Echoes of Munich
"I continue to hope against hope for a balanced and sensible cease-fire that will return all of the remaining hostages. But Hamas could make that decision right this minute. Every minute."
By Michael Golden
Fifty-two years ago today, the Arab terrorist group known as “Black September” invaded the Olympic Village in Munich, Germany and took nine Israelis hostage — after immediately killing two of them. Fifteen hours later, during a botched rescue effort by the German Police, the terrorists murdered the remaining nine Israeli athletes.
Three decades later, Steven Spielberg made a historical drama about the Mossad’s “Operation Wrath of God,” a mission to avenge the 11 stolen lives. Near the beginning of Munich, we see Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir consulting with her cabinet as she is trying to decide whether or not to green-light the operation. She compares the terrorists to Adolph Eichmann, Hitler’s henchman who was responsible for the murder of more than three million Jews. And then we hear Meir’s rationale:
“These people. They’re sworn to destroy us. Forget peace for now. We have to show them we’re strong. We have laws. We represent civilization. Some people say we can’t afford to be civilized. I’ve always resisted such people. But I don’t know who these maniacs are and where they come from. Palestinians? They’re not recognizable. You tell me what law protects people like these. Today I’m hearing with new ears. Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values. I’ve made a decision. The responsibility is entirely mine.”
The rest of Munich depicts Mossad hunting down and killing all 11 of the Black September terrorists. The unofficial, undercover mission is successful, but the movie also explores questions about the morality of committing assassinations in the name of justice. As I was re-watching the film and listening to the theoretical case for taking alternative actions, the thoughtful part of me truly considered it. But my heart was on another page. And it reminded me of a Kevin Spacey line repeated many times in the film Swimming With Sharks:
“Tough shit. Way it goes.”
When Meir was comparing the Munich terrorists to Eichmann, it also made me think about the undercover mission that the Mossad carried out in 1960 to avenge his genocidal crimes. Eichmann had been captured by U.S. troops after the war, but he’d escaped the prison camp he was being held in before he could face justice at Nuremberg.
Traveling under an assumed name, Eichmann bounced around the Middle East and Europe until he settled in Argentina in 1950 — a safe haven for many Nazi war criminals. When Israeli intelligence caught wind that Eichmann was living in the San Fernando area of Buenos Aires, under the name “Richard Klement,” they sent the Mossad there. And because Israel knew that Argentina might not extradite Eichmann for trial, the order was to illegally abduct him and bring him back.
Mossad operatives captured Eichmann on May 11, 1960. A week later, they drugged him in order to fly him out of the country — disguised as an Israeli airline employee who had suffered a traumatic head injury.
When Argentinian government officials learned of the operation, they were furious. They viewed the abduction as a violation of Argentinian sovereignty. The government demanded that Israel return Eichmann.
Tough shit. Way it goes.
Eichmann’s prosecution in Jerusalem as an international war criminal was the first trial to be televised in history. Hitler’s killer told the court he was “just following orders.” The judges didn’t buy it, and convicted him on all 15 counts. Eichmann was sentenced to death and was hanged near Tel Aviv the following year.
Human beings generally don’t like seeing other human beings in pain. We don’t like seeing death and we don’t take pleasure in acts of killing. While there may be a vicarious thrill in seeing a fictional character like Showtime’s Dexter eliminating the lives of horrifically bad people, again, this is vicarious. It is not real.
Sometimes I think that folks who don’t know Jewish folks well think that Jews may take some pleasure in seeing their enemies suffer. The thought of this bothers the hell out of me — because we don’t. At least I don’t, nor do the Jewish people in my life. Jews value life above almost anything else — and we want to work toward a peaceful existence among all peoples.
The problem arises when another people does not have a similar mindset. In that same scene in Munich, contemplating what the terrorists have done, the Golda Meir character says:
“We say to these butchers, ‘you didn’t want to share this world with us? Then we don’t have to share this world with you.’ There’s legitimacy for this, correct? Ambushed and slaughtered again. While the rest of the world is playing games, Olympic torches… Brass bands and dead Jews in Germany. And the world couldn’t care less.”
The Israeli government is the furthest thing from perfect, especially right now. Yet all governments are imperfect by their very nature. I live in America. Hello.
But when a nation comes up against an adversary that perpetually — almost eternally — rejects any peaceful coexistence and openly promises to continue efforts to wipe it off the face of the map, what are that nation’s options? This has proven to be an existential puzzle for Israel that is impossible for Israel to solve, for she is afforded no good choices.
I continue to hope against hope for a balanced and sensible cease-fire that will return all of the remaining hostages. But Hamas could make that decision right this minute. It has the power to end this. It also has the power to end its 35-year stated mission to eliminate all Jews from the planet.
Jews aren’t holding our breath. We want no more war. We never have. Work with us, we’ll work with you (see Israel’s peace treaties with regional neighbors). We just don’t want to be continually attacked and provoked.
But whether it’s Eichmann, Black September, Hamas — or God forbid the next band of indiscriminate murderers — history forecasts the future. And any new groups who decide to assault the Jewish people should know that they risk getting tattooed with the same answer.
Tough shit. Way it goes.
MICHAEL GOLDEN is the Editor-in-Chief of JEWDICIOUS.
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