Am I leading a sheltered life?
I’m British,
Jewish, Israeli. My grand-father’s brother died on the Somme fighting for
Britain, my grandfather served in Egypt, my father was in the 8th
army, a Desert Rat who fought in all the campaigns and spent the last year of
the war in a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. My children, born in the UK,
served in the Israeli army. I hate war, cannot understand why people killing
each other could ever be considered a solution for anything. None-the-less I am
proud of all the soldiers in my family.
My British-born
father and grand-father were told on a regular basis “go back to Palestine”. I
never experienced the hatred but when I announced my family were moving to
Israel I heard “So you’re going home?” I didn’t take that as an insult. They
were right.
I’ve lived in
Israel for almost thirty years. Life on a day to day basis is good, although I’m
sad that my tiny country has never know true peace.
By a weird and
wonderful mistake
I, a chicken farmer, cake baker, English teacher, house-wife and Mum became the
Secretary to the Peace Talks between Israel and
the Palestinians which culminated in the 1995 Interim Agreement
(commonly known as Oslo II). Back then hopes were high, optimism was felt
throughout Israel. Give the Palestinians autonomy, they will lay down their
arms, self-rule will lead to a Permanent Agreement, and peace and prosperity
will reign in our region. (By the end of 2005 not a single Israeli soldier or civilian was to be found in Gaza and the Palestinians were the masters of
their own destiny.)
Back to the
present. There’s a cease-fire but I’m back from another visit to the bomb
shelter. Not everyone has a shelter so doors are left open. Anyone can come in.
Today there were three under fives, two Mums, a handful of students, the
“oldies” represented by me and my neighbour. On a week-day
there would be a dozen babies from the crèche upstairs.
Someone I know started a facebook page to illustrate Israel's Spirit of the Blitz. I'm proud to be a member!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bombshelterselfies/
Despite
thousands of missiles from Gaza aimed at the heart of our cities over the years
and intensified in the last weeks, there have been fewer casualties on
the Israeli side. We are told Israel’s response is “disproportionate” (the buzz
word in this latest conflict) because these missiles are supposedly harmless,
their threat is down-played. Please then explain why America contributed enormous
amounts of tax-payers’ money toward the development of a system designed to
shoot these missiles down?
The truth is
that if the Iron Dome hadn’t been so effective in exploding the missiles in the
air, thousands in Israel would be maimed or dead by now.
Look at the
debate to allow/cancel flights to Israel. Ironic! Isn’t Israel being condemned
for acting disproportionately in Gaza because the danger from missiles aimed at
cities is “minimal”? Then why stop airplanes flying to the centre of Israel?
In Israel,
American aid went to a defence system. In Gaza, Hamas took
American aid (and multi-millions more from Europe) to purchase the missiles
that Israel defends herself from.
The list of our
slain soldiers grows from day to day. I know many have little sympathy. After
all soldiers are hardened professionals, who chose a job that involves killing.
Being killed comes with the territory.
I cry over each
and every one of them. The teenage soldiers, the older reservists; young men
who leave behind wives and orphaned children. I cry, and I am not alone. A
young American left his family to come and help protect his Jewish home-land. There
was concern that his parents would have few to comfort them at his funeral.
TWENTY THOUSAND Israelis came to mourn with them. Two days later another lone
soldier was laid to rest. THIRTY THOUSAND Israelis came. The only sound was weeping, no cries of
hatred, no calls for revenge.
Our soldiers
are Israel’s human shield against an enemy that also uses its civilians as
human shields. The difference is our shields have reached the age of consent.
They choose to put their lives on the line to defend our children. The
Palestinian shields are defenceless children who certainly have no
choice about being put on the firing line. They should be playing, our boys
should be at college, or dancing in discos.
To return to
the shelters for a moment. (I hope I can finish writing this before that has a
literal meaning …) Miles and miles of intricate tunnels uncovered so far, leading from Gaza into
Israel. Estimate: over a million tons of concrete!
What does this mean? The
world’s tallest tower, Dubai’s 163 floor Burj
Khalifa, required 110,000 tons of concrete. Ten times that amount could surely
have built a lot of shelters! More
logically, Hamas could have built homes, shops, and businesses. If the
Palestinian leaders had worked towards improving the life of the Palestinians,
instead of pouring all their efforts into trying to kill their Israeli
neighbours, there would actually be no need for shelters!
I spoke of fewer casualties on the Israeli side. In fact that should be qualified by the
word physical. The mental scars to our children are a sad fact of life here.
But this isn’t a competition between “them” and “us”; who has it worst.
Everyone who wishes for peace and is involved in this war is to be pitied.
However, if
there is to be any solution it cannot come from pity. It has to come from addressing
facts. Being distracted or worse misinformed by a one-sided view of the
conflict can only mean the real issues will not be addressed.
John Kerry is
already promising an enormous aid packet for Gaza. Is there ANY hope that the
money will be monitored so that it will reach the Palestinian people, not their
corrupt leaders?
Those genuinely sympathetic to the Palestinian cause need to
support Egypt and Israel in the fight against the evil that is Hamas. The
Palestinians are powerless to help themselves. To leave Hamas in power is to
guarantee that not far down the line, the tunnels will be rebuilt and reach
ever deeper into Israel, the missiles will be stronger, and the ordinary people
will continue to be cannon fodder for a cause that no one who isn’t a terrorist
understands or wants.
