What happens to a people when the world’s press maintains a constant barrage of anti-personal missives and anti-Semitism becomes increasingly mainstream and unobjectionable?
And what happens to a people when they feel like the world just wants them to disappear and go away and has no concern for the lives of Jewish men, women, and children?
Is there a threshold beyond which the entire population surrenders to despair?
I am very fearful for Israel. It is still a democracy. Yet where are the people? Why are they not marching through the streets of Jerusalem or Tel Aviv in the hundreds of thousands, demanding their government do something to stop the reign of terror that they have been told repeatedly is their inevitable lot?
Why are the Israelis not enraged with their own government’s fecklessness?
Breath of the Beast expands,
Israel is still a democracy but the government of the moment is self-destructive to the point of suicide. If the people do not shake off the deadly effects of compromise and insist on a new civilian leader to replace Olmert and jolt Israel out of her paralysis, the confined and frustrated military might at some point elect to save the country on their own authority- A latter day Saul or David may arise. I pray that this is not necessary. It is not a good prospect but it is preferable to annihilation. It is not too late- YET.
Siggy replies
While the current political images from Israel are bleak, it bears remembering that far greater forces than the dysfunctional Palestinians have tried to eliminate the Jews. History has shown that while Jews may show up to the fight late and at times ill prepared, in the end they will prevail. They will fight not only for themselves, but they will fight for their legacy. Every year at the Passover feast, Jews are asked to celebrate the seder meal ‘As if they themselves were brought forth from slavery to freedom.’ The same is true as they memorialize the destruction of the Temple- for each new generation, the loss is fresh and new.
In today’s podcast Siggy discussed the subject of the Palestinian war against Israel. You can listen to it here.
UPDATE
Hamas Admits to Using Women & Children As Human Shields
SW, did you see the enormous crowds in Rabin Square, right after the first part of the Winograd report came out, demanding that Olmert resign? It was in April.
How about the many demonstrations by settlers, both in Gaza and the West Bank, which have been put down by force?
How about the enormous crowds at the Kotel a few years ago when East Jerusalem was on the table.
Yes there have been hundreds and thousands.
Fausta, I went over to SW blog and left a few comments. This condescending handwringing is one of the attitudes which push my buttons.
And that canard “why did the Jews go willingly into the gas chambers?” (from a commenter) needs to be debunked and countered just as forcefully as the other slanders.