It never ceases to amaze me what Ehud Olmert and his ruling party will attempt to give away for this illusory image of “peace”. Last week, Olmert was offering to give away my land in the eastern part of Israel. This week, he and his cronies are talking about releasing from prison a Palestinian terrorist convicted of five murders in the hope that this will magically bring peace. This “give anything away” mentality is only going to get worse when Baker and company have more influence on US policies in the Middle East.
Even with all of this happening — that is, Israeli politicians such as Olmert showing their colors with their imitations of the pusillanimous Europeans — I’ve observed an important change in the political climate in Israel. Specifically, most Israelis have finally figured out that Moslems do not value life in a manner similar to those raised with Judeo-Christian values (somebody please explain to me how you make peace with an enemy that wants you dead).
My barometer for the “political appetite” of the Israeli public is built around my cousin Eitan (his father and my father are brothers). Eitan served as a tank commander in the Israeli Defense Forces, and he is today a successful businessman with three children. For the past fifteen years, he has always surprised me with his vaguely leftist viewpoints. Since I currently do not live in the midst of the Moslem world, I’ve typically withheld my criticism other than to say “focus on what is reality versus what we would like it to be”. Nevertheless, his viewpoint has always closely reflected the feelings of the Israeli electorate.
Well, Eitan was visiting the US on a business trip last week and we got together for dinner Saturday night. When we first greeted each other, he immediately said something that surprised me: “You are right, we need Bibi”. For those of you not aware, Bibi — Benjamin Netanyahu — is an articulate, American-educated Israeli that represents the Likud (right conservatives).
I’m predicting a change in Israeli leadership in the next 12 months.
This is a very interesting viewpoint you have wityh your cousin