Israel is a democracy that exists in a difficult region of the world. It’s a part of the earth that makes its own protests to legitimacy but there are a lot of questions still. The allure of money – and potential outward investment – makes it an attractive if suspect bedfellow. The fact is it cannot be seen in any other context than its own.
Israel itself is not a pariah state. It has many reasonable enterprises and a lot of respect for its economic and political activity. As usual in our world, its military activities are hotly criticised. It may be because it’s an easy target. The causes and needs of war are not clear as it unfolds and its open to speculation.
This is a dangerous tendency – if in its own type of political cult already – that threatens to mystify diplomacy and lead to mistakes. Israel isn’t a new Russia. It’s not an enemy. It’s not a plotter. It’s not a subversive threat to our own existence. It’s a friend if only we’d try to be too.
