What Being in Awe of Israel Actually Says About People

One can be in awe of this tiny country and also appalled by some of its actions. But that's rare

- MANU JOSEPH

A few months ago, Hezbollah's operatives in Lebanon experienced something surreal—their pagers exploded. The next day, their walkie-talkies did the same. Israel, at first, said nothing officially. But later, it admitted what everyone already suspected: that its intelligence agency Mossad had orchestrated it. Israel managed to plant small explosives inside Hezbollah's pagers and walkie-talkies, possibly by creating a shell company that made these devices. A transmitted code then triggered blasts in thousands of devices, killing or maiming Hezbollah fighters and an unknown number of civilians. Israel seized this moment of chaos to launch a military air offensive, effectively decapitating the once-formidable militia that, like Iran, refused to accept Israel's right to exist.

It is hard not to be impressed by Israel. But it's a complex sentiment. Awe for a nation whose survival strategies often involve morally devastating acts is also a peep into human nature.

Israel elicits the admiration of outsiders for some unspoken reasons. Part of it is a masculine admiration for military genius, elegant tech and ruthless efficiency. Part of it is tangled with disdain for Muslims or the rest of West Asia. Perfectly good and sane people can claim, even to themselves, that they are moved by the plight of Gaza and also objectively dazzled by Israel. This may be because they do not consider all humans the same, even if they do not realize it.