With Israel facing so many challenges these days, the country seems at a loss as to how to grapple with them all. The myriad of diplomatic, security, economic and environmental dilemmas facing decision-makers is daunting, perhaps unprecedented in the nation?s modern history. But as diverse as the issues may be, from the rising tide of Palestinian terror to the worsening water crisis, they all share one thing in common: solving them will require a fundamental change in Israel?s attitude and thinking.
Indeed, the key obstacle to overcoming such formidable tasks lies in a pervasive mentality, one that is all too common in how Israeli society relates to predicaments both personal and national: ?What?s the problem? No damage was done.? In other words, rather than judging a situation by its potential to create present or future damage, events are assessed solely by their immediate outcome. Thus, a few mortar shells fired at Netzarim, or an explosive device neutralized by police in Petach Tikva, are quickly forgotten, because no one was hurt.
This type of crisis calculus is dangerous precisely because it is shortsighted, masking the underlying and ongoing peril of the threat itself. The fact that the Palestinian Authority?s mortar attacks on Jewish communities have become a matter of routine, one that no longer tops the headlines on the nightly news, is indicative of how widespread this insidious mentality can be.
For when we grow accustomed to such outrages, we inevitably start to accept them, almost as if they are a foregone conclusion. We come to view them as something beyond our control, when in fact the opposite is the case. The result is passivity rather than action, patience rather than performance. And more mortar shells, of course.
It may sound trivial in comparison, but a recent incident I had with the bank illustrates this point all too well.
When the envelope arrived in the mail, it appeared at first glance to herald every husband?s worst nightmare ? it contained information about a new credit card in my wife?s name. Though incapable of carrying a nuclear warhead, this new addition to her arsenal was a potent weapon, one she knows how to use with pinpoint accuracy and devastating results. I could feel a sense of panic begin to overwhelm me.
But my fear quickly turned to astonishment when I learned that my wife had never requested such a card, as she was quite happy with the array of plastic already in her possession. A series of phone calls quickly solved the mystery: our bank had mistakenly ordered the card for us without bothering to ask if we wanted it. When I confronted the manager, he replied with the predictable, yet maddening, phrase: ?What?s the problem? No damage was done.?
I tried to explain the appalling nature of this matter ? what if someone were to order a card without my knowledge and use it? ? but I quickly realized there was little point. For my dear friend the manager (of my soon-to-be former bank) was focused entirely on the outcome of the incident, caring not a whit for what might have occurred, or possibly could occur if such an event were to repeat itself. I knew then that only if someone had pilfered my wife?s unrequested card and used it might he have bothered to take the problem a little more seriously.
And it is this attitude, unfortunately, that seems to govern so many different aspects of Israeli life. Problems are addressed not at the outset, but only once someone has been badly hurt or even killed.
Pick an issue ? from school-yard violence to polluted beaches to traffic accidents to the Oslo process, and you will see the same pattern repeating itself. The writing was on the wall, the warnings were given, no one listened, they said everything is fine so what?s the problem, and then -- boom -- came the predictable, and largely preventable, disaster. And by then, the cost and complications of solving the problem have of course grown immeasurably.
It is one thing for a bank to conduct its affairs in such a manner, as the worst thing that can happen is the loss of a customer. But for an entire country to do so is sheer madness. Until there is a radical shift in Israeli attitudes, and problems are forestalled rather than forgotten, the mortar shells, and even the unwanted credit cards, will unfortunately continue to fall.
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The writer served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Prime Minister?s Office from 1996 to 1999
Indeed, the key obstacle to overcoming such formidable tasks lies in a pervasive mentality, one that is all too common in how Israeli society relates to predicaments both personal and national: ?What?s the problem? No damage was done.? In other words, rather than judging a situation by its potential to create present or future damage, events are assessed solely by their immediate outcome. Thus, a few mortar shells fired at Netzarim, or an explosive device neutralized by police in Petach Tikva, are quickly forgotten, because no one was hurt.
This type of crisis calculus is dangerous precisely because it is shortsighted, masking the underlying and ongoing peril of the threat itself. The fact that the Palestinian Authority?s mortar attacks on Jewish communities have become a matter of routine, one that no longer tops the headlines on the nightly news, is indicative of how widespread this insidious mentality can be.
For when we grow accustomed to such outrages, we inevitably start to accept them, almost as if they are a foregone conclusion. We come to view them as something beyond our control, when in fact the opposite is the case. The result is passivity rather than action, patience rather than performance. And more mortar shells, of course.
It may sound trivial in comparison, but a recent incident I had with the bank illustrates this point all too well.
When the envelope arrived in the mail, it appeared at first glance to herald every husband?s worst nightmare ? it contained information about a new credit card in my wife?s name. Though incapable of carrying a nuclear warhead, this new addition to her arsenal was a potent weapon, one she knows how to use with pinpoint accuracy and devastating results. I could feel a sense of panic begin to overwhelm me.
But my fear quickly turned to astonishment when I learned that my wife had never requested such a card, as she was quite happy with the array of plastic already in her possession. A series of phone calls quickly solved the mystery: our bank had mistakenly ordered the card for us without bothering to ask if we wanted it. When I confronted the manager, he replied with the predictable, yet maddening, phrase: ?What?s the problem? No damage was done.?
I tried to explain the appalling nature of this matter ? what if someone were to order a card without my knowledge and use it? ? but I quickly realized there was little point. For my dear friend the manager (of my soon-to-be former bank) was focused entirely on the outcome of the incident, caring not a whit for what might have occurred, or possibly could occur if such an event were to repeat itself. I knew then that only if someone had pilfered my wife?s unrequested card and used it might he have bothered to take the problem a little more seriously.
And it is this attitude, unfortunately, that seems to govern so many different aspects of Israeli life. Problems are addressed not at the outset, but only once someone has been badly hurt or even killed.
Pick an issue ? from school-yard violence to polluted beaches to traffic accidents to the Oslo process, and you will see the same pattern repeating itself. The writing was on the wall, the warnings were given, no one listened, they said everything is fine so what?s the problem, and then -- boom -- came the predictable, and largely preventable, disaster. And by then, the cost and complications of solving the problem have of course grown immeasurably.
It is one thing for a bank to conduct its affairs in such a manner, as the worst thing that can happen is the loss of a customer. But for an entire country to do so is sheer madness. Until there is a radical shift in Israeli attitudes, and problems are forestalled rather than forgotten, the mortar shells, and even the unwanted credit cards, will unfortunately continue to fall.
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The writer served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Prime Minister?s Office from 1996 to 1999