for Israel left had served in the army. They don't know that the best antidote from militarism is to have real enemies - you understand first-hand that army can only protect you to some degree, not solve any problems for you. They never saw Israel youth that can be called anything, but xenophobic. And difference between remembering Holocaust and being obsessed by it is something you can't explain to them.

And I see that our problems - are problems of real life.


1963 Ben-Gurion vs. Nasser

We did impossible task of rising a country from the ashes of thousand years long exile. We did it on barren land devoid of oil, surrounded by enemies, in spite of worst massacre in our history. And we didn't turned into fanatics. We didn't succumbed to socialist ideas. We didn't become a backward country struggling for survival.

We are here. Changing, growing, developing.

And of course we have a hell lot of problems. But it is an only way to have a future.

Comments

[arpad.livejournal.com]

I won't discuss endless issues of our rights to this land. But when talking about "occupation" one should remember that Palestine of Mandate times is Jewish land at least at same degree as it is an Arab land.

From international law viewpoint we have UN partition decision of 1947 that was accepted by Israel and rejected by all its neighbors. Since 1948 we have no "rights" here. We have a war. In 1967 Israel had no peace with any of its neighbors, but cease fire agreements. And Palestine was just as "occupied" by Jordan and Egypt.

Do you really tell me that in 1948 we should have become slaves again? Just to avoid these ungainly military adventures and bad opinion of outside world? I believe not.

Wars can and should end in peace with your former enemy. But the only way to achieve this peace is being both - strong and open to dialog when it possible. We made peace with Egypt and Jordan. And we will make it with our other neighbors when they come to their senses.

From history viewpoint I can mention India and Pakistan being in war since the end of colonial rule. But somehow neither country got an "occupation power" label, though India still "occupies" Kashmir in the eyes of Pakistan. Now they even reached something like cold peace.

So we just accept their past and hope that they will resolve their differences. One should try to think about Israel and its neighbors in same way.

Cause calling one side in conflict "occupying power" is a total BS, pardon my French...