# 190 – Every Dark Side has a Bright Side

August 1, 2011

I wrote the first part of this a day or so after the Norwegian tragedy. I delayed sending, as I had some pictures to add.

So bear with me if there is a little ‘hindsight’ included……

Every dark side has a bright side.

Many Israelis hide a slightly ‘dark’ side. It is the very spontaneous initial reaction to the first news of a terrorist attack in Norway. There’s a flicker of a smile of satisfaction. The Scandinavians are so critical of Israel, so blind to Israel’s undeserved problems since the very day it was founded. Now they shall have inkling of ‘what it is like’.

As the details emerge, such feelings are replaced by horror, and a need to show support and sympathy with the Norwegian people.

But…..a day later…

* This morning there was (still is?) a terrorist alert at Oslo’s central station. An abandoned suitcase…I saw pics of panic – and calm. Yes, calm. Now, imagine 63 years of attacks. And remember: Western/Christian terrorists are rarely if ever are suicide killers. (‘Ours’ usually favor suicide (thanks to some stupid promise by the Imams). Also, just now, there is news of the death of the mayor of Kandahar in Afghanistan, killed by a suicide bomber who concealed the explosives IN HIS TURBAN! And you wonder how we remain calm….

* Note that this blond idiot did not kill the ‘hated Muslims’, but targeted those ‘Leftists’ who favour integration and multiple-culturalism. These are the same good, decent socialists who identify closely with the Palestinians. In fact, part of the discussions to be held on Utoya Island were to focus on pro-Palestinian subjects. In Israel the people who have terrorised us are closely related to the very target of Anders Brevik’s manifesto against Islam.

When you’ve worked that out, when you’ve found a way to avoid fear and bring calm – to us all – let me know.

This subject is so sensitive. Any comment can bring out unpredictable reactions. Norway’s Ambassador to Israel decided to compare the Anders Brevik attack with terrorism in Israel, implying that Israel were ‘more to blame’ or ‘more deserving’ of such attacks, due to the ‘occupation’. Well, goodbye Mr. Ambassador. Need I say more?

Now for the bright side….

I’m writing this from Heaven – a place in the North of Israel called Mitzpe Yamin (View of the Seas). This has got to be the most attractive hotel resort in the country. But more about that in the next Letter.

Last week, I went on an early morning bike ride through the park with a good friend of mine. Amit is my brother-in-law’s brother, an ex-pilot, and now a dedicated grandfather.

When we ride, he can’t avoid a) pointing out every plane that flies overhead, explaining the reason for banking, the type of plane, and the similarity in manoeuvring to the birds we see – and b) he takes more photos than I do…as you will now see..

This strange-looking bird – I am sure some of you know what it is – is related to the white one in the pic. with the fisherman (and in the water in the next photo). Both are called ‘anafa’ in Hebrew – ‘anafot’ in the plural. These grey ones have a single white plume hanging behind their heads, which looks more like a porcupine’s single quill. (I’ll take a clearer pic. next time).

The nest in the trees was built by….can you guess?….green parrots. We have many of them in the Hayarkon Park, making quite a racket. Not sure why Amit did not snap any pics on this trip, but they are there….

There’s sailing, rowing, canoeing, kayaking etc. on the river. The ‘gondola’ on the left is quite new, part of te rowing club’s way of attracting more enthusiasts.
And this blurred image is a…’dukifat’ in Hebrew. Such a cute thing. Surely related to the woodpecker. My late father-in-law’s favourite bird.

Dear Norway, I hope this is the beginning and end of your suffering. I hope you are able to go back to the fjord-filled world you have been inhabiting. But if this does ‘change’ your life, may you learn to face it the way this decent country has faced literally hundreds of such attacks….by still appreciating the ‘nice things in life’.

Stephen