# 192 – Is Your Enemy My Enemy?

August 20, 2011

First of all, please do check out the attached link.

The article is a reminder of what I’ve been trying to get through to people for years: this country is NOT a tyrant, does NOT have empirical desires. Leave it alone and it will leave you alone…

The 3 videos are interesting:

1. Bibi (Netanyahu) is NOT the country’s favourite. And he really screwed himself when he said that, in all the Middle East, the only country which is stable, no protests etc., is Israel. What he of course should have said is that if/when we protest, we do it peacefully.

1. The 2^nd video is just an invite to a central protest – it was a big success.

2. This one is what you should really look at. THIS is how Israel society protests. Arabs, Jews, educated, religious, professionals, mums and dads, all together as one.

Ever since I have been coming to Israel, let alone live here, I have said “God help Israel when there’s peace”. Well, many years ago, I actually thought peace was a coming possibility. I’m not so sure now. So the statement is more wishful today than it ever was. But I did see that the external problems were ‘helping’ us smooth over the so many problems we have internally.

This is a relatively new country, made up of enormous immigration, surrounded by enemies. It is incredible what Israel HAS achieved. But the problems are there – and the current protests expose this. The people are starting to ask for some payback after all they have invested in this place. Blaming the situation on external problems does not work anymore.

We KNOW that corruption, ultra-Capitalism and gross mishandling of the economy are cheating the decent people out of what is due to them.

This should NOT be the most expensive place to get a Big Mac.

Lybia

Just been watching Alex Crawford’s Sky report from the centre of Zawiyah, now retaken by the rebels. Watching them screaming ‘Alu Akhbar’ as they fire their guns into the air (who pays for the bullets!) does not automatically bring me tears of hope.

Syria

The World appears to be ganging up against Assad. His forces attacked a Palestinian refugee camp. Again, no tears of hope. (Yes, I do have tears left…). And did anyone ask what a refugee camp is doing there, after 44 years? Do the Palestinians now love us because we have been warning against the Syrian regime for so long. Will they run to us and fight with us, side by side?

Egypt

Mubarak is out. Are we all happy? Well, as usual Israel has been sitting on its hands (as we did against Saddam Hussein, while the Scuds rained down on us). In the meantime, (some) anarchy has broken out. Sinai may seem to you and me to be a nice holiday resort. But for others, it is a desert wilderness, inhabited by Bedouins who run illegal trafficking organisations, now almost at will.

Terrorist groups have moved in, no longer restricted by the hand of Mubarak. Palestinians from Gaza (Hamas) have found a wonderful way to get at Israel: just cross the porous border to Egyptian Sinai (now we regret giving it back) and …there’s Israel, protected by a very thin 240 km. border.

For those of you who have criticised Israel’s security fence with the Palestinians, which I claim have saved hundreds of Israeli lives, including my daughters’, well, hold your breath. The 50km. fence currently in position will be extended to the whole  240 km.  Who needs terrorism?

Terrorism

We were getting slightly used to peace and quiet. (‘Sheket ve Shelva’ in Hebrew – among the first words I ever learnt). Thanks to the ‘Arab uprising’ / ‘Arab Spring’, ousting of Mubarak, we now have anarchy in Sinai and death in Israel.

What do you suggest we do now?

What would the Norwegians do? (Sorry, it’s a sensitive subject, I know. But there HAS to be an element of ‘We know what they are going through’ here).

I suppose it was just a matter for time before the Arab uprising reached here….

We can be proud of the format of the Israeli uprising.

We are devastated by the terrorism.

Stephen