Being Kind to Our Enemies

The Moslem Calendar causes their holidays to move from season to season, unlike the Jewish Calendar.  Moslems have twelve lunar months and no periodical extra month.  The Christian Calendar is strictly solar, with an extra day every four years (aka "leap year") in February.  The Jewish Calendar is lunar with an extra Adar (late winter month) added according to an amazingly accurate formula developed thousands of years ago. This keeps our holidays in their proper seasons.

It's now the Jewish month of Av and this year it corresponds with the Moslem holiday of Ramadan.  The Moslems fast during the day and feast during darkness.  In Yafiz, Shaar Binyamin, we don't see Arab customers until just before closing time, but the Arab workers in the Rami Levi discount supermarket are at work without showing any signs of hunger, or anything else unusual.

The Israeli Government and IDF have decided on special "easing of security restrictions" in honor of the Muslim holiday.  It always makes me nervous when we take such security risks.  In recent years, a very unnecessary addition has been added to the directive:

IDF soldiers have been given orders to show special consideration toward the Palestinian residents of the West Bank and were instructed to avoid eating, drinking and smoking in public, especially at the various crossings. The soldiers will thus demonstrate a high level of respect and understanding towards the celebrating Palestinians.

Do the same government officials make a point of being extra considerate of Jews on Shabbat, fast days and holidays?