The 28th day of this conflict began at 6 am today
with rockets launched by Hamas at Ashdod and Ashkelon, two southern cities in
Israel.
Israel has gotten accustomed to this wakeup call, a terrible
thing to say. On my iPhone, like most
Israelis, I have an app that alerts me every time incoming missiles are
detected. There’s a rhythm to the
violence, to the news, to the alerts.
There’s even an expectation—a dreadful thing—of hearing about new deeds
of heroism, about more deaths, more funerals, more sadness.
I admit that I am surprised that the war still
continues. I thought Israel would agree
to an imposed ceasefire days ago.
Actually, it did, only that within 90 minutes Hamas terrorists emerged
out of one of its tunnels, one that our soldiers had just discovered. The terrorists killed three Israeli soldiers
and grabbed one of the bodies with them as they ran back into their
hellhole. (At first it was thought that
the soldier was still alive, but as an officer charged into the tunnel in chase
of the terrorists, he discovered sufficient evidence to affirm the soldier’s
death).
Israel resumed its fierce fighting in Gaza. The inevitable happened—an UNWRA school
sheltering homeless Gazan refugees was bombed and several people, including
children, were killed. International
condemnation followed, and Israel tried to lower its profile yet again.
It all has its own rhythm, an expectation of cause and
effect that is leading many Israelis to feel a frightening numbness, while yet
growing in determination to see the conflict reach an inescapable and final conclusion.
Israel has set as its goal the disarmament of Hamas. It is becoming clear, however, that Hamas is
not going to yield to this demand. Over
the years, it has accumulated an enormous supply of rockets and dug a maze of
tunnels with only one purpose: committing massacres and atrocities in Israeli
kibbutzim, towns and cities. As long as
it has one rocket left, Hamas is intent on firing it into Israel population
centers.
For Hamas, this war is not about disarmament; it’s about its
purpose and existence. Disarmament would
mean total downfall. Hamas has many
enemies both outside and inside the narrow strip of land where it has wielded absolute
and tyrannical control for the past seven years. Disarmament would hasten an
outburst of hate and anger against the group that has brought such pain and
misery upon its own population. As Hamas
leaders see it, the only way to ensure that they will survive this war is continuing
it.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s resolve is another surprise. Despite the many calls for Israel to cease
Operation Protective Edge, Israel continues doing everything it can to reach
the goal of security for its population.
As of 10 am this morning, Israel is in the midst of yet another
“humanitarian” ceasefire, but it’s not at all expected that Hamas will respond
in kind.
Among Israelis, underlying the deep frustration is the fear
that the terror tunnels are not limited any more only to the Gaza border. A wary eye—and ear—is cast to the Palestinian
Authority in the West Bank, as well as to the northern border with
Lebanon. Additionally, and adding to
the general sense of dis-ease, more and more voices are heard among Arab states
calling for a more general—and total—attack against Israel, that this is the
time they had been waiting for since 1948.
It’s a frightening scenario for us all.
Tonight is the evening of Tisha B’Av, the day that
commemorates the destruction of both the first (586 BCE) and the second Temple
(70 CE) in Jerusalem. Tradition has
other tragedies in Jewish history associated with this day. In observance of Tisha B’Av, many Jews fast;
penitential prayers and the study of the Book of Lamentations are other
traditions. In Israel, many stores,
banks and entertainment centers are closed for the day. Even secular Israel takes a moment or two
from “business as usual” to ask penetrating questions about its history, its present
and its purpose. This year, the topics
on everyone’s mind will certainly include how this war began and why we didn’t
respond to the tunnel threat earlier. (The IDF, it turns out, knew months ago about
the tunnels and the dangers they present).
How to move on from here will be talked about not only tomorrow, but for
months and perhaps years to come. Are
there partners for peace among the Arabs?
Is Israel’s fate to continue fighting these wars periodically, every few
years?
The rhythmic alerts on my iPhone are chiming. More incoming missiles. Some people have left their homes to stay
with relatives in the north. Others, who
chose to stay, have anywhere between 15 and 30 seconds to run to shelters. Luckily for my mother and me, Haifa is quiet
tonight. Hezbollah, the terrorist
organization in Lebanon, has its own problems with ISIS and doesn’t want to
risk another battle with Israel. Later
tonight we will get the full report of any damage, of casualties, of talks
about a possible ceasefire. We’ll hear
about how families of the fallen soldiers are coping. We’ll cry about the death of dreams and,
later, we’ll dream about building again.
And tomorrow is a new day.
Tisha B’Av. An official day of
mourning. As though tonight we need any
reminder that the world isn’t perfect, that there’s so much sadness, so much
suffering.
Maybe one day we will
get some answers. Until then, we can
only hope and pray.
© 2014 by Boaz D. Heilman
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