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After the Flotilla: Crisis and Opportunity

(Shalom Hartman Institute) Tal Becker - As more and more facts emerge about what took place aboard the Marmara, the identity of some of its members, and their violent agenda, many Israelis and their supporters feel at once more vindicated and more outraged at the ferocity of the international criticism that was unleashed. Many Israelis felt - more palpably than in decades - that it was not only Gaza that was under a kind of siege, but Israel itself. Many were astonished not just by the hypocrisy and fury of Israel's critics, but by the estrangement from some of its erstwhile friends. Israel, it seemed, belonged to a special category of "guilty before proven guilty." Israel has always had, and will always have, its detractors and its enemies. But the question is whether we have the imagination and the passion to develop a range of responses that prevent the advocates of delegitimization from dictating the agenda. Perhaps we will have the wisdom to see that Israel's adversaries are turning the revival of Jewish and Zionist identity from an aspiration into an imperative. Perhaps their assault on Israel's legitimacy can help renew our own dedication to Israel's calling as a vibrant Jewish and democratic state, one that is a source of pride and meaning for Jews everywhere and a source of inspiration, leadership, and moral example for the world. Israel needs to focus on inspiring confidence in the sincerity of its intentions, the morality of its motives, and the integrity of its actions. Israel needs a reputation that gives it the benefit of the doubt. It needs for serious people to be able to testify to the country's wisdom, reason, and moral integrity and to affirm with certainty that these qualities will be brought to bear in grappling with the painful dilemmas that Israel faces. The writer, former legal advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute.
2010-06-16 07:40:46
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