Its the results of our withdrawals from Lebanon and Gaza, stupid!
These two are prime reasons that the general state of resignation lays on the land. Basically most people here can not envision a satisfactory culmination to this conflict.
The general feeling seems to me to be that there is no real end to the aggression and rejection we receive from our neighbors, and the demonetization from peoples far away who are easily manipulated by the media.
Its not that we do not make mistakes, even serious ones. Many or even most of these are a direct result of the desperation that animates the people and is then transferred to the political structure. The intense quality of our political process reflects the continuous existential challenge we face.
Over the years there has been constant talk of the need of the Palestinians for a “political horizon”, that is to say that things need to be done in order to assure the Palestinians that ceasing their active hostility to us will bring them some form of real political gain. That a change in behavior will result in a positive
change in their daily lives.
Well, I believe that is now also true for the majority of Israelis. Peering into the future, most of us can not catch a glimpse of long term benefit to our continuing to make “concessions” to satisfy the endless demands by the Palestinians as well as the international community.
Its the Occupation, they all screamed for years.
The Occupation of Gaza was ended; but not in the correct way? Settlements were also removed from parts of Samaria. Again there were no smiles, no relaxation of hostility of complaints or of denouncements.
The Arab/Palestinian population of Jerusalem continues to grow, yet we continue to be accused of “genocide” “ethnic cleaning” all manor of evil.
Although most Israelis will tell you they do not care what is said about themselves, and while many remember David Ben-Gurian’s statement regarding the UN, (known in Hebrew as um), he disparaged their importance with the statement “um shmom”. But the truth I believe is that like children who chant
“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names can never harm me!”, when they are deeply hurt by things said to or about them, so too, do we, claim that we are not bothered by the vile things said about us. About the ongoing process of demonetization that people are being fed by international organizations the mass media, and just plain ignorant easily manipulated people.
An amazing post Gaza Operation (as it is being called here), is the tremendous outpouring of help and aid that Israelis of all persuasions are sending to Gaza. Yes, I too have a problem separating the aggressive violence, enthusiastically embarrassed by Israelis during the fighting from the profound desire not too see individuals suffering. But like with all our ironic inconsistent paradoxes can only be appreciated in the experience.
What is significant here is the statement this generosity (from our, the givers point-of-view) makes visa vi the violence is that Israelis truly do not hate the people of Gaza, or the Palestinians, or the Arabs, our enemies. To understand us you must struggle to empathize with our desperate need for signs of calm or at least a strong attempt to achieve that calm, to the violence it seems to take to achieve that goal.
We also have to look north, to Lebanon and Hizbollah to comprehend what has and is happening. Although I personally was skeptical, it seems that the degree of violence that descended on these two Iranian subsidiaries, has brought, at least temporally, a degree of quiet.
Part of our tragedy that this people, who think of themselves as an eternal people, have become so desperate, so short-sighted that if we get a month of quiet we consider it a great accomplishment. If our actions bring a short respite from the violence directed towards us, it feels like we have achieved something grand!
