The Jewish prophetic vision was that of a community existing in time under a transcendent God. Political space in this vision was surely important, but not because of space itself. Rather, the significance of space — today we would speak of "land" — derived from the particular events that took place in its borders, events identified in part by the course of a Jewish community structured in time.

For present-day Israel, the space-time relationship has two complex dimensions. First, repeated territorial surrenders by Israel have reduced the amount of time Israel will have to resist certain types of terrorism and aggression. Second, such surrenders, considered cumulatively, have already provided time for Israel's enemies to await perfect strategic opportunity. It follows, in an apparent paradox, that time now serves Israel's enemies both by its diminution and by its extension.

For Israel, the strategic importance of time is expressed not only by its relationship to space, but also as a repository of memory. By recalling the historic vulnerabilities of Jewish life in the world, Israel's current leaders might still begin to step back from Oslo-inflicted catastrophe. "Yesterday," says Samuel Beckett in his analysis of Proust, "is not a milestone that has been passed, but a daystone on the beaten track of the years, and irremediably a part of us, heavy and dangerous." Aware that tomorrow will be determined largely by "yesterday," especially by the memory of "yesterday," Prime Minister Sharon has yet another chance to recognize that time is power.

There is one more thing. The subjective metaphysics of time — a reality that is based not on equally numbered moments, but upon particular representations of time as lived — should now impact the way in which Israel confronts its many Arab/Islamic enemies. This means struggling to understand the manner in which these enemies — both states and terror groups — actually live within time. For example, if it can be determined that certain Palestinian terrorist groups accept a very short time horizon in their search for a fiery end to Israel, the Israeli response to Palestinian aggressions and expectations will have to be correspondingly swift. If, on the other hand, it would seem that this time horizon is substantially longer, Israel's response could conceivably be more patient and less urgent.

Of special interest is the time aspect of the suicide bomber. This form of murderer is uniquely afraid of death, so afraid — in fact — that he is willing to "kill himself" as a means of conquering death. This conquest of death, in turn, is really a way to "unstop time," to replace our human obligations to suffering mortality with an eternity of bliss. Truth, here, again lies in paradox, and Israel can benefit from understanding a seemingly contradictory mindset that identifies "suicide" with life everlasting. Specifically, such an understanding should focus upon a Palestinian terrorist idea that time does not have a "stop," and that heroic "martyrdom" — that is, the murder of defenseless men, women and children — is the surest way to soar above the insufferably mortal limits of time. How can such a focus be achieved? The most obvious way to combat the Arab/Islamic suicide bomber's deadly notion of time is to disabuse him of this notion. This would entail the primary recognition that the suicide bomber now sees himself as a sacrificer, in full ceremonial action, escaping from time without meaning to a place of sacred time. Abandoning the profane time of ordinary mortals — a chronology inextricably linked to personal death — the Arab/Islamic suicide bomber transports himself into the exclusive and divine world of martyred immortals. It follows that the temptation to "sacrifice" despised Jewish infidels at the altar of Palestinian "Jihad" is always considerable, even perhaps irresistible. What must Israel do with this informed understanding of its most murderous enemy? Clearly, massive internal war against the Palestinian Authority (PA) infrastructure — while essential for other very good reasons — is not the solution. Rather, Israel's immediate task must be to convince the prospective suicide bombers, either directly or indirectly, that their intended "sacrifice" will never elevate them above the mortal limits of time. Indeed, they will need to be convinced that they are not now living in profane time, and that every sacrificial killing of Jews is a true profanation of Islam. Significantly, this view is already understood and widely accepted among Islamic clergy all over the world. It remains for Israel to identify this clergy and urge them to act correctly and courageously on behalf of true peace in the Middle East.