So where is the outrage? Another 10 (and counting?) Israelis are murdered, this time in Ashdod, and all is quiet on the Western front.
Two million Spaniards take to the streets to deplore their losses to terrorism. The news media describe these protesters as "angry."
The New York Times uses the word "seething" to narrate the after-shock scenes in Madrid. The people want revenge, and they want it now!
No anger or seething in Israel over Ashdod. (Or over all the other terrorist outrages in progress deep into four years.)
Privately, for sure there is pain and outrage, but publicly? relative silence in Israel.
Spain shouts its indignation. Israel swallows.
In Spain, the people want answers.
In Israel, the people know the answer; it sits in Ramallah.
In Spain, the people want action from their government.
In Israel, the people have a government that has no plans for action. Instead, it has plans for "painful concessions."
In Spain, the people threaten to topple any government that gives an inch on terrorism, and indeed they did. They've replaced the incumbents, partly, for their refusal to call Islamic terror by name. Yes, other reasons factored into trading the conservatives for a government of socialists, like Aznar's playing along with Bush on Iraq. But, regardless of who's in power, Spain is demanding retribution. Two million voices chant for an end to terror.
So where are the two million Israelis? Why didn't they take to the streets? Has it all become so commonplace? Has it all become old? Old news? Old hat?
Does Jewish life still matter?
We know it does not matter to the rest of the world. Throughout France and the remainder of Europe flags went down to half-staff. Tears were shed around the globe for the victims of Madrid, as is proper, and George W. Bush paid a visit to Spain's ambassador to offer condolences. This, too, is proper.
But it is also disgraceful. No dipped flags, no worldwide mourning, no condolence calls for the dead and wounded of Israel.
Over the past week, emails have been making the rounds urging New Yorkers to take to the streets in support of Spain's victims.
Nothing like that for Israel's victims. Why? Oh, another day, another massacre of Israelis.
Israel sits alone. Who's to blame? The usual suspects. But the Jewish people themselves must answer. Have they become too reconciled with counting their dead? Have they grown too comfortable with the deluge of terrorism? Have they lost the instinct to be shocked, outraged and mortified? Have they lost the ability to find rage and anger?
No such timidity restrains the nations. Even as they're ready to surrender to Islamic domination and terror in the long run, they demand blood for blood for this particular insult to their sovereignty. Israel, instead, plays for the flattery of the grandstand in favor of its own well-being.
So the world is in an uproar, over Madrid, not Israel; and Europe grieves, but the nations should have seen this coming. Impolite as it is to quote yourself, here's a passage from what I wrote September 15 in www.israelnationalnews.com under the heading "First The Saturday People": "As for you masters of Europe and your treachery, one day your sly anti-Semitism will come back to haunt you. Over the centuries, you have uprooted a thousand synagogues and replaced them with ten thousand mosques. Wait, now, and see what grows from the soil of Ishmael. Your churches are next. For Sunday is coming; Sunday, bloody Sunday."
Well, Sunday has arrived for the Sunday people, but for the Saturday people, the world shrugs.
No jihadist spokesperson was given air time to justify the slaughter in Spain. But terrorist Hanan Ashrawi was given CNN to explain why murdering Jews is good and correct.
Given the conflicting scenes from Madrid (where two million protested to the approval of a caring world) to Jerusalem (where there were virtually no protests before an uncaring world) we have it as fact that Israel is isolated. True, the world is soundproofed against the cries from Israel.
But still, if the nations are at fault, the Jewish people, in Israel and elsewhere, must share part of the blame for Israel's exclusion.
Perhaps the Israelis ought to reconsider their policy of cleaning up so quickly after yet another suicide bombing has left the streets and sidewalks strewn with body parts and splattered with blood. "Life goes on," they say. Spain says it differently. "Life does not go on. We want revenge and we want this stopped."
Thus, if the Jewish people themselves remain passive and fail to cry out, fail to anguish (loudly and publicly), fail to march, fail to protest against the taking of a single Jewish life, what's to be expected from the multitudes, Israel's enemies, and even its friends?
