By David Ogul
JERUSALEM — Israel, Middle East political analyst Jim Lederman says, is the most misunderstood country on Earth. After journeying in the Holy Land for more than two weeks, I have to agree.
Virtually all of the coverage on Israelin the American media is about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and/or “the occupation.” And those are precisely the two subjects that are far removed from people’s daily lives.
The Palestinian question certainly isn’t what preoccupies the minds of Tzvi Levin and Yechiel Czermak, two 20-something Israelis from Brooklyn and New Jersey, respectively, who are more concerned about surviving on a frugal salary from their jobs as graphic artists in the northern town of Tzvat. Both are observant Jews. Both work hard. Both live simply. Both have
many, many friends. And neither is preoccupied by what seems to come up whenever an American talks about Israel.
The Palestinian question certainly isn’t what preoccupies the mind of another young Israel I met, also named Yechiel, who grew up in Israel and recently moved to Jerusalem to study agricultural therapy – that is, how working the land can help people with developmental and other challenges. Yechiel and his wife, Chaykee, are too focused on getting an education and raising their year-old son, Aaron Simcha, to be preoccupied by something they cannot control.
And the Palestinian question certainly isn’t what preoccupies the mind of Kiddush Mark, a spiritual man from Bet Shemesh who is more interested in connecting with his religious beliefs and raising his 18-month-old son on his salary as an electronics wholesaler than to be worried daily about
events in the West Bank and Gaza.
That’s not to say that Israelis don’t care about Palestinians and their concerns. They do. But like Americans who discuss issues that invite
controversy, Israelis have a wide range of opinions. And like Americans who would take umbrage at the United States being accused of having an apartheid system of government over its handling of Mexican-Americans and the border issue, Israelis are furious at being compared to South Africa in the days of Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment.
Fact is, Israel is more than what is portrayed in the American and European media. Israel, Lederman points out, is a dynamic country that is developing rapidly. It is a country with a growing high-tech sector. And it is a country that is dealing with the same issues that America is. It is a country dealing with an overburdened transportation system, as well as outrageous prices for housing and daily necessities.
Like America, Israel is challenged by what Lederman calls a “knowledge deficit.” Just 45 years ago, Israeli students ranked first in the world in math scores and third in the world in science. Today, the rankings are 35 and 40, respectively.
Like America, Israel is dealing with a water crisis. Its resources are shrinking and its population is growing, and there is nary a solution in sight.
And like America, Israelis don’t trust their government. Lederman points out that almost three out of four Israelis believe the government does not deal well with its problems. Corruption, and not the Palestinian question, is listed by the public as its major concern. Only citizens of Poland and Bulgaria have a lower public opinion of their parliament than Israelis.
As for how Israeldeals with the Palestinian issue? How would the United States deal with terrorists who send suicide bombers to pizza parlors? How would the United States deal with terrorists who routinely lob rockets into its towns and cities? How would the United States deal with terrorists who cross borders to kidnap its soldiers?
The answer is simple. Israelis, Lederman notes, were lambasted more than a generation ago when bombings and suicide attacks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv prompted security forces to institute an array of security measures that included airport screenings, guards at grocery stores, restaurants and banks, and routine checks of backpacks and purses. Yet, after the same type of terrorists hijacked American jets and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, America did the same thing.
Israel is far from perfect. But it is much more than what is portrayed in the American and European media. And the world would be a much better place if every country in the Middle East were like Israel, warts and all.
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Ogul is a freelance writer based in San Diego. He may be contacted at david.ogul@sdjewishworld.com