"Two very different societies"

Mentioning that an article posted at VDH's website is a must-read verges on a truism, but Gaza and Victory? is a very good reminder that these are indeed "two very different societies":

Both sides fight, but not for the same reasons. Israel fights to preserve its democracy; Hamas fights to establish theocracy. Israeli politicians seek public support by promising solutions and calm; Palestinian leaders do so by pledging struggle and martyrdom. Israelis are saddened when their army causes injury to innocent Palestinians and prosecute their soldiers who violate the law. Palestinians greet atrocities carried out in their honor with cheers, rationalization, and fireworks (or, as on 9/11, they hand out sweets). If Israelis march in the streets, they brandish placards; if Palestinians pour into the streets, expect automatic weapons.

He closes his piece as follows:

For disengagement cannot bring peace; the withdrawal is from the land, not the struggle. Nothing can bring Israel peace until Palestinian terrorism is routed. Victory precedes peace, and it is on victory that Israel must now concentrate.

Indeed it must. And all friends of Israel should thank him for this moral clarity and courage. Given that Joey Tartakovsky is the Assistant Editor of the outstanding and irreplaceable Claremont Review of Books, one would expect no less.



(Cross-posted at Students Supporting a Secure Israel)