I know a young woman who served in the Israeli army. She was telling me of how many young people really didn't want to serve but it's mandatory. She didn't want to serve but of course did her time but got out due to a knee injury (I don't know how). She is now studying in the U.S. for her degree, I think architecture. I do remember seeing a documentary some time ago about the Israeli youth and having to join the service. If I remember it or find it, I'll post it.

Yeah I think it is more about the whole needing as much warm bodies as possible rather then about equality. Israel is in a bad place militarily, and they need as many people as possible to make sure they don't get overwhelmed.

hee :D

Not sure whether you mean their military is in a bad way, or whether you mean the country is just in a very vulnerable place. Israel has a pretty bad-ass military - one you don't really want to mess with. They just happen to be a very small country sitting in the middle of a land mass where everyone surrounding them hates them.

The latter. They have a very powerful and advanced military. Unfortunately they are in a part of the world that hates them and are in a more or less constant state of war. And no matter how highly trained your forces are, or how advanced your tech is, numbers do matter.

As far as Israel being progressive goes: I think some people think Israel is like the rest of the Middle East but it really isn't at all. Jerusalem, maybe, but Tel Aviv is more like NYC with clubs, bars, restaurants, beautiful people... etc.

i just watched that video. i think it's funny. it looks like spring sing, but with guns.

the British Royal Dragoon Guards put way more work into their choreography though.

I won't disagree that it was stupid on her part. However, I have to question why we hold Israel to a much higher standard than the Muslim world, or anyone else for that matter.

Remember, the Iraqis celebrated by hanging the multilated, burned corpses of Americans off a bridge in Fallujah and the world didn't even flinch! This female IDF solider smiles with "live" blindfolded soliders and you never hear the end of it.

Women in the IDF serve side-by-side with their male counterparts, particularly in combat and border troops. My nephew served with the Oketz Unit (dog unit) and we later learned his unit was one of the first in Gaza with their bomb sniffing dogs.

And to the another poster who thought that Jerusalem isn't as progressive as Tel Aviv, it is, it's an international city where Jews, Christians and Arabs co-exist in contiguous neighborhoods. There are discos, restaurants etc, and it's like many other metro cities. People have this idea due to a small orthodox Jewish population that the entire city is like the Mea Sharim neighborhood, when it's not. Israel is more secular than it is religious.

Here's a fun video of Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=ULtg...eature=related

I haven't been to the homeland yet:( Also, that video is the cutest thing ever! Love it!

They claim the moral high ground, we back them in part because of it, therefore they should live up to it. If they'd rather be compared with and treated like those Iraqis, then they can choose that route instead.

You should go if you get the chance, many people feel an incredible connection between the neshama and the land. You might like this video too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=iTXi...eature=related

"oy" is just "yo" backwards

lol

I disagree. They do not claim a moral high ground, we share the same values, namely; the value of a human life - these are Judeo-Christian values. Furthermore, the US supports Israel due to the economic and strategic asset Israel provides. Israel keeps US manufacturers like Grumman, Boeing etc, in business. That's what our aid does, it insures they buy American planes, helicopters and weapons, thereby, keeping Uncle Joe employed. US-Israel have numerous bi-lateral contracts and mutual interests, Google, the joint projects being developed. American technological companies, such as Motorola in Israel, and medical research being done with Americans notwithstanding.

I don't think Israelis will behave like extremist militants, anymore than the US will - that's not to say there won't be a few individuals who act alone. And that's what we unfortunately remember.

I love it, that makes me chuckle too! ;)

Those are Islamic values too, just for the record. And it's not just about the value of life, it's about respecting human beings. Even prisoners. Saying that this soldier should not be criticized, or that people should lay off because well at least she's not cheering for dead Americans is a false comparison. Israel most certainly claims to be in the right, and they claim to be "better" than their enemies. That means acting like it.

And some Christian conservatives only support Israel because they want them to rebuild the Temple so Jesus can come again. If that's all our money's going towards, why don't we just buy planes straight from Boeing. (And no, those companies wouldn't all go out of business without Israel.)

You're not saying anything that people don't know. No one's saying to draw and quarter this soldier, just that it was wrong and she should be (or should have been) punished appropriately.

And if the Israelis and Americans alike remembered that extremist militants did not represent the greater whole.. well we'd be doing a hell of a lot better.