Alon Shuster
March 20, 2008
In recent weeks we marked the seventh anniversary of the bombardment of Nahal Oz, an event that started the artillery war launched at us by our Palestinian neighbors from the Gaza Strip.
Those very difficult seven years are an experience that few, if any, democratic nations have undergone — a prolonged war whose end is nowhere in sight. A war where each side is battened down in an ideological divide that refuses to be bridged.
Despite our military strength, the restraint that the State of Israel exercises and the moral constraints we apply to ourselves have prevented us from vanquishing our enemy.
The central cause of the dejection that has overtaken the general public is the feeling that this never-ending conflict is pointless and has no goal.
If it was a marginal conflict, we could have abandoned it and looked for more success in different fields — scientific achievements, the quality of society, education, or the quality of life.
But what’s happening here is more than some esoteric argument between neighbors. These methodical terrorists aim to uproot us from our homes, our country. At the very least, some of them are willing to consider a binational state — the end of the Zionist enterprise as we know it. Since this is the way things are, we must strive to reach agreement within our own camp over the common goal so we can withstand the threat and continue our way of life despite all the difficulties it entails.
What we must do at this time is get back to the root of the matter, to the reason why we are living here: our parents’ belief in Zionism, a movement that spurred the return of Jews to their historical land.
The Zionism that we believe in embraced advanced social ideas, liberalism, and socialism, aimed at the triumph of human values over oppression and discrimination.
Our Zionism strives to find new ways of developing Jewish culture. It broadens the circle of Jewish life in the private and public space. Our Zionism adheres to democratic principles and their application in everyday life.
These foundations — built on the search for what is good, decent, and elevated — are what give us the depth and robustness needed to withstand the murderous fanaticism of some of our neighbors.
Politicians will do their work. The generals will act as they think best.
And we, the general public, will contribute our share to strengthening that eternal chain of the Jewish people, by returning now and then to the eternal words of Psalm 34:
What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Alon Shuster, a resident of Kibbutz Mefalsim, Israel, is mayor of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council.
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