Thursday May 4, 2006

I've Been Thinking:

Yesterday was Yom Ha'Atzmaut, it was Israel's 58th birthday.
As a country, Israel has much to be proud of and many reasons to celebrate.

Congratulatory calls came in from leaders around the world - the Queen of England, the King of Sweden, the Queen of Holland, the presidents of India, South Korea, the Ukraine and Russia.

Huh? Do world leaders call each other to say congrats on July 4th or on Bastille Day? They do not. But Israel is different.

At 58, Israel as a country is still concerned about its image. The fact that distinguished world leaders called with good wishes was more than nice. These calls signified to Israelis that they are members in good standing of the Community of World Nations.
At 58 Israel is still fundamentally insecure and requires the blessing of others.

My hope is that by 59 Israel will have outgrown this insecurity.
Insecurity gets in the way of sound decision making.