miasmatic
Reader comment on item: Who Won in Israel's Elections?

Submitted by John W. McGinley (United States), Feb 11, 2009 at 17:31

Lieberman's proposal concerning Arabs living is Israel is a reasonable one. But the Israeli left and left/center will never allow his proposal to become law. Israel has been in an identity crisis for at least thirty years. Too many Israelis are happy to be children of the Enlightenment who happen to be of Jewish pedigree rather than children of the Covenant first, last, and always. The two are not incompatible; but the latter must take pecedence over the former if Israel is to survive. Israel will survive as a Jewish state or it will not survive at all.

Israel could take a lesson from Iran. I am under no illusion that Iran is a model democrary. Quite to the contrary. But Iran DOES not equivicate about its identity. It refers to itself as an "Islamic Republic." Israel would do well to imitate Iran in this matter.

But it ain't gonna happen. The real threat to the survival of Israel as a Jewish state is not from its Arab population altough such is, under the present conditions, something which is problematic. The real threat to the survival of Israel as a Jewish state comes from secular Jews whose primary allegiance is to the Enlightenment. The whole thing is miasmatic and depressing.

Even so and paradoxically, miasma sometimes breeds the conditions for a great fertiliy. In the meantime all Israel can do is to muddle thorugh, playing for time. Something good and hopeful is around the corner; but it is not yet seen. It probably will entail a high degree of suffering for it to appear. But it is coming.

John W. McGinley

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