See the positive

Submitted by Archimedes2 (Canada), Apr 7, 2008 at 12:30

Perhaps it is that I'm not Jewish but I see this as a positive development; yes, as an indictment of the failure of our governments it says something, but I think it is very smart to bring out these children, and not just because a bomb might land on their houses (which, in itself is a pretty good reason): It is because these kids become living testimony to the west of the nature of the situation in Palestine/Israel. \

There is an unreality in the way the conflict is being understood here, with too many pet political theories getting in the way of the grim truth. There's nothing like vulnerable children to underscore the evils of a totalitarian and bloodthirsty regime. I would go further. I wonder if some of these same homes would open their doors to young Palestinian (Gazan, that is) children caught in the conflict. If they did it would speak volumes on several fronts.

First, it would highlight the humanitarian nature of those who sympathize with the plight of Israel. Zionists have an undeserved bad image, due to careful spin-meistering by the anti-Israel crowd. How will they spin protecting your enemy's children? Second, it would give these kids a dose of reality: the Jews don't hate you. It would give a number of potential future jihadists a taste of the humanity of the enemy they are being trained to destroy. Could it be that their enemy is easier to love than those who would ask them to sell their lives to kill? It would also give them exposure to more universalistic values in the west, to compete with the effluent they are being served in Palestine.

Finally, it would take the steam out of the crazy fabrications about Israelis targetting Palestinian children that unfortunately have gained such currency in our media and social advocacy circles. I realise that this extra step would ask A LOT of such folk. My experience with Jews in the West, however, indicates that most have a very broad understanding of the way today's actions bear fruit tomorrow, and most have a genuine concern for others beyond the welfare of their own people.

This is one of the great assets of the diaspora, and if it can be harnessed to make a difference where it actually has a chance to have a lasting impact (unlike, say, building greenhouses or hospitals for Palestinians, which just get knocked down and desecrated, or giving them weapons for law enforcement, which later just get turned on innocent Jews).

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