Posted on 07/21/2008 11:19:28 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Israel has lived the past sixty years more intensively than any other country.
Its highs – the resurrection of a two-thousand year old state in 1948, history's most lopsided military victory in 1967, and the astonishing Entebbe hostage rescue in 1976 – have been triumphs of will and spirit that inspire the civilized world. Its lows have been self-imposed humiliations: unilateral retreat from Lebanon and evacuation of Joseph's Tomb, both in 2000; retreat from Gaza in 2005; defeat by Hizbullah in 2006; and the corpses-for-prisoners exchange with Hizbullah last week.
An outsider can only wonder at the contrast. How can the authors of exhilarating victories repeatedly bring such disgrace upon themselves, seemingly oblivious to the import of their actions?
One clue has to do with the dates. The highs took place during the state's first three decades, the lows occurred since 2000. Something profound has changed. The strategically brilliant but economically deficient early state has been replaced by the reverse. Yesteryear's spy masterminds, military geniuses, and political heavyweights have seemingly gone into high tech, leaving the state in the hands of corrupt, short-sighted mental midgets.
How else can one account for the cabinet meeting on June 29, when 22 out of 25 ministers voted in favor of releasing five live Arab terrorists, Samir al-Kuntar, 45, a psychopath, the most notorious prisoner in Israel's jails, plus 200 corpses? In return, Israel got the bodies of two Israel soldiers murdered by Hizbullah. Even The Washington Post wondered at this decision.
Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert's endorsed the deal on the grounds that it "will bring an end to this painful episode," a reference to retrieving the bodies of war dead and appeasing the hostages' families demand for closure. In themselves, both are honorable goals, but at what price?
(Excerpt) Read more at frontpagemagazine.com ...
I’d like to think they’ll put a Hellfire through his window one of these days. He’s got some payback coming. The article is pretty good. The current Israeli leadership seems particularly inept at war and politics. It’s a wonder that people like that could be elected to office under the conditions that Israel has been living under since 1948.
The only one I’ve seen lately that would allow me to sleep at night is Netanyahu. I think he, like a lot of Israeli politicians, has some corruption issues. They all seem to end up with mud on them sooner or later.
Israel has given a national home to a culture that has generated 165 Nobel prize winners, more than any nation except the United States.
I don’t care about Netanyahu’s corruption issues. I care about his surrendering land issues.
Netanyahu is absolutely the best man for the job. Probably the ONLY man at this time. I see him as Israel’s Ronald Reagan.
So, who does that leave that can protect Israel?
Nobody in the establishment. Salvation will come from the street, not Israel’s failed government. For now, I will use my vote to put in radicals that can’t do anything yet, but will at least harrass the establishment & provide an alternative voice.
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