Hanging Our Head in Shame

I have intentionally refrained from writing about this incident of terrorism because I am angry, ashamed and embarrassed about it. Here are some details:

JERUSALEM (CNN) — An Israeli soldier opened fire inside a bus in Israel’s northern Galilee region Thursday, killing four Israeli Arabs and seriously wounding five other people before he was killed, according to Israeli police.

There is no excuse for his actions. They are and should be condemned. He did not act in a manner that can make anyone proud, just sad and angry. I was happy to see that Sharon condemned this as an act of terror and that he said this:

“Sharon’s statement added: “The entire State of Israel, regardless of race, religion or sex, strongly condemns this act of terrorism.

“The government is determined to protect the lives of Israel’s citizens, from all ethnic communities and sectors; I have instructed the security services to accord the highest priority to investigating this terrorist attack.”

If we want to retain our position as having the moral authority to condemn acts of terror. If we want to be able to retain our decency than it is incumbent upon us to make sure that it is very clear that there are no excuses made for this.

I am disappointed because I am not completely surprised by this but I want to be. I am disappointed because from10,000 miles away I can feel some of the strain and stress that the disengagement is creating and I can see the potential for bad things.

But this is so very wrong on so many levels and it bothers me greatly. I didn’t write about it because I wanted to process it and think about what I wanted to say. I should have said this all earlier.

I condemn it. It is terrorism. It is wrong and I do not want this to be done in the name of anything/anyone that I hold dear. I pray that this is the last we see of such reprehensible actions.