As a Jew I've always felt a bit ambivalent towards Israel. I do have cousins who live there, even one that’s about my own age who’s a helicopter pilot for the Israeli military. I still believe that Israel’s fervent military nationalism is pent up aggression still lingering over from the holocaust. The importance of having a land to call one’s own is something that is continually stressed in synagogues throughout the world. Jews see Israel as there last refuge and one unspoken ideal every Jew strives for is to visit Israel at least once in their lifetime. There is a sense of lingering paranoia left over from World War II. As we’re told again and again in Hebrew school, “never forget or else history is bound to repeat itself” which is kind of sad considering the incidents of undeterred genocide seen in Rowanda and Darfur.

I’m not trying to justify Israeli’s actions; I personally believe you can’t fight fire with a flame thrower. I’m just trying to help give you guys an idea of the mindset that causes such action. Any direct attacks on Israel instantly trigger visions of a final extermination of the Jewish faith. This is why Israel retaliates like a swarm of angry killer bees to any potential threat to the overall greater hive. Military nationalism can be a very scary thing no matter whose flag is waving in the background.