Should Israel Help them? Eitan Haber writes in Ynet about the phenomenon of Israelis demanding Israel rescue their relatives in danger in other countries.
There is something beautiful about the fact that we feel the need to protect Jews around the world. I have written about it before. We hear about backpackers in Chile or Peru that fall off a cliff and Israel sends a search team. We hear about various calamities around the world in which an Israeli gets himself caught in the middle of trouble, and Israel sends some sort of extraction team.Jameel wrote about this being a symptom of the "Magia lee" attitude.
I want to know wher the Foreign Ministry, or any other government office, was when Pollard was caught and sent to rot in jail. Where were they when Gilad Shalit was taken hostage and sent to rot somewhere in Gaza. Where were they when Arad, Baumel, Katz and Feldman were taken captive and sent to rot in some cell in Iran or Kebanon.
Do we only defend drug dealers? Jerks like these two idiots and like Elchonon Tenenbaum (who got himself kidnapped in Lebanon during a drug deal), are the people we "go to the end of the world" to free. People who sacrificed themselves for Israel are let to rot while we expend ourselves around the world for stupid backpackers who can't stay on a trail, and for drug dealers.
Another thing, and this I left in the commenst by Jameel - why do they deserve our help in Thailand? Because they were given the death penalty? And what in essence were they giving to the people who were going to be buying their product? they were giving them the death penalty, as many of them would end up dropping dead from drug overdose, suicide, gang and turf wars that are drug related, and the like.
So why should we defend them and save them from the death penalty, when they were going to be giving the death penalty to many more people. And those people we would have let die without batting an eye. We would have said, just another druggie... but the dealers we have to protect.
the shliach here are rotzchim as much as the dealers.
ReplyDeleteshliach?
ReplyDeleteI assume he's speaking about the Yeshiva guys in Japan. I don't remember your posting about that, but what do you think?
ReplyDeleteI thought that too, but wanted to hear it from him.
ReplyDeleteShaya - if you are talking about the Japanese case, they are two different cases and should not be confused. In that case, three yeshiva boys delivered suitcases, seemingly without their knowledge of the contents, to japan in exchange for free flights and whatever else they were paid.
Turns out the suitcases were full of drugs, kids were arrested and are sitting in jail in Japan.
Getting details of that case is very difficult, but people are making all sorts of claims like they are being treated similar to a concentration camp in nazi germany and other horrible descriptions. I have written about it a couple of times.
This case is two Israeli drug dealers were caught in Thailand, and were given the death sentence in court.
two different cases.
I dont know enough about the specifics of the Japan case to offer an opinion, but the issue is not really the same. they were fools and idiots for not realizing they were smuggling something illegal and agreeing to do it. But that does not make them bad. Unless they were really part of it and not just unwitting mules.
But I see no reason they should not sit in jail for what they did. Whether here in Israel or there in Japan, I do not know. I have no problem with criminals, even frum ones, sitting in jail.
from you lips to G-d's ears (b'mhaira b'yameinu amen).
ReplyDeleteI hope all frum criminals get what's coming to them and not hide behind whatever convenient halacha they pull out of their hat to intimidate pple from sending them away.
Rafi,
ReplyDeleteI am a bit surprised!
As you often post, the court system here in Israel makes lots of bad decisions, like when it comes to the Federman, Beit Shalom, etc, but you assume that in other countries (Thailand?) that the courts are fair? Jews have had too many experiences of being wrongly prosecuted to be ignorant to their brothers' pleas
I dont know if their system is fair or not. I know it is harsh in that region (I remember a marine being "caned" in singapore for chewing gum or something like that), which keeps crime down.
ReplyDeleteI figure they can go through the legal process (they have appealed the court decision), and they have to suffer whatever the punishment is.
I have no problem with them getting help. I have a problem with the government running to help them, but not to help people they should be helping.
I am not saying they deserve death, but that is the punishment in that country for what they did. Dont forget, they are dealing drugs. not jaywalking or pickpocketing...
if the courts were biased, let's say for example against jews or against white people or against whatever, then I would say it was unfair and they got a raw deal. But I have not heard that it was unfair. Perhaps harsh, but does a harsh punishment justify the israeli government going to bat for them? what about the victims? what about all the people they dont go to bat for?
"Jews have had too many experiences of being wrongly prosecuted to be ignorant to their brothers' pleas"
ReplyDeleteif they are indeed being singled out as jews, israelis should not travel to these areas and their presence there to begin with makes them partially responsible for their predicament