You don't care. Why should we care?
Or, as Hillel put it: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?"
Two million Spaniards take to the streets to deplore their losses to terrorism. The news media describe these protesters as "angry."
The New York Times uses the word "seething" to narrate the after-shock scenes in Madrid. The people want revenge, and they want it now!
No anger or seething in Israel over Ashdod. (Or over all the other terrorist outrages in progress deep into four years.)
Privately, for sure there is pain and outrage, but publicly? relative silence in Israel.
Spain shouts its indignation. Israel swallows.
In Spain, the people want answers.
In Israel, the people know the answer; it sits in Ramallah.
In Spain, the people want action from their government.
In Israel, the people have a government that has no plans for action. Instead, it has plans for "painful concessions."
In Spain, the people threaten to topple any government that gives an inch on terrorism, and indeed they did. They've replaced the incumbents, partly, for their refusal to call Islamic terror by name. Yes, other reasons factored into trading the conservatives for a government of socialists, like Aznar's playing along with Bush on Iraq. But, regardless of who's in power, Spain is demanding retribution. Two million voices chant for an end to terror.
So where are the two million Israelis? Why didn't they take to the streets? Has it all become so commonplace? Has it all become old? Old news? Old hat?
Does Jewish life still matter?
We know it does not matter to the rest of the world. Throughout France and the remainder of Europe flags went down to half-staff. Tears were shed around the globe for the victims of Madrid, as is proper, and George W. Bush paid a visit to Spain's ambassador to offer condolences. This, too, is proper.
But it is also disgraceful. No dipped flags, no worldwide mourning, no condolence calls for the dead and wounded of Israel.
Over the past week, emails have been making the rounds urging New Yorkers to take to the streets in support of Spain's victims.
Nothing like that for Israel's victims. Why? Oh, another day, another massacre of Israelis.
Israel sits alone. Who's to blame? The usual suspects. But the Jewish people themselves must answer. Have they become too reconciled with counting their dead? Have they grown too comfortable with the deluge of terrorism? Have they lost the instinct to be shocked, outraged and mortified? Have they lost the ability to find rage and anger?
No such timidity restrains the nations. Even as they're ready to surrender to Islamic domination and terror in the long run, they demand blood for blood for this particular insult to their sovereignty. Israel, instead, plays for the flattery of the grandstand in favor of its own well-being.
So the world is in an uproar, over Madrid, not Israel; and Europe grieves, but the nations should have seen this coming. Impolite as it is to quote yourself, here's a passage from what I wrote September 15 in www.israelnationalnews.com under the heading "First The Saturday People": "As for you masters of Europe and your treachery, one day your sly anti-Semitism will come back to haunt you. Over the centuries, you have uprooted a thousand synagogues and replaced them with ten thousand mosques. Wait, now, and see what grows from the soil of Ishmael. Your churches are next. For Sunday is coming; Sunday, bloody Sunday."
Well, Sunday has arrived for the Sunday people, but for the Saturday people, the world shrugs.
No jihadist spokesperson was given air time to justify the slaughter in Spain. But terrorist Hanan Ashrawi was given CNN to explain why murdering Jews is good and correct.
Given the conflicting scenes from Madrid (where two million protested to the approval of a caring world) to Jerusalem (where there were virtually no protests before an uncaring world) we have it as fact that Israel is isolated. True, the world is soundproofed against the cries from Israel.
But still, if the nations are at fault, the Jewish people, in Israel and elsewhere, must share part of the blame for Israel's exclusion.
Perhaps the Israelis ought to reconsider their policy of cleaning up so quickly after yet another suicide bombing has left the streets and sidewalks strewn with body parts and splattered with blood. "Life goes on," they say. Spain says it differently. "Life does not go on. We want revenge and we want this stopped."
Thus, if the Jewish people themselves remain passive and fail to cry out, fail to anguish (loudly and publicly), fail to march, fail to protest against the taking of a single Jewish life, what's to be expected from the multitudes, Israel's enemies, and even its friends?
You don't care. Why should we care?
Or, as Hillel put it: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?"