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Tuesday, September 4, 2007

BLOW THE SHOFAR SOFTLY...?

In eight days it will be ROSH HASHANNAH and our three soldiers are not home, nor has the rocketing of SDEROT come to an end; if anything, as ROSH HASHANNAH approaches, there has been a slow, steady crescendo of more rockets into ISRAEL. Just yesterday a SDEROT schoolyard was directly hit, and today the children will be kept home from school. What does it take for ISRAEL to perceive that it has been subjected to an act of war - again, and again, and again, and again!

Of course it can also be said that there has been a stady crescendo of Israeli action in GAZA....

In the past week HAMAS stated that negotiations to free Gilad Shalit broke down due to ISRAEL's failure to release 350 HAMAS prisoners from ISRAELI jails. ISRAEL responded that many of the 350 on the HAMAS list were guilty of direct, terrible violence against ISRAEL. Let us analyze the salient details:

(1) HAMAS could have freed Gilad Shalit unconditionally and thus made either (a) a profound symbolic statement of good will towards ISRAEL, or, (b) an humanitarian gesture towards ISRAEL [while continuing to ask the world for humanitarian gestures favoring GAZA].

HAMAS failed on both accounts.

(2) Israel could have unilaterally released 350 HAMAS prisoners to GAZA to match the 350 EL FATAH prisoners that ISRAEL released to SAMARIA/JUDEA, and in so doing, could have chosen to release to HAMAS only the least murderous; ISRAEL could have done so, thereby making a profound gesture of good will towards HAMAS [upon the announcement by HAMAS seeking to arrange for Gilad Shalit's release in the same way British journalist Alan Johnston was released].

ISRAEL did not and therefore failed as well on both possible accounts of simple good will and simple humanitarianism.

Now both HAMAS and ISRAEL can go on blaming each other!!

Or, perhaps in the mirroring of each other, HAMAS and ISRAEL can perceive the potential for positive communication!!

On ROSH HASHANNAH all ISRAEL should loudly blow the SHOFAR. There are eight days yet, till then. Much can happen.... Does ISRAEL have a reason to blow SHOFAR this year? There are four reasons ISRAEL should perhaps blow softly or not at all: SDEROT, GILAD SHALIT, EHUD GOLDWASSER, and ELDAD REGEV. On the other hand if ISRAEL resolves to do what is good to justify blowing the SHOFAR, then let ISRAEL blow loudly, and seal it's intentions on YOM KIPPUR!!