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By Way of Deception

By Way of Deception

By Way of Deception

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BY WAY OF DECEPTION 32grandparents, Haim and Ester Margolin, who had fled thepogroms in Russia in 1912 with their son Rafa. Another son hadbeen killed in a pogrom. In Israel, they had two more children, ason Maza, and a daughter Mira, my mother. They were realpioneers in Israel. My grandfather was an accountant, but until hecould get his papers out <strong>of</strong> Russia to prove it, he washed floors inthe UJA (United Jewish Agency). He later became their auditorgeneral,and was a very honorable person.I was brought up. a Zionist. My Uncle Maza had been in the eliteunit <strong>of</strong> the pre-state army, the "Wolves <strong>of</strong> Samson," and servedduring the War <strong>of</strong> Independence.My grandparents were very idealistic. My own idea <strong>of</strong> Israel as Iwas growing up was as the land <strong>of</strong> milk and honey. That anyhardships were worth it. I believed it was a country that would dono wrong, would not inflict evil on others, would set an examplefor all nations to see and to follow. If there was anything wrongfinancially or politically in the country, I always imagined this wasat the lower echelons <strong>of</strong> government — with the bureaucrats, whowould eventually clean up their act. Basically, I believed therewere people guarding our rights, great people like Ben-Gurion,whom I really admired. I grew up regarding Begin as the militant Icouldn't stand. Where I grew up, political tolerance was the mainrule. Arabs were regarded as human beings. We'd had peace withthem before and eventually would again. That was my idea <strong>of</strong>Israel.Just before I turned 18, I joined the army for the compulsorythree-year term, emerging as a second lieutenant in the militarypolice nine months later — then the youngest <strong>of</strong>ficer in the Israelimilitary.During my term, I served at the Suez Canal, on the Golan Heights,and along the Jordan River. I was there when Jordan was clearingthe PLO out, and we allowed the Jordanian tanks to pass throughour territory so as to surround them. That was weird. TheJordanians were our enemy, but the PLO was a greater enemy.After my military term ended in November 1971, I returned

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