In a measure of the acclaimed movie\’s respectability in some quarters of the local Jewish community, the University of Judaism recently sponsored a screening of and panel discussion on \”Paradise Now\” that featured the film\’s director, Hany Abu-Assad.
Will Hamas in its power role moderate its radical positions or put Palestinian society on a collision course with Israel and the Western world?
This is the central question. There will be enormous pressure on Hamas to adopt a more pragmatic line. The European Union, which provides up to 90 percent of international aid to the Palestinians, is threatening to suspend its economic support unless Hamas recognizes Israel\’s right to exist and renounces violence, and the United States appears poised to do the same.
One can argue whether the actions Israel\’s government has taken in the face of terror and recalcitrance are moral or effective. One can argue that Israel\’s settlement policy — as its architect, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has come around to doing — is deleterious to the nation\’s security.
There is a real chance that ours will be the last Zionist generation. There may yet be a Jewish State here, but it will be a different sort, strange and ugly.
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