Dumb and Dumber and Just Sad

Like the Jim Carrey 1994 movie, our little country is showing that while we're not all dumb, some of us are a little silly and stupid. But at the end of the day, it's just plain sad.

I sat with my wife last night and we watched Channel 10's review of Disengagement: Day One.
Frankly, I think I'll stick to the rugby week in review in future.

Sad is too lesser word to explain the feelings involved. For those of you who take interest in what is going on but live outside Israel, count your lucky beans (or stars) that you can not see all the coverage. Still, I imagine that those who are concerned are using the internet to experience the Disengagement pain. Have you seen the IsraelReporter? The site includes amazing video coverage from a personal video camera in Gush Katif. Ynet also has some difficult TV coverage - see here for confrontations in a Neve Dekalim synagogue on Thursday.

It hurts to see the residents in emotional pain and it hurts to see our IDF and police forces straining under the mental and physical trauma. Blue or orange, green or white - it hurts.

I'm not the only one who has been impressed with the restraint shown by all sides. For sure, there have been soldiers convicted of looting houses, there has been one stabbing of a soldier by a female resident and some pushing and struggling. At the same time though, we've seen soldiers sitting and singing Zionist songs with residents and at one time, police and residents stood and sang Hatikva together. Truly amazing.

Most of the more extreme actions that we are witnessing are reflections of fear, sadness, anger and a sense of betrayal. The burning of houses and yishuv gates, egg throwing and dangling children from windows. All of these represent people brimful with frustration. Could we expect any less from people who feel such pain? I encourage you to read the comment added by Ash to my last posting. The emotional but generally non-violent protests stand proudly in comparison to so many other world societies.

My hope is that the threats and emotions now being expressed at this hour in Shirat HaYam will not spiral out of control.

All that aside, I fail to fathom the actions
of Asher Weissganin in Shilo yesterday. I appreciate
(and many Israelis) appreciate his feelings. Still, killing innocent Palestinians, (let alone ones you are friends with) is simply dumb - dumber than dumb even. The photo in the Haaretz article reminds us how children and innocents on all sides suffer and in this case, there are really no distinctions to be made.

And yet, I continue to deplore the 'labelling' that exists in that Haaretz opinion piece and the ridiculous, naive suggestion that the blood of the Israeli victims of future attacks by Palestinian terror groups will fall on the heads Weissganin and Eden Natan-Zada. Yes, as if the Palestinian terror movements would refrain otherwise! The Jewish attacks simply boost Hamas eternal Palestinian effort to justify their attacks. Other than that, there is no logical connection.

Even if these Jewish attacks manage to spark Arab riots or a string of terror attacks, this probably would not succeed in halting the disengagement. When it comes down to it, it simply allows anti-Semites and anti-Israel folk the perfect opportunity to equate all settlers and orange flag bearers with Palestinian terrorists. It also reduces sympathy for those in orange and leaves his own children (in the case of Weissganin) without a father for the rest of their lives.

Here's hoping that they'll be no more violence and no more pain in this Land and that soon, the blood and tears will step aside again and be replaced by the sweet flow of milk and honey only.