The State We're In, 6 February 2010: Military rabbis have been directing Israeli soldiers to see combat as a matter of faith. A former soldier explains why he’s repulsed by what he calls “holy war”. A Palestinian doctor’s belief in God helps him forgive the loss he endured when three of his daughters were killed by Israeli tank fire. Samuel Maoz, director of the film "Lebanon" talks about his time as a tank gunner in the 1982 war and the morality of kill-or-be-killed situations.

Photo: An Israeli tank is seen near one of the many Israeli guard towers that are used to monitor the border with the Gaza Strip as it is prepared for fighting, 7 January 2009 - EPA/JIM HOLLANDER
 
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God in uniform
Military rabbis have been encouraging Israel’s soldiers to see their combat operations as a matter of faith.  Eran Efrati was a soldier for over three years and found the idea of fighting a ‘holy war’ repulsive.

Tragedy and reconciliation
Israel’s Operation Cast Lead left as many as 900 Palestinian civilians dead in 2009. Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish’s house in Gaza was shelled twice by an Israeli tank. Three of his daughters were killed. Yet his message is resolute: non-violence is the only path and peaceful reconciliation the only goal.

Link: Dr. Abuelaish has set up a foundation for girls and women in Gaza and the Middle East in memory of his daughters - Daughters For Life.

A tank’s eye view
Samuel Maoz is the director of the celebrated film "Lebanon" which shows his first 24 hours as an Israeli tank gunner in Israel’s 1982 war in Lebanon. He tells Jonathan about the moral minefields he encountered when life and death were the pull of a trigger away.