Re “Don’t You Just Love (?) Israel’s Friends in the West?”
[Editor’s Note: As Hamas terrorists continue firing rockets into Israel, sending frightened residents underground, our correspondent resumes her daily update.]
Dateline Jerusalem — Not much happening today. Only rumors abound. The U.S. says one thing, Israel another, and factions within contradict each other. Allegedly progress is being made toward a final cease-fire agreement. It looks as though most of Hamas's demands have been met. Sources say Israel no is longer insisting upon a demilitarized Gaza. Others contend Israel agreed to a seaport and airport. If Hamas's demands were met, what is the holdup? Some say Israel never agreed to the outrageous terms. There is talk the war is over and each side will go back to the way it was before. I am confused.
The cease-fire is to end Sunday. If it were only extended to five days so that it would not end on Shabbat, what does that mean to a Hamas that observes their sabbath on Friday and has violated every cease-fire? Hopefully Israel will have a safe, quiet, and peaceful Shabbat. Hopefully, the outcome of the war, even though Israel refers to it as an operation, will not have had Israelis killed and injured in vain.
As an armchair pundit, I have expressed my thoughts on how to resolve this conflict, however unpopular. It is nice to know I have a following of people who agree with me. I am glad I am not in Bibi's place. I can see how agonizing it must be to fight a war with your hands tied behind your back. As I often have said, politics is dirty, diplomacy dirtier. If anything comes out of this repetition of history, it is that Israel is alone in the world. We cannot count on allies in time of need. I hope on next year's Independence Day we can say we are independent, safe and secure.
Everything comes down to money, money for arms, money for supplies, money for infrastructure, money for almost every aspect of the survival of the State of Israel. No wonder it is said that money is the root of all evil. This war/operation has shown us just how evil the world is when a sovereign country is attacked by rockets, missiles and mortars and that country is called the “aggressor.” Can anything else be expected when anti-Semitism and genocide are alive throughout the world?
As usual on the eve of Shabbat, I end early. Shabbat shalom.
L'hitraot. Shachar