DO YOU WANT US TO BE PIGS AMBASSADOR?

Heinrich wrote:

Rabbi Aron Moss works to bring searching souls back to Judaism in Sydney,
Australia.
Question of the Week

"I am the only Jew in my office so I face a daily barrage of questions about
Israel's actions in Lebanon. I don't know who appointed me as Israel's
spokesman and I am not armed with the answers. Can you help?"

Answer:

At times like this, every Jew becomes an ambassador for Israel. Even if you
don't agree with everything Israel does, any decent person must stand up for
Israel's right to self-defense.

We can leave the military and political issues to the experts, but we should
all be clear on the moral questions raised by this war. Let's look at a few
of the most commonly asked questions.

Q: How can Israel justify killing civilians if their intent is to crush
Hizbullah?

A: The death of innocents is a tragic inevitability of war. Our hearts go
out to all those caught in the middle. The sad fact is that the Lebanese
people are being held hostage by Hizbullah. Just as it is clear that
Hizbullah is morally culpable for any harm done to the two Israeli hostages
that they hold, so too are they culpable for the fate of Lebanese innocents
amongst whom they hide. A civilian who is killed while being used by a
terrorist as a human shield is a victim of the terrorist, not of the Israeli
army, which does not target innocent civilians.

Q: Isn't Israel's response a bit disproportionate?

A: If Israel were merely taking revenge, then it would need to be
proportionate. But Israel is waging a defensive war. Since when is war
proportionate? In war, you don't measure your response to the enemy by what
they have done to you in the past, but rather by what needs to be done to
stop them attacking in the future. Israel's actions are proportionate to the
threat, not to the damage done.

Q: Doesn't Israel understand that they are just creating more terrorists?
The anger and fury at Israel as a result of bombing Lebanon will only make
more people want to join Hizbullah.

A: Feelings of frustration, anger, fear and rage do not make you into a
terrorist. A culture of death and an education of hate does. Israel doesn't
need to do anything to create terrorists - Islamic extremism does that - but
Israel must act to destroy those who threaten its people.

Q: Hizbullah indeed has a militant wing, but it also does a lot of good.
They are responsible for social programs, educational projects and
humanitarian work in South Lebanon. By destroying Hizbullah, Israel also
destroys all the good they do. Isn't that demonising a group that is not all
bad?

A: If a serial killer also happens to volunteer for his local hospital, has
donated money to an orphanage, and looks after his ailing grandmother, he is
still a serial killer, and should be treated as such. The danger he poses
far outweighs the concern for any good he may do.

Q: By using violence, how is Israel any better than its terrorist enemies?

A: That is as ridiculous as saying that a woman who fights off an attacker
is no better than her attacker. Israel would not touch Hizbullah if it did
not attack. Israel seeks to live in peace with its neighbours; Hizbullah and
its allies seek to destroy Israel, no matter what Israel does.

Look at the Hizbullah flag. It depicts a rifle lifted in the air. Violence
is a part of its very identity. On the other hand, the very name of the
Israeli army defines its purpose: the Israel Defense Forces. Its flag
depicts an olive branch and a sword: peace is a priority; war is a last
resort.

For Hizbullah, war is holy. For Israel, war can never be holy. War may be
necessary, like when your citizens are being attacked unprovoked. War may be
moral, like when innocent lives are being threatened; but even then, war is
never holy.

There is a world of difference between a moral war and a holy war. A moral
soldier fights reluctantly, while holy warriors glory in the fight. A moral
soldier is burdened by the obligation, while holy warriors delight in the
pain inflicted on the enemy. A moral soldier fights when there is no other
option; a holy warrior seeks violence as a way of life. A moral soldier
takes measures to limit innocent casualties; a holy warrior seeks to
maximise them.

A holy warrior fears times of peace, because then he has no purpose. A moral
soldier dreams of a time when peace will reign. Then, the Israel Defense
Forces will be made joyously redundant, as "one nation will not lift a sword
against another nation, and they will no longer learn to wage war."

who fancies a beer ?