Cops & Bombers

Before we play cops and bombers, let's play the chutzpah game! Not yesterday's Jihad chutzpah game, rather the Israeli one - not as violent, but extremely frustrating and infuriating.

World Jewry often moans about the Israeli lack of service, lack of respect for the customer and the famous Israel bureaucracy. Maybe the word 'moans' actually derogates from the strong basis for their complaints.

ELAL has improved alot - slowly. At one stage (a long stage!) you received a bitter taste of Israel before you even arrived! But I digress...

I guess I'm a little perturbed that the local Gas Company cut off our street's gas for five days without warning. You call them to complain and they give some pass-off unhelpful comment. And then there's my friend who reported yesterday that she hasn't been paid for 2 months by the large organization she works for. No matter how much she and others call and complain, nothing moves... not as speedily as it should anyway.

What is it? Arrogance, lack of respect, no service training, hot summers, societal or terrorism tension? It might be all of these. I am a Zionist and an Israeli (and proud of being so) but I can not fathom this approach to people here and overseas (where Israelis are banned from some hostels in Thailand etc). We claim to be a nation that feels like a collective family of brothers and sisters. Indeed it often feels that way. It's a shame therefore that we can't improve our interpersonal relations just a little more.

As for the Palestinians, the humor of the situation continues to seep away. Take a look at this ridiculous scenario. How can we ever rely on Abbas and his forces while such laughable appointments are made?

Laughing? The entire Palestinian people should be outraged at the attempted bombing of BeerSheva's Soroka Hospital yesterday. This woman's misuse of her medical humantarian entry permit into Israel only weakens the average Palestinian's position and causes Israel to re-evaluate its issuing of such permits. There will be even stricter searches and subsequent delays at checkpoints and far less comfortable arragements for checks of Palestinian women. (Check out my favorite cartoon on my home page - that sums it up perfectly once again, sadly!)

Of course it proves the need for checkpoints, but over and above the justified Israeli "we told you so" claim to the world, the Palestinians should be berating the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and begging for all these terror games to stop. It's for their own good!

Gees, what were they thinking?