OK, now that I have your attention, no, I am
not talking about your drinking habits.
Far from it. The matter at hand
is much more sobering. In fact the party
animals can stop reading now. This post
is short story on geo-politics.
Undoubtedly, as a globally conscious citizen,
you are a ware that a Malaysian airliner, MH-17, was shot down over the
Ukraine, and nearly 300 souls were lost.
Set that to the side for a moment.
Over in the Middle East, Hamas and Israel are
engaged in aerial combat. As part of the
hostilities, Hamas launched a missile that landed about a mile from Tel Aviv’s
Ben Gurion International Airport.
If you follow the high-tech war-making, or
peacekeeping (take your pick), apparatus of the Israelis, you have heard of the
Iron Dome. The Dome, familiarly, is a
sophisticated mechanism that is capable of protecting, in large measure, Israeli
citizens from mortar and missiles hurled at them by their near-by enemies, in
this case, Hamas.
So, understand, I have no intention to conflate
the hostilities in the Ukraine with those in the Middle East. That said it is important to be aware of both
cases. Coming on the heels of the still
unaccounted for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, the recent tragedy there is all
the more tragic. In fact, there are at
least a couple of families who lost relatives on both flights. God rest all their souls.
However,
for the purposes of this post, my focus is Israel. The United States of America has been
Israel’s stanches defender and most ardent ally since the inception of the
modern State of Israel on May 14, 1948.
There is a sizable Jewish population in the United States, along with an
influential Jewish Lobby.
Historically, Israel has enjoyed robust support
from the U.S., regardless of the Party in the White House. While that is still true, President Obama and
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not exactly been soul mates. President Obama has made no bones about his
personal support for Israel, as well as the unflinching support of the
U.S. As a result, he continued to appeal
to Jewish voters, and carried that segment overwhelmingly in both of his
election bids.
Mr. Netanyahu has been a harder sell. At times he has appeared to lecture the
President, and on other occasions, he sounded tepid in his appraisal of the
President. So it came as no surprise when “Bibi” immediately expressed his
displeasure when the FAA banned flying into Tel Aviv. Israel’s official reaction mirrored the Prime
Ministers. The official message is
Israel in general, and Ben Gurion Airport specifically are safe, and America,
and the airlines from Europe that have followed suit, should end the ban and
resume flights immediately.
This is where I must admit I am not an
enthusiastic “flyer.” But, the FAA would
not have had to tell me to skip a flight to Israel after a missile landed
within a mile of the country’s main airport.
It’s not that I don’t trust Mr. Netanyahu and his colleagues. I’d just prefer in this instance to err on
the side of caution. I have already
conceded that the Ukraine and Tel Aviv are not the same. Still, given the recent developments, my
guess is Malaysian Airlines has opted not to fly over what amounts to the
Ukrainian battlefield since MH-17 was shot down. Why wait until after a tragedy to take
affirmative action.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
felt so passionately about the matter he booked a flight to Tel Aviv on El Al
(Israel’s flagship Airlines) last night.
Those who support Israel most strongly insist that the flight ban gives
terrorists a prize. Sober minds who lean
neither toward Israel or the Palestinians see the curtailment of flights (which
initially at least, is set to last only 24 hours) as a mere precaution, based
on reasoned contemplation.
So, people, what do you think? “Turn Down For What?”
I’m done; holla back!
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