Balancing on tightropes
An article in The Jerusalem Post:
“My comment:”
The “tightrope” mentioned in the article is not only along the Jewish/Arab divide.
We must not forget that in the weeks and months leading to the 7th of October, Israel was heading for civil war along the “leftist/rights” divide, and we also have the “religious/non-religious” divide, not to mention the separations along the “Ashkenazi/SefardiMizrahi” differences.
Israeli society is full of seemingly unresolvable separations and divides, most of which are now suspended due to the common threat and collective grief.
It is highly predictable that after the war when life returns to “normal,” and especially if new elections are called, many of the separations and divisions between Jews will overshadow the separation between Jews and Arabs.
Unless we understand our human nature and what the proverbial “unfounded hatred” truly means between us, that this is our instinctive state, and we also remember and revive our unique method and “national constitutions” that are unity and mutual guarantee above, and despite everything that separates us, that we need to keep even without external pressure, we will continue consuming ourselves and show an easy target to our enemies.
In an Israeli society that is kept together by the original mutual guarantee, Arab citizens — and others — will also find their place, provided they accept it and commit to it.
Mutual guarantee — where each member of the nation becomes totally and unconditionally responsible for each and every other member of the nation — is the only template for a safe and successful human society, and Israel needs to show how it works!