(Shalom Aleichem) שלום עליכם

Alright, so I guess it's about time I talk about it. Brace yourselves. This is actually going to be a serious blog. That's right....no silly pictures of pumpkin wearing a hat today, no stories about creepy old men hitting on me at the Shuk. No silly shenanigans today. I've decided to talk about more important things for a change. Frightening.....I know. I'm not quite sure what has gotten into me.

Now it is indeed very rare for me to actually willingly put forth my opinion for all to read. Especially on such a heavy issue. In case you've never noticed, I'm not especially big on discussing politics or world issues. This mostly stems from my own insecurities and a general feeling that I am rather ignorant on most issues, not to mention completely intimidated by those more intelligent and articulate than me. I've never been one for large group discussions. And I'm petrified of public speaking. There's a reason I was a biology major in college. Class discussions (which were really common and often part of your grade at my tree-hugging-granola-eating school with it's class size of only 25 students) were virtually non existent in the biology world. I was much happier giving up every single afternoon to be a slave to the lab, surrounded by dead fetal pigs, than to sit in a circle and spend hours in discussions with privileged rich kids from the East Coast. (Yes, I am totally aware that I'm stereotyping....but you know....there's a reason stereotypes exist, now isn't there?) So since I'm admittedly rather ignorant and have been generally crippled by the fear of being ridiculed, I typically tend to keep relatively mum on current events. But since I know you don't have to be a genius to have an opinion and more importantly, that I probably have more foreign policy experience than Sarah Palin (like I've actually been to Israel) and she almost became VP of the free world for goodness sakes, I decided that I shouldn't be so scared to speak up and voice my opinion. So at the risk of embarrassing myself and my family, here it goes....

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yes, I know....that's a whopper of an issue to pick for my first "serious" topic. But obviously I have reason to not only be interested in this topic but to also be a little concerned. I used to worry about Phil getting into a car accident on the way to work....now I have to worry about rockets too. So admittedly I was (and probably still am) far from being well schooled on this issue. But recently I have taken to learning more about it and searching for some understanding. (Facts I have found. Understanding is still elusive.) Until recently I knew very little and did not hold a strong opinion on the matter either way. But now I am completely shocked at the lack of support Israel is receiving from some nations and the way Israel is being portrayed in the media. The fact that other nations can paint a picture of Israel as a country of blood thirsty war mongers who don't care for civilian life boggles my mind. Israel is a country that just wants peace and has had to fight constantly for one tiny little slice of land surrounded by a sea of Muslim and Arab countries that hold nothing but hatred for Israel.

One major point that much of the media is quick to point out and uses to portray Israel in a bad light, is that Israel is using excessive force and not responding proportionately. Essentially they are saying that Israel is "overreacting" like some silly child who has just gotten their toy stolen by another child. Now there are many things wrong with a statement like this. First, towns in Southern Israel have been intermittently bombarded with rocket fire for the past eight years. Yes, casualties have been relatively low but that should not deter one from the reason these rockets are fired in the first place. The only goal of this rocket fire is to kill innocent Israeli citizens and inflict fear and terror upon the Israeli people. Israel has done everything in it's power to protect it's citizens from this random rocket firing, including building shelters and installing alarm systems to warn of incoming rockets. These alarm systems allow people exactly 15 seconds to find cover before a rocket may hit. Imagine this being a normal part of everyday life for you and your children.

Furthermore, this misses the fundamental point that Hamas is a terrorist organization. The fundamentals of Hamas clearly state that their intention is to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. They make no effort to hide the fact that they do not even recognize the right, as human beings, for the Jewish people to exist. Their only clear goal is to obliterate Israel from existence. Now I ask, how does a so-called proportionate response to these rocket attacks aim to to deal with this issue. It's absurd to think that when dealing with a terrorist organization such as Hamas, that Israel should respond in a proportionate manner. Hamas is targeting innocent civilians while Israel is making every effort to avoid civilian death. Hamas sees no right for the Jewish people to exist while Israel does not question the right of the Palestinians to exist. Should Israel blindly fire rockets into the Gaza Strip? Don't you think they would be condemned for that too? If Israel were to turn a blind eye, Hamas could eventually smuggle in more powerful weapons (some of which they already have) and become a real security risk to Israel. Israel's only motive is to stop those who are a threat to their citizens and finally achieve a sense of peace.

