In 1987 the movie, Good Morning, Vietnam, was released, starring Robin Williams, whose character is an unorthodox and irreverent DJ (disc jockey), who begins to shake up things, when he is assigned to the US Armed Services Radio station in Vietnam.
Each time I see there is a need to a shake things up I hear Robin Williams’ resounding voice: Goooood Mornnnnnning Vietnam…!
In 1965, Airman Adrian Cronauer was sent to do the impossible; his mission was to build the morale of the American troops in Vietnam. His strategy, to keep them laughing. Airman Cronauer was the wrong man in the wrong place in the right time.
The Vietnam War began in 1 November 1955 an ended on 30 April 1975, nineteen years in total. The war was not won because politics, not rules of engagement, managed it.
Israel has been in a longer, kind of a Vietnam type war, that has been going on, in all kind of forms, since 1948 and no end in sight. And this war is fought under the control of politics, not the rules of engagement, to win and eradicate the enemy, forever.
The United States conducted the Vietnam war many miles away from home. When the war ended, the troops returned home, to peaceful and normal life, leaving the war zone many miles away.
Unlike the United States, Israel’s war is conducted on its own soil and its troops can never get away from the war zone; it is literally right at their home back yard.
Though the State of Israel is in an ongoing dynamic growth mode, the Israel citizens are anxious and nervous people. They live on the edge, all the time, and Israeli society morale is volatile. No wonder why Israelis appear to be lethargic; all seems to be so hopeless at time.
Perhaps Israelis need to wake up each morning, turn their radios on and hear a Robin Williams’ type voice resounding while calling: Goooood Mornnnnnning Israel!
In November, 2004, the Knesset voted and approved Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Gaza withdrawal plan. Sharon was the head of the Likud party, the supposed to be Nationalist party of Israel. Immediately after the Knesset’s decision was made, in an interview with the Hebrew daily Makor Rishon, Shmuel Katz, the writer, historian and journalist, who was a member of the first Knesset, and well known for his research on the Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky, said, “Today, the Likud has come to the end of its road. Somebody should climb the stairs in ‘Metzudat Ze’ev’ -the Likud headquarters – and remove the picture of the Founding Father. To remove it as well from all the offices of the ministers and the office of the prime minister. From now on, there is no tie whatsoever between Ze’ev Jabotinsky and what Arik [Ariel Sharon] made from the Likud.”
The list of mistakes Israel has made until the Gaza unilateral disengagement of 2005 are plenty, all point at leadership that did not think through the steps it is taking; steps mostly taken on account of self motivation and self satisfaction, with the interests of the nation hardly considered.
There are many in Israel and among Israel’s supporters who would like to start everything anew. To have a new elections system of government and courts. To renew the nations original Zionism doctrine and bring back nationalistic pride to every corner of the country.
Perhaps the start is with the radio morning opening: Good Morning, Israel, the Nations State Of the Jewish People.
