When the cannons roar, the muses shouldn't stay silent, for silence is not only acceptance it is also legitimization.The muses might want to stay silent, become impervious when facing fire, heat and danger, man might wish for serenity, but there is none. I wish I could fill the air with words to prevent the echo of explosions, whether it's an explosion or interception. What we are intercepting is the hope, and moreover the skepticism, the doubt. Who in his right mind will write against the war while sitting in shelters, stairways or residential safe rooms? This operation against Gaza is used to silence us. Yeah I know, it's not popular to write such things now. For me it's the time to speak, to shout not again, no more. The government wants us to think that this operation will silence Hammas, will weaken them and show them who the real landlord is.
Only Israel is not the landlord. Gaza and the occupied territories are not part of Israel's sovereignty. Though just like minister Bennet we can say there are no Palestinians; just like justice Levy (RIP) we can claim there are no occupied territories. You can say almost anything, it doesn't mean that it is necessarily true. Fact is that Israel's sovereignty is in the borders of 67' all the rest is just wishful thinking according to the views of the beholder. Fact is that for 47 years we are keeping civilians under occupation and prevent their freedom. 47 years of limbo, not here and not there. Despair that is multiplying, there more than here, since the despair is greater on the Palestinian side. 47 years of proving they have nothing more to loose. What more can we do to them? Most of them live in poverty, under threats, under denial of human rights, the army controlling them, uncertainty is everywhere. However, there is one thing we cannot deny them and that is hope, though it seems that we wish to rob them of their hope, we cannot take their hope, they will not allow us to, it's only human, even before the story of Pandora. It brings nothing to the world but hatred and pain. Each and every Israeli operation brings more and more people to believe that that there is no other way but to fight. Weakening Hammas? Ha. It is growing stronger, extremists are gaining more strength against Israel and within the Palestinian people. With each operation extremists on both sides are getting stronger.
The public in Israel is calling the government to "show them", what will it accomplish? We "showed them" so many times before. Since 2004, 10 years, of operations to end the rockets on the Israeli south in particular and on Israel in whole:
October 2004 operation Days of repentance
September 2005 operation First rain
February 2006 operation Lightning strike
June 2006 operation Summer rains
February 2008 operation Hot winter
December 2008 operation Cast lead
November 2012 operation Cloud Pillar
June 2014 operation Strong cliff
Former seven operation that already "demolished the terror infrastructure", so how the hell do they continue to launch missiles at us? paradox? I don't believe for a moment that this time will end it and make us sit for 40 years in peace under the vine and fig tree, not under olive trees - that is somewhat problematic as we uproot and displace them, plus olive trees are so 90's.
The muses might be silent, but also are all the national scandals that we should have investigated.Because mending starts from within, only this is not part of our government's agenda. This government prospers on our fears and despairs. Why handle the arrows of criticism when the iron dome is such a better distraction.
This ongoing operation will not stop the fire, nor will it not kill the hope for peace that still remains in the hearts of the two people, it only indicates what this government's agenda really is. It's nice to believe that there is no Palestinian people or occupation that we are here due to a divine promise of the land, only the problem continues. This government does not want peace, it's not part of it's agenda. It's agenda is clear it's to keep the situation as is while believing the people are ignorant. They want us to loose faith in peace - the elite will stay intact, the money flow will stay in the "right" direction if the public will continue to tread in the the lack of hope for peace. Thus the government gains a total maneuvering advantage while the public still carrying the hope for peace but depressed enough to follow demagogy and not stop for a moment and think.
There is a saying in Hebrew "remove the beam from your eyes" - which is a sort of a calling for a man to see his own faults, a lot like Matthew 7: 3-5: "3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." I thought it was appropriate at the moment because of it's double meaning at the moment - a beam is a great place to take shelter underneath when the sirens go off. But back to Matthew - don't remove the speck, sirens are going off - it's not the time to ask how come there is no budget for welfare, education, healthcare, etc but enough for a military operation. In times of sirens and missiles there is no room for doubt. It's easy this way, the easiest way. But if we'll stop to think, we'll realize it's all a matter of priorities.
For years now our PM is stoking the fire while trying to look like the fireman and we still buy it. The public is "shocked" by people calling for revenge; shocked by the mob looking to beat Arabs; shocked by people who couldn't care less for an Arab boy (BTW, his name is Muhamed Abu Hader) burnt alive and murdered; but no one is really shocked we're not really that blind to see the country is changing and has been changing for years now. The public in Israel believes that the fact that whole families are killed in Gaza is nothing compared to the missiles and if you look at things differently you'll be tagged a traitor. Well, here's what I think, no operation will stop the missiles - it will not end till we'll say enough and truly negotiate for peace. Until we'll actively refuse to be enemies. Until we'll refuse to give this government the legitimization. If we will not try to negotiate, we can crash, trash, blow, intercept, shoot, blow, destroy, break and as long as we take this path, they will still be growing new heads just like hydra since they are fighting for their freedom.
As we tell our kids the story of Pharaoh and the children of Israel as told is Exodus 1 11-12: "11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel." The Palestinian people are suffering of our oppression for years now, it will not bring anything but suffer and hatred. This hatred will intensify if we'll keep the occupation. To insure our kids' future we should not agree to this operation and the coming operations, as this operation will probably lead to another one, we must object. We must call for peace.
If in April, our PM would have said "I do not trust Hammas, I am not happy with the consent government, but I'm willing to give it a chance and see where it takes us with all the suspicion possible", I can only presume that there was no need for the current operation.My guess is that as s public we are just not good at deducing, we learnt nothing from the holocaust (but we're not allowed to compare) and we learnt nothing from the ancient story of the exodus (though it has been some 3,500 years). We all understand that if we will not choose peace actively, we will be facing a column of smoke, or should I say a mushroom cloud? If there is a story we must not reconstruct, it's the story of Masada...
