Taking Sides

Death came early, unwelcome and with unforgiving finality. Yesterday, eight men looked up from their peaceful studies into the eyes of hate and false vengeance, breathing their last holding holy books. Eight lives of flickering truth and caring, extinguished with a gust of wind and a hail of bullets. It takes no time before pasty-faced anchors in newsrooms begin to beat the drum of analysis and understanding.

The beat. "The Imad Mugniyah Brigades to Redeem the Galilee is claiming responsibility for tonight's terror attack in Jerusalem. They say it's in response to the Israeli incursion into Gaza last week, which left over 120 people dead." A true beat, last week that number did die, all Palestinian. True, in turn eight Jews lost their lives. It is all equal and sensible, both sides inflicting casualties on the other. Cause is defined clearly. Palestinians want a state. Israel wants security.

To no avail, our case for right remains murky at bestTaking a side for most regulars is easy, Jews decidedly choose Jews, Palestinian to Palestinian. Each champions their reason to be right. Under the glare of the reporting pundits, the field is split equally. A few years ago the Palestinian terror infrastructure in the West Bank was destroyed in a fierce Israeli offensive with the loss of much Palestinian life. In condemnation, media outlets clearly chose the victim as being on the side of right. This time around in Gaza it was equal, no victims. No, two victims, beating each other to death.

Israel condemned the world for not understanding the cause of their 2002 West Bank offensive. Adjusting, the world media has balanced blame to two sides of equal wrong.

This is unbiased reporting; "fair and balanced," with no right or left, no liberals or conservatives. Just dead Jews and dead Arabs, equally dead and equally wrong.

It should be so simple to explain how wrong this analysis is, how it is a perversion of truth. To no avail, our case for right remains murky at best. Yesterday, nine young men left their homes for the last time. Eight intended to return home, one did not, so begins the story of wrong.

Each and every time an Israeli soldier grabs his rifle or mounts his tank or flies his plane, he does so with the sole intention of preventing death. Last week in the Jebalya refugee camp, a whole brigade of Jewish soldiers shot their rifles, exploded buildings, generally causing death. But what did each one feel as they completed their intended mission of destruction, what was their purpose: was it a lustful hate of all things Arab or Palestinian, or was it the want to live in peace, alone and undisturbed?

In death, Palestinians celebrate death, screaming with joy at each terror attack the hope that more will die for the sake of the living. Today there will be two tents mourning in Jerusalem. In one, friends will come and talk about the beautiful life that Avraham David Mozes led. In the words of his mother, "G‑d picks the most beautiful flowers for His garden, He (G‑d) sees him as an angel, and we should thank Him for the privilege of raising him for 16 years. Sixteen years of purity and integrity and kindness." Even in death, celebrating life. The two sides couldn't be more different. We both shoot guns and both bleed red. But our blood does not boil with hatred, sick hatred.