Michele Engelberg, Johannesburg
Popular phrases like: “Better safe than sorry”, or “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, clearly point to the idea that taking preventive measures to avoid loss, or in Israel’s case- to avoid catastrophe, is better than not being cautious and then facing a situation that one cannot go back from.
Therefore I do believe that Israel’s security measures are in place to protect Israeli citizens from harm, and that includes the occupation and the checkpoints, etc.
On the flipside, also of relevance to me are words that Golda Meir was credited with: “When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.”
This saying is so touching because it speaks of the many times in Jewish history that precious Jewish children were killed at the hands of our enemies and that we may possibly, in time (even collectively), find the ability to forgive, as forgiveness is a basic tenet of Judaism, and enables us to carry on.
But, according to this idea, it would be even harder for us to forgive those who force us to act in a way that is contrary to our very nature and make up as Jews to force us to defend ourselves by engaging in behaviour that is opposite to the essence of our souls as Jews. In the above quote, it is expressed as “having forced us to kill their sons” in war and I apply this to the occupation.
That is why I would like to see the occupation end, not only because it is not good for the Palestinians being occupied, but also because it is not good for US to be occupiers.
And yet at the same time, after reading about how Palestinian children are taught in school with schoolbooks that “make no attempt to educate for peace or coexistence with Israel.
Instead, Israel’s right to exist is adamantly denied and the Palestinian war against Israel is presented as an eternal religious battle for Islam”. (Quoted from palwatch.org); after seeing YouTube videos of young Palestinian children being trained to become terrorists and simulate violent attacks against Jews; after watching Palestinian families and neighbourhoods rejoice after a Palestinian terrorist has murdered innocent Israelis, even children, it is almost impossible to take the step of withdrawal from an area that is as terrifying as the West Bank.
In an ideal world there would be no need for soldiers or occupation, but that is not the reality now.
