Do Not Rejoice: 300 Days in Hell

In the ultimate Hit & Run, Israel kills 3 top terrorists and then the government shuts off the lights and leaves for summer vacation.

In the past weeks, three of the region’s worst terrorists were killed in targeted assassinations. I believe that eliminating dangerous enemies is necessary to our country’s defense.  But the timing could not have been worse.

300 days in hell. Photo and graphic: Benny Ron, used with permission

It’s been over 300 days since October 7^th. 115 Israeli hostages languish in Gazan tunnels. 10 months of Netanyahu’s ridiculous boast that ‘total victory’ is near. And Hamas is still able to lob rockets into southern Israel. Hezbollah continues to bombard our northern towns. Israel’s north and south are under fire. Civilians are killed on both sides of the borders. Last week we mourned the deaths of 12 beautiful children killed by a Hezbollah rocket while playing soccer.  And now, the nation braces for all-out war with our most powerful enemy, Iran.

Over 150,000 Israeli citizens are still displaced by the war. For almost one year, these internal refugees have lived in cramped hotel rooms and caravans, while their homes remain unlivable, inaccessible, under fire.

This is the reality of Israel today. Total victory??? WTF.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not one bit sad about the deaths of Ismail Haniyeh, Muhammad Deif and Fuad Shukr. These men were evil. These men were terrorists. All three of them planned and carried out terror attacks which killed innocent civilians.

Indeed, I am in awe of the capabilities of killing one specific person and his bodyguard inside a 4^th floor apartment in the heart of Teheran, the capital of Iran, a powerful country officially sworn to annihilate Israel.

Israel has not yet taken credit for the Haniyeh assassination, for obvious reasons. But come on. Who else do we think might have done this? Only Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed by the strike inside a populated apartment building, in the center of the crowded city of Teheran. Impressive.

I am not a Quaker. I am not a pacifist. I believe in a nation’s right to defend itself. Many years ago, I served as a volunteer in the Israeli Defense Forces, even though I was never drafted. If I thought I could be useful, I would do it again.

I support our military, aptly named Israel Defense Forces, for just that reason: This is an army of defense. And yes, trite as it sounds, Israel really is a small country surrounded by enemies. It’s the punchline of a joke, but like so much of the humor in the world, it’s based on fact. Hamas to the south. Hezbollah on the north. The governments of Syria, Iraq and Iran all publicly calling for our destruction. I am not blind to any of these realities.

The author at Hostage Square. (Nili Bresler)

These days I march around shouting, Stop the War, because I oppose the war in Gaza. I abhor the killing of innocent civilians. I know that the longer this war goes on, the less chance we have of seeing any of our hostages come home alive. It’s simple arithmetic: 10 months in suffocating tunnels without medicine, food, clean water to drink. Even the strongest and healthiest human being cannot withstand this forever.

And in this period of turbulence, the Israeli government approves actions which seem aimed at taunting our greatest enemy, Iran. Yes, that Iran – the one that launched 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles along with a few GRAD rockets against Israel just a few months ago. In one night, 350 rockets were launched at Israel from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. The attack consisted of 60 tons of explosive materials.

We are still here, but that’s only thanks to our allies, notably the USA, which coordinated a multinational defense of Israel from the Combined Air Operations Center base in Qatar. Thank you, USA!

Since the Haniyeh assassination, we Israelis have been warned of impending attack. We’ve been at war since October 7^th and now we prepare for escalation: an all-out war with the country Netanyahu has repeatedly called Enemy #1. And where is the Israeli government this week? At the seashore! In fact, they plan to be on vacation until October 27^th!

Yes, in the midst of this chaos, the Israeli Parliament has shut its doors for its annual 3-month summer recess.

Why not? What could possibly happen in this tranquil little country that might require some governing? Part of me is relieved that the government is off duty. For whenever they convene, they seem busy taking away more of our democratic rights and appropriating more and more funds to extremists, settlers and yeshiva students.

But at the risk of repeating myself, the timing is terrible.

Meanwhile, Israelis kvell over the targeted assassinations. I hear people joking about passing out baklava, mocking the way people in the West Bank passed out baklava and other sweets to celebrate the October 7^th attacks.

I‘m no bible expert, far from it. I was raised in a secular, assimilated Jewish home in Connecticut. But I do remember the teachings about not rejoicing at the deaths of our enemies. The Bible says “When your enemy falls do not rejoice, and when he stumbles let your heart not exalt” (24:17). And then there’s that thing in the Book of Exodus when God said, ‘My creatures are drowning in the sea, and you want to sing?’

This week, as we brace for all-out war, most of us are not rejoicing. We are busy buying bottled water, emergency lanterns and extra batteries. Our so-called leaders have gone to the seashore. We brace for attack. Life in Israel. What else is new?