The blood oath
I had an appointment with him at 1.30pm in his office at the defense ministry in Tel Aviv. At the reception desk of a strangely unbusy ministry, I was told that he was out and had left a message asking for me to be shown into his outer office and to make myself comfortable until he arrived.
Nearly half an hour later I heard the sound of heavy, weary footsteps coming up the stone stairs. When Ezer filled the frame of the doorway to the outer office of his inner sanctum, it was obvious that he was not his usual energetic, breezy self. He had the look of a haunted man. He managed a smile and said “Shalom“. Then, without another word, he put an arm around my shoulder and walked me into his office. He closed the door, nodded me to a seat on the other side of his ministerial desk and flopped into his own chair. He pushed it back and plonked his feet on the desk. He was looking straight at me but through me, to something only visible in his imagination.
I let the silence run and then, eventually, I said: “Ezer, you’ve obviously got a major problem on your mind. Shall I make an appointment for another day?”
Eventually he spoke. On refection I was sure he told me what he did only because I was there. He needed to tell somebody and it happened by chance to be me.
He said slowly and with quiet emphasis:
“This lunchtime Sharon convened a secret meeting of some of our generals and other top military and security people. They signed a blood oath which commits them to fight to the death to prevent any government of Israel withdrawing from the West Bank.” Pause. “I know that’s what happened at the meeting because I’ve checked it out, and that’s why I was late.”
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syed mehdi hasan ashraf:
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:39 am
Events like this becomes problamatic for moderate leaders to handle.Is there a way out?Yes but needs persuasive approch towards oath taker.Let them see this type of oath taking is self distructive.
I agree wholly those who suported the wrong doings in the past either by keeping quite or suportive by words bear the same responsibility as one who commits it.In israel case mainly USA & EUROPIAN countries.I just hope wisdom & justive prevails without which the matter will keep going from bad to worst,no stoping to that.
Mary:
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:01 am
Just because a group of Jewish men obsessed with the idea of blood got together like children in a treehouse and made a sanguine pact doesn’t mean it should be honored. This kind of nonsense should not be adhered to, especially at the expense of world peace.
Reo:
December 24th, 2009 at 12:54 am
An oath to commit treason against the government of Israel is what they did. Sounds like something the Mafia would do.