Israel at 76

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.