Not Worth Dying For

My beloved son, Jonathan z”l, was killed by Hezbollah terrorists while defending Israel’s northern border.

He served in ZaHaL, – which literally means “Israel’s Defence Force” (IDF). Many would question whether the war currently being waged in the Gaza Strip can be described as a defensive war. Rather, its purpose is, as Netanyahu’s government tells us, to destroy Hamas.

However, Israel’s Chief-of-Staff, Major-General Eyal Zamir, is reported as having stated earlier this week that “all of the political aspirations could not be realized given the serious lack of combat soldiers”. A statement was issued later by the IDF to the effect that the report was distorted and taken out of context.

Nevertheless, everyone knows that the army is short of manpower given the refusal of most of the ultra-orthodox haredim to serve. Furthermore, the reservists, who are an important component in the IDF numbering nearly 300,000 in total, are exhausted, and it is reported that the turnout rate in their units is now only “between 75% and 85%, according to defense sources”.

In spite of Israel having waged a ground war in the Gaza Strip for the past eighteen months, it was revealed in a closed session of the Israeli Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas had reportedly recruited about 20,000 men since the start of the war.

If that were not enough, plots have been uncovered of attempts to smuggle weapons to the Hamas from both Jordan and Egypt. No doubt some have proven successful.

The objectives of this war as outlined by Netanyahu’s government, were to overthrow Hamas and bring the hostages home. From the outset many believed these to be unrealistic. Eighteen months later, they have been proven to be unattainable.

The fighting will go on, more soldiers will be killed and injured, and the hostages will not come home, many of them having died in captivity and some having inadvertently been killed as a result of Israel’s military action.

At a demonstration outside the home of Education Minister Yoav Kish yesterday, I told him that even the Chief-of-Staff had stated that the military objectives of this war were unattainable and I suggested that it was only being continued to ensure the survival of the government coalition. He chose not to respond.

There are parents, whose sons are drawing close to conscription age, who are asking themselves whether they want to remain in Israel and risk their sons being sacrificed on the altar of Bibi’s political interests.

For the first time in Israel’s history, there are significant numbers of people who object to the continuation of the war currently being waged by their country.

As in the Vietnam War, they will continue to protest and seek to avoid the draft until either the government falls, or people like Yoav Kish realise the folly of supporting a coalition beholden to a prime minister whose son lives in Miami.