I am appalled. I am dismayed. I am flabbergasted at the display I am witnessing out of Israel. Many of us in America fantasize about having Prime Minister Netanyahu as our Commander-in-Chief. We see "Bibi's" unadulterated love for his country and for his people. In stark contrast, we see Barack Obama's open contempt for our own, and we pine for a leader like Israel's.
Hearing Mr. Danon's pronouncement that "'Bibi' has lost his way" was stunning. How old is Mr. Danon? How dare he portray the Prime Minister as a doddering old fool who somehow needs his guidance? But his is not the only voice I am hearing. I understand there are those MKs who aspire to the job of prime minister. God only knows why; being the leader of Israel is by far the most thankless job on planet Earth. But the chorus is also coming from the rank-and-file. Citizens who are angry, and frustrated, and tired of the endless barrage of attacks. That reaction is completely understandable.
What amazes me is the level of testosterone at present. It seems everyone wants to bomb someone or something, which is human under the circumstances. I am fascinated by biology; evidently when testosterone begins to flow, it short-circuits the brain. Exactly who or what should be bombed? I have had this discussion many times with Israelis on Twitter, and the answers are pretty evenly divided between Gaza and Iran, so I will address both.
I admit to one of my shortcomings: I have no love for the "Palestinians". It is true that their incessant whining, pity-partying, and victim mentality have not endeared me to them, but my real problem is the despicable display I saw from them on 9/11. I will never forget it. Nevertheless, I do not wish to see innocent civilians die if it is at all avoidable. The question is how to determine who is "innocent". Conversely, how can Israel know with certainty who all the terrorists are in Gaza and distinguish them from whatever "innocent civilians" there may be? Blow Gaza off the map? It works for me. Annex Gaza by force? That works for me as well. But those are my own emotional reactions, and both options are unwise and inherently dangerous. I will explain why right after I mention Iran.
So, it is finally time to attack. After years and years of saber-rattling back and forth between Iran and Israel, things are about to reach a head. For the past two decades, Prime Minister has been called a "hawk" and a "war-monger". He just wants to nuke everyone. The man is dangerous. He is a fanatical, blood-thirsty Zionist. People are afraid of him. At least they were until now. Now that the bloodlust is strong. Now the Prime Minister is weak. He is "chickenshit". He has no guts. He "has lost his way". No, he has not, nor has he changed. No one sane wants to see Israel pull this trigger, because anyone who is sane understands the deadly repercussions of this act. Do people think that Hezbollah is just going to sit on the sidelines and watch? What about Russia? Even North Korea? None of the groups who have aligned themselves with Iran will have any reaction whatsoever? Who cares, right?
What about the international community? Immediately Israelis bristle. Who gives a damn about the international community? The United Nations can go to hell. For that matter, so can the United States. I do not disagree with those sentiments. However, as I study I am learning, and I have learned that for Israel's survival world opinion is crucial. Rather than expound at length over what I have previously stated, please see my last post entitled Why I Must Go Back on My Word for a detailed explanation. In short, without at least some portion of the world on Israel's side, she is a sitting duck and ripe for the taking.
I remember after 9/11 my unrelenting (what President Bush called) "bloodlust". I wanted to see something blow up besides the World Trade Center, and I really did not care what. When POTUS said Afghanistan, I said, "Turn it into the New Grand Canyon"! "Nuke it!" I could not have cared less about "innocent civilians", and when the media began making note of such casualties I was angry. "Innocent civilians"? I just watched 3,000 innocent civilians turned into a dust cloud! Who cares?!
But, in retrospect, now that things have calmed, I realize it is a good thing I was not president. What I wanted was understandable, but it was wrong. George W. Bush was not driven by my testosterone. Dearest Israel, neither should Prime Minister Netanyahu be driven by yours.
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