A bad year has ended

Editorial

As 2008 nears its conclusion, Israel is once again on the verge of war. This time, against Iran's second regional limb, Hamas, in Gaza, a territory Israel evacuated of Jewish residents three years ago.

When the hudnah (ceasefire) expired recently, Hamas and other organizations under its control resumed the firing of Kassam rockets and mortars on the western Negev. One of the first things Israel did was send a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon.

"Israel stresses that Hamas is solely responsible for the escalation in violence in the area and that Israel won't be held hostage by the terror group.... The Jewish state will not hesitate to take military action in order to stop the rocket fire into its territories from the Gaza Strip," the letter said.

The foreign ministry has also launched an aggressive public relations campaign to garner world support, which is good, but the situation is tenuous and no one wants to see another regional war that won't solve anything decisively.

There's no mincing words. Things look bad – and not just for Israel. It was not a great year overall.

The Bernard Madoff fraud has left hundreds of people and organizations penniless. The scheme and the fate of its victims have reinforced the already heightened feelings of disgust and revulsion at the malevolent greed of some people, serving as "icing on the top" of what is shaping up to be the worst economic depression since the "great" one, a crisis that itself has less-than-honest roots.

There was an earthquake in China, forest fires in California and a cyclone in Myanmar. While the world's eyes were directed to Beijing, closely following the historic and inspiring athletic achievements of humanity's best athletes, crowned by the eight gold medals and seven world records of Michael Phelps, there was a small but deadly war between Russia and Georgia, a worrying sign of the former world power's attempt to re-establish itself in opposition to the West.

The recent terror attacks in India, executed by Islamist radicals in an attempt to further destabilize one of the world's most explosive regions, were a tragic reminder that global terror is here to stay and that (as if we needed reminding) Jews would continue to be targets.

On a more positive note, 2008 also saw high levels of democratic participation, with elections taking place all around the world, albeit with differing levels of success. In the United States, voters backed the historic candidacy of Barack Obama and the resurgence of the Democratic party, once more in power, after eight years of the Republicans headed by George W. Bush.

Meanwhile, in Canada, elections resulted in another minority government for Stephen Harper and the Conservatives, although the opposition parties are threatening to overturn that result with a vote of no confidence in January. British Columbia welcomed new civic governments, with few challenges to the process, but amid worries about the costs of the 2010 Olympics, especially given the global economic crisis.

Much further afield, Zimbabwe's longtime dictator Robert Mugabe bullied his way into power yet again – losing in the first round of elections, he banned the opposition from participating in the runoff. Hopefully, democracy will fare better elsewhere in 2009, with elections scheduled to take place in Israel, as well as in Iran and the Palestinian Authority.

Israel's elections were due to take place in 2010 but, with the resignation of Ehud Olmert as prime minister, because of corruption charges and a general lack of confidence in his ability to lead the country, they were moved up a year. While Tzipi Livni, who made it to the top tier of the Israeli political totem in 2008, has a chance to become Israel's first female prime minister in more than three decades, the possibility seems slim.

While Israel saw the return of the bodies of the three fallen soldiers whose death sparked the Second Lebanon War, it was another year that Gilad Shavit remained in isolated captivity. In 2008, Israel remained the only country in the region to absorb refugees from wartorn Africa – all the while continuously being charged with human rights violations by the UN. The relationship with the critically flawed body is likely to become even more stressed, on the heels of Israel barring the entry of the UN special rapporteur on human rights to the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the upcoming Durban II "anti-racism" summit.

While Israel has had a challenging year, 2008 marked the beginning of its 60th birthday celebrations, a party in which the Vancouver Jewish community has taken part, with various events, the highlight being the Israel@60 day at Stanley Park in September. Tourism to the Holy Land looks like it will break records, with an estimated 2.8 million visitors in 2008. And, perhaps most surprisingly, there seems to be a real opportunity for Israel to gain peace with Syria. There are reasons to be optimistic.

Just as we start Chanukah with one light and end with eight burning bright, we can, one action at a time, make the world a better place. And it's our responsibility to do so. As our tradition teaches: we are not obliged to finish the task, but neither are we free to neglect it.

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