Author: Abe Katsman

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Happy Veterans Day, Gilad Shalit

This column was originally published in American Thinker magazine.

Israeli proponents of the Shalit deal argued that “we are all Gilad Shalit.”  That is truer than we realize: in fact, we all owe our existence and our freedom to the ultimate sacrifice of countless others every bit as much as Gilad Shalit owes his to the awful sacrifices made on his behalf.

 
We are oddly fortunate in that the vast majority of sacrifices are but abstractions to us — statistics, ceremonies, or images of neat rows of crosses and Stars of David on the Normandy cliffs. 
 
Constant awareness of the enormity of the sacrifices made on our behalf would paralyze us; we know we can never earn it.  So, we cope by compartmentalizing.   We go on living normally by not focusing on those sacrifices too much, yet not taking them for granted.  We in the free world carve out Veterans/Armistice Days to recognize our awesome debts, and designate moments of reflection, memory and honor of those who sacrificed so we can live.  And then we go back to the business of living.
 
Perhaps, one day, Gilad Shalit will be able to do the same. Continue reading →
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God is Great. But Not Part of Obama’s Understanding of the Middle East

Obama is of a more secularized and progressive world. His urbane, liberal, intellectual circles are embarrassed by God-talk. Such sophisticates might be God-conscious for a few hours of religious service on a weekend or holiday, but God is largely kept confined to houses of worship. God is banished from any enlightened intellectual or international political discussion.  
Such secularism, however, may cloud geopolitical vision:  th

e Mideast is flammably not secular, filled with people who live and breathe their incompatible respective understandings of God’s word. Continue reading →
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Israel’s Losing Diplomatic Strategy: Play Only Defense

This column was originally published in American Thinker magazine.

Why not play some offense? Why not play to win? The Jewish people have moral, historical, religious, and legal claims to disputed lands between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea that are every bit as strong — stronger, in fact — than Palestinian claims. These claims are recognized by left and right alike; remember, the settlement enterprise was initiated by Labor governments.

Why not state these claims publicly? Not just once, but repeatedly, until they are as much a part of the reflexive public consciousness as Palestinian claims? And repeat that in spite of Israel’s rights, it is Israel that is willing to forego many of its claims as part of a peace agreement; what reciprocation is forthcoming from the other side? Continue reading →