Israeli Dilemmas During the Matzav
by Ross Berkowitz

Goal: For students to realize that most situations in Israel during the current Matzav (situation) are not black and white. Every day, the Israeli government, the army, and individual Israelis have to make decisions that could be life-changing for an individual, a group of people, or even the State of Israel itself. The dilemmas listed below show the range of moral, religious, and realpolitik factors that must be taken into account each day of the Matzav.

Audience: High school to college age students.

Time Frame: Time may vary, depending on how many dilemmas are discussed and with which method. Each dilemma could be discussed for 15-30 minutes.

Method: Various methods may be used for this activity.

Class discussion. Each student is given a copy of the dilemma, or the dilemma is written on the blackboard. The situation is then discussed as a group with the teacher as facilitator.

Small group discussions. Break the class into groups of 4 or 5. Each group is given a different dilemma to discuss. Allow about 15-20 minutes for the group to discuss the situation and come to a decision as to what they feel should be done. They should list the pros and cons for their decision. Each group will then briefly present their dilemma and argument to the rest of the class, allowing a short time for whole class discussion and comments.

Debate. For each dilemma, have two students take each side of the issue. Each pair will be given about 15 minutes to prepare their argument. The pairs will then debate each other in front of the class, using a basic debate format (i.e,. opening argument, rebuttal, and closing argument for each side).

Depending on the knowledge of the class, additional background information may be necessary.

Dilemmas:

Each dilemma can stand alone, or can be used in a larger program. Each is followed by discussion questions.

Dilemma #1
The Israeli Army has decided that, in order to curtail terrorism, it will launch a major military offensive into the West Bank town of Jenin, where many suspected terrorists are reported to be located. Israel can go about this offensive in two ways. It can bomb the town in an air strike, similar to recent American strikes against targets in Afghanistan, or it can send in ground troops to conduct a house-by-house and room-by-room search. The air strike would ensure that almost no Israeli soldiers would be killed, but could result in the deaths of a large number of Palestinian civilians. Using ground troops would endanger the lives of the Israeli soldiers, but would give them the ability to discern between military and civilian targets.
Which course of action should the Israeli Army take?

Discussion Questions:

  1. What should take precedence—military strategy or moral compunctions?
  2. For Israel, should one life be held as sacred as the next, no matter who the person is, or should the life of an Israeli take precedence?
  3. Should world opinion be taken into account in this situation?

Dilemma #2
The day after the funeral of his mother, a man’s reserve unit is called up for deployment in the West Bank. He has two options. The first is to sit shiva for the requisite seven days and then join his unit afterwards. The second is to report to his unit on time, forgoing the shiva period.
What should he do?

Discussion Questions:

  1. What takes precedence in this situation -- defending Israel or sitting shiva?
  2. In a real case like this, the soldier felt that his mother would have preferred for him to defend his country instead of sitting shiva. Is this a valid reason to skip the shiva period?
  3. What does it mean to be part of a "unit" in the Israeli army?
  4. How do you think the soldier's unit would have felt if they were going to defend their country and risk their lives, and one soldier did not join them, even during the shiva period?

Dilemma #3
The Israeli Scouts have had a tiyul (hiking trip) in the Negev every year for over 50 years — without missing one, even in times of war. It is a time-honored tradition that is one of the highlights of the year for the youth movement. This year, because of the rash of suicide bombings, and the current situation, the Scouts are considering canceling their annual tiyul. If they go on the tiyul, it will be hard to ensure security for such a large group, even if it is in the Negev desert, a place, up until this point, which has not been targeted for terrorist violence. Not to go would be admitting that life in Israel has changed and people cannot continue living their lives as they have in the past.
What decision should the Israeli scouts make?

Discussion Questions:

  1. What makes the current conflict different from other times of war in Israel? (i.e. Yom Kippur War, 1982 Lebanon War, Gulf War)
  2. The tiyul is scheduled to be in the Negev, which is far from Israeli population centers and places targeted for terrorist attack. Can Israelis feel safe anywhere in their country at this time?

Dilemma #4
While on patrol in the West Bank, a group of Israeli soldiers is ambushed and killed by Palestinian gunmen. One of the slain soldiers, who recently emigrated from the FSU, had a Jewish father, but his mother is not Jewish — therefore, the Orthodox Rabbinate does not consider him to be Jewish. According to Israeli law, which is sometimes governed by Jewish religious law, he must be buried in a section of the Jewish military cemetery apart from the other members of his unit. Should religious law continue to take precedence in this situation, or should this law be changed so that exceptions, such as in this case, may be made?

Discussion Question:

  1. Currently in Israel, Jewish religious law controls institutions such as burial and marriage. Do you believe Israel should continue this, or should there be a separation of religion and state?
Dilemma #5
Recently, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that torture of prisoners, under any circumstances, is illegal. The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) have captured a known terrorist leader. The IDF is sure that this terrorist has knowledge about upcoming terrorist actions within the State of Israel.
Is it acceptable to torture this prisoner in order to gain information that will save the lives of a few, or even a large number of Israelis?

