A sobering and comprehensive piece. I’ve listened to men who participated in war from border incursions (Turkey, Greek Asia Minor) to WW2 and Vietnam, I have no illusions that violence is ever neatly done or ever as expected. I am shocked by the attack in Israel but not by its inhumanity. There will be deaths of innocents, without a doubt. Not all Israeli.
What does not compute (for me) is that Israel was caught entirely unaware of the pending attack. Why. What was missed. And what does it mean.
Israeli politics have been fractured by the attempted judicial makeover by Natenyahu and his supporters. This outraged Israeli civilians and military alike who have been protesting for months. Many high ranking military officials had vowed not to follow orders issued by the current government, which they do not trust.
This may have sparked the incursion by Hamas, which sees this as a chance to advance their agenda of eliminating Jews from Israel.
Movement in and out of Gaza has restricted by both Egypt and Israel for decades, although Gaza is self-governing by numerous factions. It’s clear that their arms supply comes from elsewhere. But the invaders are home-grown, attacking civilians with impunity.
I have traveled to Israel several times and my children were raised in the tradition of conservative Judaism, all visiting our ancestral homeland. As a teenager l joined a leftist, Zionist youth organization with origins in Poland and the Warsaw Ghetto, as did my children with the exception of the eldest who followed her own journey. That journey as brought her to the forefront of the current situation in Israel with her family.
Our sympathy for displaced Palestinians is strong and we understand the complexity of the restoration of Israel to Jewish control after thousands of years of exile. That said, we understand that there a wide disparity of views on all sides and that the situation doesn’t lend itself to easy solutions.
It’s difficult to respect people’s rights when the have vowed to eradicate you from existence and side with those who shamelessly choose to violate your rights. This latest round of humiliating brutality is a disquieting reminder of the fragile relationship line between man and beast. And as my friends like to point out, animals don’t kill wantonly, covering their actions with excuses and lies.
It appears that we who cherish lsrael have little choice but to defend ourselves by resorting to violence, an unacceptable choice which places humanity on the brink of mass destruction. Why have we not progressed beyond this sad state of affairs? And how can we move beyond our basic instinct to kill or be killed? These are questions we must demand equitable answers for. The price of ignorance is ongoing misery and useless bloodshed.
Thank you. I respect your observation, understanding it is a true depiction of what Netanyahu has wrought. Until recently we had a narcissist incomprehensibly in power with authority over our military. I would hope they’d have the integrity to be wary of any bullshit orders he may have given.
Am very aware that the Palestinians have been brutalized for political use by every possible side in this show. The callous and the never ending seeking of advantage as in every part of the world since societies have formed imo.
That said I have no mercy for murderers who seek out and kill innocents. I can only hope that some intervention to establish a ceasefire and the return of hostages will happen. The question is, who has that stature?
I reflexively have a deep love for Israel, not all its players, but the incentive for its creation - wholeheartedly.
May they find the terrorists who will not stop without force.
A sobering and comprehensive piece. I’ve listened to men who participated in war from border incursions (Turkey, Greek Asia Minor) to WW2 and Vietnam, I have no illusions that violence is ever neatly done or ever as expected. I am shocked by the attack in Israel but not by its inhumanity. There will be deaths of innocents, without a doubt. Not all Israeli.
What does not compute (for me) is that Israel was caught entirely unaware of the pending attack. Why. What was missed. And what does it mean.
Israeli politics have been fractured by the attempted judicial makeover by Natenyahu and his supporters. This outraged Israeli civilians and military alike who have been protesting for months. Many high ranking military officials had vowed not to follow orders issued by the current government, which they do not trust.
This may have sparked the incursion by Hamas, which sees this as a chance to advance their agenda of eliminating Jews from Israel.
Movement in and out of Gaza has restricted by both Egypt and Israel for decades, although Gaza is self-governing by numerous factions. It’s clear that their arms supply comes from elsewhere. But the invaders are home-grown, attacking civilians with impunity.
I have traveled to Israel several times and my children were raised in the tradition of conservative Judaism, all visiting our ancestral homeland. As a teenager l joined a leftist, Zionist youth organization with origins in Poland and the Warsaw Ghetto, as did my children with the exception of the eldest who followed her own journey. That journey as brought her to the forefront of the current situation in Israel with her family.
Our sympathy for displaced Palestinians is strong and we understand the complexity of the restoration of Israel to Jewish control after thousands of years of exile. That said, we understand that there a wide disparity of views on all sides and that the situation doesn’t lend itself to easy solutions.
It’s difficult to respect people’s rights when the have vowed to eradicate you from existence and side with those who shamelessly choose to violate your rights. This latest round of humiliating brutality is a disquieting reminder of the fragile relationship line between man and beast. And as my friends like to point out, animals don’t kill wantonly, covering their actions with excuses and lies.
It appears that we who cherish lsrael have little choice but to defend ourselves by resorting to violence, an unacceptable choice which places humanity on the brink of mass destruction. Why have we not progressed beyond this sad state of affairs? And how can we move beyond our basic instinct to kill or be killed? These are questions we must demand equitable answers for. The price of ignorance is ongoing misery and useless bloodshed.
Thank you. I respect your observation, understanding it is a true depiction of what Netanyahu has wrought. Until recently we had a narcissist incomprehensibly in power with authority over our military. I would hope they’d have the integrity to be wary of any bullshit orders he may have given.
Am very aware that the Palestinians have been brutalized for political use by every possible side in this show. The callous and the never ending seeking of advantage as in every part of the world since societies have formed imo.
That said I have no mercy for murderers who seek out and kill innocents. I can only hope that some intervention to establish a ceasefire and the return of hostages will happen. The question is, who has that stature?
I reflexively have a deep love for Israel, not all its players, but the incentive for its creation - wholeheartedly.
May they find the terrorists who will not stop without force.