A strange thing has happened in our house and it’s quite creepy really. Our dishwasher has started whining, it starts off softly and then crescendos up to quite a loud wail. Such was the noise that the grandchildren rushed to the safe room. It highlighted the realisation of how nervous children are during this war, and these are kids that haven’t experienced that many sirens.
The children from other parts of Israel and the children in Gaza must be so terrified . They are the victims of the decisions made by the adults that are charged with their care. Life is unfair, and war is the most unfair. War is wrong on all levels, but when a country and its people are threatened with annihilation there is no other choice.
Golda Meir once said “Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.” Clearly, that day has not arrived, as Hamas have zero chance of victory, but they continue to hold onto the hostages, whose release would be the catalyse to finish the war.
The demands of Hamas this week in Paris seem to be totally unreasonable. They do have Israel at a huge disadvantage, both with the feelings around the world promoted by the Islamist propaganda machinery against Israels war efforts, and of course, the dreadful plight of the hostages gives them immense currency.
So many attacks have emanated from previously released Palestinian prisoners, that Israel must balance the risk of releasing convicted murderers, against the mounting public opinion to secure the release of the hostages at all costs. What a dire situation the country finds itself in!
Reading through many of the on line comments and discussions from outside Israel, it seems the that there is a total lack of understanding of the threat that Hamas poses towards Israel. Some articles cite that 30,000 Palestinian lives have been lost against only 1,400 Israeli lives and that is not proportionate or fair. What the writers have lacked to acknowledge is that the attack on October 7th was not a one off attack : Israel has suffered innumerable rocket attacks and infiltrations since 2007, and the solemn promise from Hamas to repeat October 7th until Israel is destroyed , actually puts over 9 million people at risk. This was a brutal and inhuman invasion of a foreign enemy, who are not yet ready to surrender, therefore, the main responsibility of the Israeli government must be the protection of her citizens.
If people do not support Israels right to defend her citizens against such a huge threat, then it is pure anti semitism. Ignorance should not be an excuse, but the amount of disinformation and Islamist propaganda would even challenge Goebbels, who was the master of deceit that led millions of Germans to follow Nazism. It is very sad to think that this generation, who are chanting from the river to sea, without even knowing which river or sea they are referring to, have not learnt the lessons of their forefathers.
The civilian deaths in Gaza and the deaths of Israel’s soldiers, must be laid solely at the door of Hamas. This twisted nonsense that is being sprouted in the western press is in itself support for terrorism, and will not promote the atmosphere that is required to bring Hamas to the table, in order to surrender and secure peace.. Anything less will render the lives lost in vain, and will not bring long term peace to the region.
The unrest in the region is spilling over, and effecting the West in ways they could not have envisaged. The UK together with the US is actively bombing launch sites and weapon warehousing in Yemen. That’s not cheap and will have to be paid for via taxes. Prices are already rising in Europe due to the ongoing attacks by the Yemenite Houthi in the Red Sea. The fact that they are also launching huge ballistic missiles aimed at Eilat, doesn’t seem to bother anyone as much as the disruption to the shipping supplies !
London is suffering a real crisis which has spilled over into Parliament, threatening the position of The Speaker, who failed to follow protocol, as he claimed he wanted to protect MP’s from death threats if they were seen to be voting against a unilateral ceasefire by Israel. Tower Bridge was occupied by Palestinian supporters and the London is presently not a comfortable place for Jews with anti semitism mimicking Germany’s 1930’s. A cancer of hate is growing in Europe and metastasising on the streets of London. If something is not done soon to stem this growth of extremism, it will be too late to stop without huge blood shed.
Hezbollah are upping their game in the last few hours, firing rockets with huge 110 Ib warheads, which have a longer range than their usual Katyusha rockets that carry 90% less weight. The 60,000 evacuated residents from the northern border are expecting their evacuation orders to be extended until July or even August.
The economy in Israel is suffering and we are seeing venues, especially restaurants, operating limited hours or closing due to both lack of staff and tourists. Flying in and out of Israel is a real challenge with ElAl being the only reliable operator but the costs are rising and spiralling out of most people’s reach. British Airways and EasyJet are simultaneously offering flights and cancelling making the whole process stressful and unpredictable.
Despite the huge challenges ahead, Israel will rebound and revitalise as the people are extremely resilient. We pray for that day to come sooner rather than later and support from the outside in recognising and acknowledging Israels right to exist and defend herself will hasten the path to peace.
Regards
Carolyne Davis