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is more important — the life of one person who is standing in front of you, or many faceless people?
  2. Can moral laws be suspended in times of crisis?

Dilemma #6
During the conflict, there has been a debate about whether or not Israel should return the West Bank, territory won in the 1967 Six Day War, to Arab or Palestinian control. Religiously, there are two camps. The first says that it is okay to return this land because of Pikuach Nefesh, the saving of lives. In other words, as long as Israel controls the West Bank, lives will be lost because the Palestinians will continue to resist. This school of thought believes that returning the West Bank will result in a lessening of the loss of life. The second opinion states that this land was given to the Jewish people by G-d, and can never be relinquished. This camp does not see Pikuach Nefesh as relevant in this situation since there will be no significant difference in loss of life if Israel maintains its territory.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is the principle of Pikuach Nefesh relevant in this situation?
  2. Will withdrawal from the West Bank save lives, or will maintaining the territory, thereby giving Israel a larger country be more apt to save lives?
  3. Who in Israel are the ones to judge whether a withdrawal saves lives? The army? The government? The people? The rabbinic authorities? Who do you feel should make this decision?
  4. Should Jewish religious law be a factor in the current military and political conflict?

Dilemma #7
An Israeli family has employed Palestinian workers, who commute daily from the West Bank, in their factory for the past 15 years. Recently, a Palestinian worker killed his Israeli boss in what was called a terrorist attack.
Should this family continue employing Palestinians in these times, or should they find alternate workers?

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would the same question be applicable if the employee has been the same Palestinian man working for 15 years and who is very well known by the family, or if the worker is someone who has been employed there for a shorter period of time and is not as well known?
  2. If Palestinians are not allowed to work within Israel, what other forms of employment might they be able to find?
  3. The alternative to Palestinian workers is foreign laborers who often stay in Israel and sometime intermarry with Jews. Which type of worker do you think is better for the State of Israel?

Dilemma #8
An Israeli soldier strongly disagrees with what he calls the "occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip." He believes that Israel should pull out of these territories so that the Palestinians can govern their own territory. His unit is about to be sent into the West Bank. Should this soldier go with his unit, or should he refuse to serve in the territories, becoming what is being termed an "Israeli Refusenik” and often have to serve time in prison instead of with his unit?

Discussion Questions:

  1. In a country where all citizens (with a few exceptions) must serve in the army, is it acceptable to refuse service?
  2. Should the Israeli Army allow conscientious objectors be given alternative service within the army, or should all soldiers have to serve as the army sees fit?
  3. Is it better for someone to take a moral stand and become a conscientious objector, or for him to serve in the terri- tories, knowing he will be more likely to show restraint than someone who feels hatred towards the Palestinians.

Dilemma #9
The Israeli Army is for Israeli citizens. Although the majority of those who serve in the army are Jewish, there are many who serve and are not Jewish. Israeli Bedouins and other Israeli Arabs, who are Israeli citizens, serve in the Israeli army on a voluntary basis. These soldiers have served in active combat units in every Israel war. During the current situation, should Arab citizens be allowed to continue serving in active IDF combat units?

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it more important for Israel to be a Jewish state or a democratic state?
  2. If only one Arab citizen of Israel became a suicide bomber, should all Arab citizens be taken out of the army? What if this citizen was a soldier in the Israeli army?
  3. Is it fair for Israel to send its Arab citizens out to fight other Arabs?

Dilemma #10
Miriam is an Israeli who grew up in Tel Aviv, always voted for the left-of-center Labor Party in Israeli elections and was an active member of the organization Peace Now. She was at the Peace Now rally in Tel Aviv when Yitzchak Rabin was assassinated and returned in the weeks afterwards to participate in multiple vigils. Although she considered herself a lifelong peacenik, the events of the second Intifada have begun to sway her political sensibilities. Over the past two years, she has lost a friend in a suicide bombing and is now afraid to go out and live her normal life. Instead of going out to cafes and clubs, Miriam stays home or goes to the homes of friends. She is not sure what can be done to end the cycle of violence, but, after Yasir Arafat did not accept Ehud Barak's peace plan offer at Camp David in 2000, she has lost faith in a diplomatic solution to peace. The Israeli Peace Coalition in Israel has called for another large rally to be held in Rabin Square advocating for the continuance of negotiations with the Palestinians and for Israel to pull out of the West Bank and Gaza. Should Miriam attend the rally, as she would have done in years past, or, because of the new political realities, should she stay at home?

Discussion questions:

  1. Is the peace activism of Peace Now and the Israeli Peace Coalition in Israel still relevant in Israel's present climate?
  2. One of the goals of terrorism is to create fear and doubt in the population. Should Israelis try to live their lives as normal or should they change their lives, which could be construed as giving in to terrorism?
  3. Is it more important to maintain one's ideals, no matter what, or to change with the flow of the political climate?

Ross Berkowitz is the Director of Educational Resources for the Jewish Agency for Israel, North America, and a graduate of Habonim Dror. For additional informal education programming about the Matzav and Israel, contact him at rossb@jazo.org.il.