http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSPZjdEtfS4
Every person and every country has good and bad. Me mother always used to say "'There is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us, that it ill behooves any of us to talk about the rest of us." However, the truth will set us free. Being honest about our weaknesses will help us over come them. Rage and denial never heals anything.
The politically incorrect stereotype is that Jews are misers with money. They say the same about us Scots. Most people who are good with money are. Unfortunately I’m only part Scottish. I’m not very good with money.
There is however, there is a line between being good with money and being dishonest in business. When I went to Israel many years ago I was but a wee lad. It was before credit cards were common and well before direct debit. I had money in a bank account and my parents would wire me my money along my travels around the world. Wiring money into Egypt was easy. Wiring money into Israel was not.
For some obscure reason Israel was one of the few countries the bank would not wire money to from Canada. I had no idea why. Well we persisted as I had run out of funds. I was working on a kibbutz to pay my room and board but needed money to move on so to speak. Each week I’d have a day off and phone the bank in Jerusalem. I would ask is my money there yet and they would say no. This went on week after week and I began to get frustrated.
Finally I did all my homework and had all the numbers ready to quote. I made the weekly call asking for my money and got the same answer sorry it’s not here. Then I said Oh really. Well this is the date it was sent from Canada and this is the date you received it and this is the transaction number. There was silence then the response. Oh yes, hear it is. It’s been waiting here for you all along. Why haven’t you come to pick it up? Instead of raging on her for lying to me I simply said fine, I’ll be right there and picked it up.
I’m not sure if the banking industry in Israel is well known for it’s honesty in business. Don’t get me started on Larry Sliverstein. In my opinion that man is a devil. Nothing more, nothing less.
Israel got some bad press not long ago when their president had to step down over sexual harassment allegations. I’m not aware of the merits of the case. Sexual harassment could be a sarcastic comment, a slap on the ass or outright stalking and extortion. However, some allegations are false as well.
Like I said I don’t know about the merits of the case but I do know there is good and bad in everyone. We need to be honest about our mistakes or we will never over come them.
I will liken Palestine to Ireland. The IRA had good and bad. In the beginning Michael Collins helped raise up an army to fight for freedom. However, the first day I arrived in Dublin many years ago, the IRA had kidnapped a dentist and sent his fingers to his family in the mail with the ransom note. That was down right deranged. There was nothing noble or good in that.
Likewise, nobody likes to see the Palestinians oppressed. However the world view on terrorism is not very tolerant. In Ireland the IRA would gain public support when they hit military outlets and lose public support when they hit civilian targets. It was that simple.
Likewise when Palestinians endorse and support terrorism the world’s knee jerk reaction is kick their ass. Throwing candies in the air and celebrating when civilians die in terrorist attacks is just plain deranged.
I met a good man who was a Muslim Palestinian living in Palestine. He lived on what was called the Oasis of Peace. A multicultural community based on the freedom of religion where Jews and Palestinians coexisted in peace. He explained to me the problematic nature of the conflict.
Israel is by definition is a Jewish state. Although he lived in Israel he could never get an Israeli passport because he was a Palestinian. If he was allowed to become an Israeli citizen he would have to serve in the army which would be very problematic for both. That is why Israel avoids that problem by not making Palestinians citizens of Israel.
Although it solves the military service problem it creates other problems about democracy, autonomy and citizenship. The whole concept of Israel being a Jewish state was very strange for me. I understand what they are trying to accomplish but I’m used to a constitution or Charter of Rights where human rights and religious freedom is guaranteed. South of the 49 they get pretty outraged over taxation without representation. Don’t Palestinians working in Israel pay taxes?
Could Israel become a multicultural society were human rights and religious freedom is guaranteed by a constitution? Internationally I think the concept of forming a Muslim sate is just as problematic as forming a Jewish, Christian or a Buddhist state. How can Israel govern the land when nonJews cannot become citizens and serve in government? How can Israel let nonJews become citizens without creating a dilemma over military service? These questions I don’t know the answer to. All I know is forming a Muslim state is just as problematic as forming a Jewish state.
Perhaps some would gleam and suggest we form a Communist state to which I shudder. Lenin outlawed religion. In my opinion that is not a solution. It violates democracy and human rights. So what we have now is a dilemma and a mess but clearly the Oasis of Peace is a model to start from: http://nswas.org/
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