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October 6, 2000/7 Tishri 5761, Vol. 53, No.2
A time for responsibilityEditorialAt this time, 62 people have been killed, and 1,800 have been wounded in clashes in Acre, Nazareth, Ramallah, Nablus, Netzarim, among others.And from the press reports and official statements from the region, absolutely no one is taking responsibility. The Palestinians blame Ariel Sharon. The Israelis blame Yasser Arafat. The Palestinians blame the Israelis. The Israelis blame the Palestinians. This carnage would have been tragic at any time of the year. It is all the more tragic during the High Holidays, when we are commanded to accept responsibility for our actions. This is not the time to point a finger at a single person, a single group, a single political party, a single people. It is the time to point a finger at them all. True, in the pressure cooker that is Israel and the Palestinian-controlled territories, an outbreak of violence was arguably inevitable. Controversy over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, over sovereign rights and autonomous control, only increased the temperature, and with it the heat and the pressure. But every party turned up the dial, some to a greater degree than others. Every party is partially responsible for the aftermath. This High Holiday season commands us that taking responsibility is not enough. It is only the first step. The next step is doing what we can and what we must to balance the scales - the scales of responsibility, of accountability, of justice. This season is also a time of mutual understanding. The Israelis need to understand the Palestinians' state of despair and desperation. But the Palestinians need to understand the Israelis' conviction of self-defense. The strength of their reply to Palestinian violence reveals what they will do for the sake of security, security needs heightened by concessions of land and power they have already made. The Israelis and the Palestinians must return to the peace table. They must begin to take responsibility for their actions, for continued violent actions are not acceptable. 62 dead. 1,800 wounded. Just ask Israeli fathers and Palestinian mothers. |
