Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Israel: In case you've forgotten, there are extremists on both sides

Israeli police and troops smashed reinforced doors and dragged screaming, cursing, and object-throwing Jewish squatters out of an illegal settlement in Hebron early on Tuesday.

Is Mishteret Yisrael (the Israeli Police Force) the worst job in the world? If it's not Hamas or Hezbollah trying to blow you up or shoot you and your family, it's the Chabad-Lubavitchers throwing rocks and trash at you while you drag their cursing wives out of a shack in Bandit Country.

Oh, and by the way, there's still, you know, crimes to be solved. Burglaries, theft, drugs, etc. On top of all that other rubbish.

I hope those dudes are well paid.

I digress...

We tend to focus on Islamic extremists, since they're the ones doing most of the damage in Israel (and elsewhere, but that's another post or two). However, Jewish extremists are certainly contributing their fair share to the chaos. These are the people who believe there can be no compromise with the Palestinians, that the West Bank is, in fact, The True Promised Land, and that anyone who even thinks about handing places like Hebron over to the PA is out to destroy Israel.

There is no reasoning with people like this. Just as there is no reasoning with fans of Farfour, rational thought and the art of compromise are completely foreign concepts to these fundamentalists. They would sacrifice the rest of Israel, peace for their children, and the opnion of the world for their ideals.

It is sort of amusing that, if I fundamentally agreed with their points, I'd be lauding them for their efforts. And, there's quite a bit to be said for sticking to your guns and not taking the easy way out.

But, then we get back to the concept of defensible borders, a reduction in violence and confrontation, and, maybe, a chance at negotiation, finding common ground, cooperation, children able to go to school on their bicycles rather than in armored busses, and, perhaps, peace.

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