Why We Write.
To write to clarify.
To look back and to see what lies ahead
Look back at the wound
and anticipate the day when it is healed.
No matter if anyone else reads what you write, no matter if
anyone who reads about cares, nevertheless you write for yourself.
The comparison between King Saul and Bibi Netanyahu is
apt. We all know how King Saul was
overthrown and as for the “mad hatter” adage, there are many similarities. The question is who the David of our time
is. Bibi may have the passion and he may
have good intentions but let’s face it - he is bad for Israel and bad for the
future of the Middle East. Is it
American Jewry’s place to criticize the “internal” politics of Israel? Actually, I think it is, when the actions of
the leaders jeopardize the future of “our homeland”.
We do not doubt for a second the evil intentions of Iran
under the current leadership. They are dangerous
and must be stopped before it is too late.
A nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable. Period.
However, a unilateral Israeli strike at the Iranian nuclear facilities
won’t do any good. In the best case
scenario, the development of nuclear weapons is set back 3-4 years according to
observers. In other words, even in the
best case scenario the strike does not solve anything, just buys a little
time. In all but the best case scenario, the
consequences are less than ideal:
Increased strain between Israel and the US, regardless who’s in the
White House, increased (if possible) resentment towards Israel around the
world, retaliation attacks from Iran and/or other Mid East countries, an
unwelcome wave of sympathy towards the crazies in Teheran, and – given the
public opinion in Israel – a feeling of “we don’t matter, our leaders don’t
care what we think”. Opinion polls in Israel
show a clear opposition towards unilateral strikes at Iran.
In spite of all these scenarios, it looks like King Saul is
going to go ahead and do it anyway! I think it is incumbent upon all Jews around
the world to let Bibi know that he is not representing us if he implements this
plan! We don’t want to “roll-over” to Ahmadinejad. We don’t want him to succeed. But sanctions must be given a chance and must
be expanded. Energy should be directed
towards the governments, (Putin, China) which are supporting Iran.
The Americans – with the help of the Israelis – had a pretty
good plan – Stuxnet – until it was leaked.
But regardless, this is the kind of plan we should employ.
So, this took us away from “Why We Write”. Whether these words make one iota of
difference we still write. As Stuart
Schoffman writes:
“Still, we write. It
is a mirror to our nostrils, a sign of vitality, a declaration of identity. Not
to write is also a political act. It is humbug to pretend otherwise.”