The Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel happened this week. What has been reported is quite disturbing and has been on my mind enough to prompt me to write about it. However, it’s important for me to state that my opinions and limited knowledge about Israel, its conflicts/wars, Palestine, Hamas, and related political and social issues are from news reports, history books and podcasts. I have never been to Israel. I have only known a few Israeli citizens peripherally.
As a young adult, I wondered why the Jewish state was created in the center of the Arab world after WWII. Obviously, I know Israel was established to be a safe haven for the Jewish people who were targeted and exterminated by the Nazis. The location was chosen because of its historical & religious significance.
But it seemed to be inviting risk to establish a Jewish state surrounded on all sides by enemies who have wanted to exterminate Jews for centuries. I know the area is historical “holy land”, but I often wondered why a safer location was not chosen. Look at any map of the Middle East. Israel is like a small island encircled by enemies.
I know a few people who visited Israel and even lived there for a while. They described a fascinating country filled with modern infrastructure, thriving businesses, kibbutzes, lush landscapes and cosmopolitan first world experiences. They talked about Israel’s strong sense of community, cooperation, civil defense and patriotism that surpassed anything in the US.
Otherwise, my only exposure to Israeli life comes from news reports of terrorist attacks, missiles and military conflicts. I often thought, “Who would want to live like that? Under constant threat from attacks? With bomb shelters and missile warnings that could happen at any time? With guards armed with machine guns at coffee shops? Why not leave?” And yet, the opposite occurs. Jewish people from around the world move there instead.
I have read reports and hear news stories about Israel treating Palestinians badly. There is talk in the US about the need for a “two-state solution”. For years, I’ve seen news videos of armed Israeli troops being confronted by Palestinian men throwing rocks and homemade Molotov cocktails. The images convey an unfair fight.
But I’ve also read history. It seems like every time Israel ceded some territory or tried to use an appeasement strategy to de-escalate conflict, it was used against them in military attacks.
My wife visited Israel and lived on a kibbutz for a while in the late 1960s. She said back then that Israeli territory was lush, irrigated and successful. She described all the surrounding Arab lands as desert wasteland. She said the Israelis had transformed desert wasteland into a thriving country.
As for the recent attacks, Hamas launched the biggest terrorist attack against Israel in history from the Gaza Strip a few days ago. I won’t go over the details here. The BBC, the Israeli Times and other reputable news sources can provide much better information than I can.
These attacks targeted civilians. They killed hundreds of people attending a music festival. They infiltrated kibutzes to slaughter civilian men, women and children in the streets and their homes. They captured hundreds to take back into Gaza as hostages. There are graphic and horrific videos of murders, abuse, and bodies posted on social media by Hamas celebrating what they did.
What I saw and what I imagine is happening to the hostages, is too awful to describe.
The Israeli government has declared war on Hamas. They are trying to recapture territory that Hamas has infiltrated. They are bombing Gaza. They have called up 300K military reserve people, have called on citizens to arm themselves for defense, and are actively trying to rescue hostages.
Netanyahu has said they will use aggressive military attacks to destroy Hamas.
I can understand this. I would do the same thing.
Many people express shock and outrage that Hamas targeted innocent civilians because this is against the “rules of war”.
I’m not surprised.
I don’t think the “rules of war” mean anything. When I read about wars, it seems to me that a big part of them is to annihilate people. Sometimes battles are fought primarily by military vs. military. Even then, civilians suffer and get killed.
But many times throughout history military forces attack civilians directly. Elderly, women, children, and noncombatants make easy, soft targets.
The Geneva Convention is a nicety that some countries follow (sometimes, I suppose). For others, it doesn’t prevent men with weapons from murdering civilians.
I wouldn’t want to live under constant threat of terrorist attacks and warfare, surrounded by people who wanted to eliminate me.
Maybe some people who live in Israel feel they have no other choice.
Update two weeks later.
This has dominated the news, social media and podcasts for the past two weeks. Many people have expressed their informed and uninformed opinions. I have very strong feelings about this but I don’t have anything to contribute to the discussion that would be helpful for any of my readers, so I have decided not to post my thoughts about it further.