“Suffering thousands of years of hatred doesn’t make you decent. But we’re supposed tobe righteous. That’s a beautiful thing. That’s Jewish…I lose that and that’s everything. That’s my soul (Spielberg, 2005).” Robert, a toymaker turned bomb-maker, highlights the ethical conundrum of a religious state to direct vengeance. In Munich, the audience follows Israel’s response to the assassination of eleven Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games (Spielberg, 2005). Israel’s controversial policy of targeted killing challenges both national values and international law. In recent news, Israel’s suspected involvement in the Dubai assassination of Hamas leader, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh has once again brought up Israel’s stance on targeted killing and the ethical question it presents to a Jewish state. Israel, along with other nations in the modern globalized political arena, must decide to what extent they are willing to mimic terrorist tactics and neglect the principles their nation was founded upon as well as international law. Most importantly, Israel’s methods to address terrorism submerge the state in a garbled global dialogue between governments, civilians, terrorists and the media. Read more