Sometimes the Light Flickers

It was hard to be a light unto the nations this week. Almost every day a new dilemma arises requiring difficult decisions to be made. A kassam rocket hit a main power line in Sderot and knocked out the town's electricity for several hours. How ironic that this accidental direct hit came in the midst of an ongoing discussion about retaliatory measures for the constant rocket fire coming from the Gaza Strip. The long-suffering residents of Sderot have advocated erasing the town of Bet Hanun from the map: if they're going to torture us, we'll make them even more miserable than we are. Base human instinct demands eye-for-an-eye justice but the rational, moral voice always takes the upper hand. It is at once laughable and commendable that while Hamas bombards us from schoolyards day after day our generals are knocking their heads against the wall trying to come up with another creative suggestion for punishing the Gazans because the lawyers have concluded that flipping the switch on Palestinian electricity doesn't comply with international law. Our uncompromising moral standards are a small comfort to a family whose house has absorbed a direct hit by a kassam rocket, but do we have a choice?

It's also the enemies from within that force us to agonize. Recently a court ruled that Yigal Amir, the man who assassinated Yitzhak Rabin twelve years ago, is entitled, like any other prisoner serving a life sentence, to hold the circumcision ceremony of his newborn son in jail. Appallingly, the ceremony took place on November 4th, the exact day that Amir murdered Rabin. On the news we saw the family arrive at the prison , the assassin's brother brandishing an arrogant smile and the 'v' for victory sign for the cameras. When Amir held that child in his arms, it was as if his deed had gone unpunished. The hunger for vengeance demands that the child should suffer, so his father will suffer in turn. The ultimate desire for true justice will never allow this to happen.

Everyone with an opinion is screaming at the top of his lungs to make his voice heard. The media are all over everything and the pundits always play the devil's advocate. What should we do? Which decision is the right one? What are the long-term implications?

Who in his right mind would ever choose to be prime minister of this country?