Bless Israel, but not for its Faults

   These are the times that try men's souls, Thomas Paine once said. Tell me, was he speaking of war? Was he speaking of Gaza? Was he speaking of Israel? Was he speaking of soldiers who sacrifice all that is true, all that is noble in a lust to equal their enemy's depravity. Was he, perhaps, referring to the collective soul of one of the world's greatest nations -- maybe even the greatest -- being cast into the depths of shame?
   I am a lover of Israel, a believer that it is chosen of God. But that does not mean I cannot see vices where there should be virtue. You sell your soul when you justify your wrongs. Israel justifies its war atrocities. You buy an illusion for the price of regret. Israel supposes it is doing right. But, is it? Will it come to regret its war crimes?
   Bless Israel. But bless it not for its faults.