And while loss of civilian life is tragic as well as inevitable in this case, Israel has made every effort to minimize civilian deaths. They make phone calls to warn families of impending military strikes. They drop fliers in the streets to tell people to seek cover. They don't want to kill these innocent people. If anything they want to help free them from the stranglehold that Hamas has on them. And Hamas only perpetuates the situation by using their civilians as "human shields", only to blame Israel later for the massacre of their innocent people. They store and fire rockets from civilian areas such as schools and mosques, as if to taunt Israel into striking these areas so that Hamas can claim later that Israel is committing war crimes. Then they make absurd statements like this leader of Hamas that had the audacity to compare the Israeli airstirkes and ground invasion to a "holocaust". Um, Ex-squeeze me!?!?!?! I hate to inform you Mr.Mashaal, but this is what a holocaust looks like.

Furthermore, I don't think people have even stopped to think about what this war is really about. Ask most people, and I am sure they would say "why land, of course". In fact, that's what I would have said not that long ago. Well, guess what? It's not about land. The Jews never stole and occupied land that rightly belonged to the Arab world. A friend sent me this short slide show that puts it all in perspective. Yes, it's completely one sided. Yes, it's very alarmist. But the facts are true and it very clearly makes the simple point that this war and the continuing conflict in the Middle East is not about land. If it were only about land, there would be peace in the Middle East right now as I sit and write this.

And if there is any country out there that just wants peace, it's Israel. They have and continue to bravely fight for and defend their teeny tiny little piece of land so that they can one day feel safe and have a refuge of their own in this world. They welcome others to their land, even those of different faiths. Many Arab Israelis live peacefully within Israel and demonstrate Israel's open heart and the willingness of more moderate Arabs to co-exist peacefully with Israelis as well. Over the past couple weeks I have gained a new respect for Israelis. Yes, I still think they could use some schooling on manners and that they really, really need to tone down the car horn honking. But I'm humbled by how they are handling this situation. It's generally business here as usual and they go to work everyday, often not all that far from the violence, and work to continue supporting their families. And that is not to say that they are "unaffected" by the war in Gaza. You would be hard pressed to find someone who is not, as every Israeli citizen must serve in the army. Thus almost everyone knows someone or knows of someone who is being called up now to defend their country. But they are used to fighting for their safety and very right to exist, and I am amazed at how they continue to live their lives every day in such a state of unrest.

Perhaps one of the most unnerving parts of the whole matter is the response of many European countries and that little organization that we call the UN. In effect they are saying that Israel and Hamas are equally at fault and should sit down and stop squabbling like little children. Hmmmmmmmm....well one of the children wants the other child dead, so how do you suppose that's going to work? How do you suppose you would react if your citizens, schools and children were under the constant threat of being pummeled by rocket fire? Israel has indeed gotten a bad rap with this war. No other country would have to defend their actions of protecting their citizens and seeking to deter terrorism the way Israel has had to do. And no other country would take so many precautions to minimize the loss of civilian life, as Israel has.

Clearly I have now formed an opinion on the matter. And FYI, I consider myself more of a "make love, not war" kind of person......but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. You may agree, or you may disagree. But let me tell you, you get a very different perspective from being over here. Here in a land that is not much larger in size than the state of New Jersey. A land that is surrounded by countries whose extremists seek it's total annihilation.

If you are interested in up to date news I recommend that you check out the Jerusalem Post on-line.

Israel, may you one day experience the peace that you so deserve. Shalom aleichem.