Speaking to my good friend this morning, "The Holy Hyrax", he expressed dismay at some of the crucial issues in Israel.We summed it up that Israel has very little common denominator for its citizens -- which makes it very difficult to rally around any single idea.
On the flip side, Holy Hyrax gushed on about the wonderful spirit in America today, that despite political differences, Americans in general would like to rally around the new president elect, and are hoping for a better future.
Unfortunately, Israel has a lot to learn from America.
Perhaps the single person in Israel who is supposed to be a unifying factor is the President of Israel. While even the Chief Rabbinate is sectarian with separate Ashkenazi and Sephardi Chief Rabbis, there is only one President of Israel, and more than anyone else, the Israeli Presidency is supposed to be about unity.
Failing to grasp the simple concept of "unity", Israel's President Shimon Peres continues to spew rhetoric "in memory of Yitzchak Rabin", when in reality, its simply a political springboard to further his own politics (and bash opponents).
His latest vulgarity is probably the worst:
On the recent victory of US President-elect Barack Obama, Peres said he was "happy"... Obama's victory, according to the president [Peres], was a "moral victory" over racism, and the likes of "Hitler and Nazis." (Jerusalem Post)While there may be liberal wackos in the US who think like that, I doubt that any serious politician is crass, obtuse or stupid enough to actually make such a brainless comparison...let alone the President of Israel.
Yet Shimon Peres is not only clueless on the spirit of American democracy and unity, his blind attempts to continue to seed hatred and disunity within Israel leaves one speechless.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
