Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Two really seismic events happened within days of each other while we were in Israel.
The first was that the former President, Moshe Katzav, was convicted of rape.
The second was that a HUGE natural gas field (known as ‘Leviathan’) was discovered off Israel’s northern coast.
While no one is in favor of rape, of course, I detected a small sense of national pride among Israelis that they were sending a message to the world: No one is above the law and we’re not afraid of prosecuting the elite and the higher ups.
This bodes well for Israeli democracy and national pride.
In how many other countries, they asked, would people do the same?
And the news of the Leviathan find sent another message, albeit a more subtle one.
It said, I think, that the dynamics of international politics will change significantly if, indeed, Israel is able to become a net energy exporter.
Two events which will have long lasting impact on the evolution of the state.
