Israel is at war. Memories of October 7th have been mostly forgotten
outside Israel, where anti-Semitism is on the rise. We are losing support from
our allies while Hamas still holds over 130 of our citizens hostage in Gaza.
There is political turmoil at home and no trust in our government. Still, as my
country marks its 76th birthday (celebrate may not be the totally
appropriate verb this year), Israel is my home and I would live nowhere else.
Here are my somewhat random thoughts on Israel's current state of
affairs. I am hardly an expert on anything, just an average Israeli trying to
live a normal life.
And, that's the strange, surreal part – my life is relatively normal.
I go to work each day, walk the dog, enjoy my grandchildren and family,
continue with my writing, hike, run, read, watch Netflix—and everything is
normal. But a short distance from my home (in the hills outside Jerusalem),
there is a war going on in Gaza. Recently I was unable to fall asleep after
hearing reports that thousands of drones were on their way from Iran to attack
Israel.
My family is all well and safe. My son and son-in-law are too old to do
reserve duty in the army. There were a few rocket attacks overhead in the early
weeks of the war that sent us into the shelter in our home, and there have been
occasional disruptions in school schedules but on the whole, our lives go on as
usual.
We have been asking ourselves who is responsible for what happened
last October. How could we, with the best army in the Middle East, and
possibly one of the best intelligence services in the world, have been taken by
surprise by such a horrific, bloody invasion.
I can’t provide any sort of explanation for Israel's military failures,
but I do have an opinion on our current government. It is the most extremist,
right-wing, anti-democratic, corrupt government we have ever had. And the
person responsible for Israel's current situation is the man at the top, who
will do anything and everything to stay in power.
Netanyahu is responsible
Netanyahu allowed the transfer of millions of dollars to Hamas on a
regular basis. He has partnered with extremist rightwing settler parties who regularly
attack the Palestinians in the West Bank and, with government approval, steal
their land. He has teamed up with the ultra-Orthodox, who take more than their
share of public funds to support their institutions while their men don't share
the burden of serving in the army. He encouraged his ministers when they attempted
to overturn the court system, including delegitimizing our Supreme Court – acts
which would effectively end Israeli democracy.
All of this in addition to Netanyahu's being on trial on corruption
charges. In a normal country, after the failures of October 7th, the man at the
top would say, "I am responsible" and resign. Netanyahu has never
accepted responsibility for what he allowed to happen.
There is no doubt in my mind that Netanyahu's actions led Hamas to
believe that Israel was weak, giving them an opportunity to attack. And there
is no doubt in my mind that had our government acted differently, those
hostages who are still alive would now be free.
Netanyahu's government's decisions regarding Israel's ongoing war in
Gaza, the fighting with Hezbollah in the north, and the crisis with the United
States and our other allies, are due to political considerations—Netanyahu's
attempt to stay in power.
One thing should be clear, however. Israel lives in a very hostile
neighborhood. Even if Netanyahu was not the prime minister, Hamas would still
be plotting to attack us. Iran's desire to destroy the Jewish State is not
dependent on which party forms the Israeli government. Israel is judged more
harshly than any other country in the world, when all (or most) of our military
actions are self-defense.
Anti-Semitism has been around forever
Anti-Semitism has been around forever, yet it raises its head whenever
there's a serious crisis between Israel and the Palestinians. Let's face it,
Jews are not particularly liked in many parts of the world.
Our critics claim that Israel is an apartheid state, yet we have Arab
citizens with full rights, including representation in the Knesset. I live near
a Muslim Arab village and the contractor renovating our house is Muslim. Our
doctors and pharmacists are Muslim. The women who take care of my granddaughter
in kindergarten are Muslim. We are all on good terms. We are all good
neighbors.
Still, there are Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank (not all
that far from my home) without rights or independence. For years, I have
supported a two-state solution but unfortunately, I see no partner today on the
Palestinian side with whom to make peace. Most of the Israeli public that
previously supported the peace process have given up hope of ever reaching a
negotiated end to our ongoing conflict.
There are as many opinions about the situation as there are Israelis,
and it's hard to find a consensus about anything. That changed on October 7th
when Hamas attacked all of us and Israel found itself in a war it didn't ask
for. Israelis rose up to the challenge of defending their country. Soldiers
and pilots who weeks before had been threatening to refuse service due to the
government's plans to overhaul the judiciary, reported for duty without
hesitation.
Civilians everywhere began volunteering their time and resources on
behalf of the country. I personally found a place helping Israeli farmers in
the communities near the Gaza Strip, whose foreign workers (mostly from
Thailand) fled the country, yet were left with crops to harvest. I took days
off from work to pick pomelos, oranges, clementines, red peppers, lemons, and
to plant cauliflower and thin the fruit on peach trees. Thousands and thousands
of Israelis helped in many other ways.
We are resilient
Israelis are resilient. Despite the ongoing war, despite the struggle to
find our place as equals on the world stage, despite the decades-long conflict
with the Palestinians and the surrounding Arab countries, we live in a wonderful
place, with so much history, religion, culture, traditions, high-tech
innovations, superb health care and education, and stunning nature.
I am not a demonstrator. I don't wave the Israeli flag on street corners
or carry banners calling for Netanyahu to resign, new elections, or 'free the
hostages', yet I support those who do.
Israel has a horrible, corrupt government and prime minister, yet I
wouldn't live anywhere else. As Israel marks its 76th birthday, I have no hesitation to say - Israel is my home and I'm proud to be an Israeli.
