On Edge and Unprotected

There are those celebrating some sort of victory. There are those talking about how we defeated Hamas. I am sat here scratching my head, confused, annoyed and frustrated. What is there to celebrate? Am I missing something?

We have a ceasefire because Hamas decided we would have one. Victory? They call the shots! (pun intended) There is talk about Hamas having suffered a  significant military blow, but from where I am sitting, it appears they have all the missiles they need to continue terrorising us and keeping us on edge. Tunnels or no tunnels, they have friends determined to contribute to our destruction.

It would seem like we have played into their hands. It would seem that this is exactly what they wanted. They called for a war. We gave them one. We had no choice! They knew we would react this way upon hearing of the kidnap and murder of Eyal Gil-ad and Naftali. They knew we wouldn’t just sit back and take it on the chin…and just by the way…whatever happened to their abductors and murderers?

War turned Gaza into a pile of rubble, in the kindest most humane of ways, I agree, but 1,700 dead and 9,000 wounded makes for a lot of heartbroken homeless displaced people. Homeless displaced people, preferably dead, is again exactly what Hamas wanted.CNN, BBC,FOX, Al Jazeera, lapped it up..couldn’t get enough!! This was without doubt a script perfected. Show the world what scum Israel is. The flames of anti Semitism that were never extinguished completely, have taken no time to be rekindled..and what a rekindling it has been!

The UK, USA and Europe joined the Jew Hatred band wagon and in no time at all, starting in the streets of Paris, Jewish owned stores and restaurants resembled those from the horrific scenes of Kristallnacht, in November 1938. Every act of anti Semitism across the globe served Hamas in portraying us as the perpetrators, and strengthened their mantra that we are a criminal blood thirsty people.

What have we ‘won’? the destruction of tunnels? all of them? I know the achdut and the united front that came from Jews of every stripe was incredibly heart warming and we will remember Our boys for this silver lining .But the reality remains. We have lost too many soldiers. sixty three with hundreds wounded and several critically.one was too many.  too many broken lives…And I am sitting here and asking myself what has been achieved?

As Gaza lays in ruins and its people have no homes and no hope, I can’t help but think that this makes for an even more desperate case for them to feel despondent and turn to suicide bombing. At least in death they will be recognised as martyrs.

Another success for Hamas.

Frustratingly, it looks like Hamas are in a win-win situation. Because when you are fighting against a regime that are not scared to die, it will always be an unfair war. and therefore we will never be winners.

Because we love life, and while every loss of legitimate life is painful, my heart is with the sixty three broken and changed families of our precious chayalim who lost their lives for our country. In return for the highest price paid I pray and hope our IDF and government will give us some satisfactory answers about what really went on in Operation Protective Edge, if the mission was indeed accomplished. And if it was, then why are they still able to launch hundreds of rockets at any given time irrespective of tunnel destruction into my territory?

Because of this I feel no more protected. And no less edgy.

And certainly not victorious!