I have never considered the IDF as credible or morally superior. A quick Google search yields a trove of disinformation by the Israeli government, such as war criminal Ariel Sharon label as a "Man of Peace" to a wall (1/6 the size of the Great Wall in China) labeled a "security fence", not to mention the Lavon Affair and USS Liberty...
By Uri Avnery
Whom do you believe?” asked General Ya’akov Amidror on TV with subdued anger, “the army spokesman or Hamas?”General (reserves) Amidror is the highest religious officer in our army. In the past he has raised several public storms with some utterances denigrating secular Israelis, saying that they are not real Jews. He has a sharp mind, much above the average in the army command, and his intellect is fully employed in serving his extremist views – both the extremist religious and the extremist nationalist ones.
His question was intended to be rhetorical. After all, the answer is self-evident: on one side there is the IDF, “the most moral and most humane army in the world,” as it calls itself, and on the other side there is a bunch of crazy murderers, so what’s the problem?
But, according to Amidror himself, the reverse is happening. The world believes Hamas and does not believe the IDF spokesman. The Israeli public believes Hamas. Even cabinet ministers and Knesset members believe Hams and do not believe the army spokesman.
(I found this article on Strike the Root, a wonderful site devoted to Truth and Liberty.)
Suicide bombers are wrong.
Otherwise, I believe the Palestinians, and in their cause. Which means I trust them more.
And by that, I mean - more than the Military Israeli Government. Israeli citizens I would imagine are afraid, and fear is a lever for overzealous governments to become expansionist and feed upon the cycle.
The whole situation needs a bit of distance and contemplation. There is simply no excuse for allowing a younger generation to die for an older generation's designs. I wish the Dalai Lama would go speak to the leaders, and that they would listen. Doubtful they would listen any more to a monk than a carpenter.
Posted by: Michael | October 28, 2003 at 06:58 PM
Jesus saves!
Posted by: Tim Matthew | April 08, 2005 at 09:32 PM