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Rabbi Shea Hecht is chairman of the board of NCFJE (National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education). He is a Rabbi and activist in the Jewish community. As a life strategist, Shea's expertise centers on family crisis intervention- particularly as a marriage counselor and helping troubled youth and a drug abuse and cults counselor. He has spent many years fostering racial harmony and diversity and he is a liaison between the government/law enforcement and the people.
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By Rabbi Shea Hecht
January 23, 2007
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Do you have a good imagination?
Well just imagine that Condoleezza Rice announced that all airport security checks were cancelled. Imagine Ms. Rice proposing that regardless of the actual attacks done by airplanes and the attacks that were thwarted since 9/11, airport security must be done away with in fairness to all travelers who suffer from security-check congestion. The most important thing is not to create ill will with long lines. If a few more planes are used as weapons and more lives are lost, it wouldn't outweigh the "goodwill" we would be creating with the public.
You wouldn't need too much imagination to visualize the uproar. You can probably hear the radio talk show hosts, view the seething political pundits on television, read the scathing op-eds, all decrying such a foolish move which threatens the security of every American who would be a sitting duck either as an airline passenger or an innocent bystander.
So why is it that I hear no outcry, no objection, no protest when US State Secretary Rice met Israeli Prime Minister Olmert in Jerusalem and made some inane effort to push the peace process back on track by pressing the Israelis to lift some of the border restrictions in Judea and Samaria. This was advised to ease the traffic for Arab day workers to enter the country. However, if this advice was followed, G-d forbid, the path would also be eased for terrorists who want to enter Israel to blow up its citizens.
In your wildest imagination you probably couldn't dream up this diplomatic effort by an American Secretary of State while terror warnings continue to stream into Israel. Even imagination has some sanity and clarity and certainly the only way such a conversation would take place would be if Israel feels no threat.
Alas, this is not the case.
Rice's idea to ease traffic for nomad terrorists comes as Israel suffers from terrorist threats. Israeli defense sources say they cannot make major changes in checkpoints because of the continued warnings of intentions to carry out terror attacks in Israel. Over the past couple of weeks a large bomb designed to attack IDF forces was discovered in Jenin, and two terrorists were killed in northern Gaza while transporting explosives for use against Israelis.
All the while that Israeli borders are closed off, terrorist bombings in Israel have gone down almost 100%. Yes, threats abounded, but the tight and secure borders, made so by checkpoints, assure the Israelis that they have control over their own borders and can stop any suspicious character from entering. I wonder if Ms. Rice would feel the same about lifting checkpoints in Baghdad to ease tensions there, thereby putting American soldier's lives at stake?
Do the Israelis really need Condoleezza Rice to help make peace in the region? The Israelis seem to be doing fine right now without the help to open their borders to terrorists. In the past making peace has cost Israeli citizens many lives. While we all want peace in the Middle East, I think it's important to ask ourselves the following question: "At what cost?"
And the next time you travel, or even notice an airplane overhead, or cross a border, with the "inconvenience" of security checks you can ask yourself if you think it's smart for Israel to do away with their security checks and allow terror in.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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