When something bad happens you always look at it from a personal level, meaning – do I know someone who was involved, or worst – got hurt. Well, in this present operation (oh well, War, no point in beautifying it), my mother is involved. And it doesn’t get any more personal than this.
I’ve been tracking the internet ever since operation Cast Lead started, trying to ‘fight’ the social war that has been going on, and also got some requests and concerned emails from friends and colleagues to explain my perspective. I watch CNN, BBC, Aljazeera and the rest, so I know how this portrays elsewhere in the world and what images and videos you’re watching:
- why are we killing 300+ people?
- what is the end game here?
- why can’t we just live in peace?
- what is a Qassam rocket?
- why not blow up only the terrorists?
- why are Palestinian civilians getting hurt?
- airstrikes? F-16s? isn’t that a bit of ‘over-kill’?
Well, first of, my mother is fine. She decided to leave Ashkelon (see map) Sunday (‘Dvir, I’m in the car, heading north’ were her exact words), and has been staying in our living room ever since. How’s living with my mother, again, after 7 years of freedom? A different discussion… She sends her regards btw.
Why? where? who? how? what?
Our goal is to stop the Qassam launches from Gaza strip to Israel.
In late 2005 Israel left Gaza strip, handing control to the Palestinian Authority. You can see in the graph below that 2005 registered almost the lowest level of attacks, which speaks for the validity of our disenagagement – we wanted to let the Palestinian Authority to govern. Without us. It worked for less than a year. Then Hamas took over.
In 2007 Israel was hit by 1,645 rockets. 4 rockets a day.
In 2008 (still counting, 2 days left) we’ll pass 2,000, going for 2,200. That’s more than 5 a day. On Dec. 24 alone some 60 rockets fell.
Today, Dec. 29 – more than 80.
What’s the big deal you ask?
Here’s what a Qassam hit looks like, as pictured in security cameras at Ashkelon. The rocket (90kg) appears in the first 30sec, one angle showing the hit itself, the other showing the shock wave. The kids filmed from 0:40 were in the house during the hit – it’s the first time they see the video.
Who are those 300+ people killed since the operation started? why civilians are injured?
This video shows the Qassams operators – Hamas terrorists, preparing a rocket for launch. Sometimes, they even fire from within civilian population, like school and residential homes, into Israel. ‘If you sleep with a Qassam at night, don’t be surprised if you don’t wake up in the morning’.
This is my perspective. I hope it’s yours too.
Links:
Operation ‘Cast Lead’ (excellent article from Wikipedia – the power of the web in action!)
2008 Israel – Gaza conflict and Israel-Palestine conflict
@qassamcount – follow the Qassams’ falls in Israel
Ahuva Berger – President Shimon Peres’ statement to the press
Niv Calderon – Help Israel on social media
@israelconsulate
Israel Defense Forces
Facebook group – I support the Israeli Defense Forces
Some Differences Between Gaza and Lebanon 2 2006.
a- Facebook and Similar tools were not so popular in 2006. I am not a year on facebook.
b- South Lebanon and Hizbullah is not Hamas and Gaza. In Lebanon we have an Accepted Border that we returned too.
The Conflict with the Palestinians will not end in a week or a month so a Long Range Solution is not Possible.
So a Ceasefire will be Settled soon.
Dvir, toda rabah for posting this entry. I have wanted to ask you about this war but admittedly have been hesitant. The videos make the situation very real.
Thanks for this post, Dvir.
It’ll make explaining the situation to my American colleagues way easier.
freakin fantastic post.. going to repost the hell out of this post!!
Thanks, have made a posting on my blog to these videos and information.
Thank you all for your comments!
Sometimes you need to get a local feedback to get things in perspective..
Sam – yes, Lebanon 2 is different, but I wouldn’t bet on that ceasefire so quickly.
Ed – thanks for your concern! I know it looks bad from the other side.. 😉
DanaRo – thanks! If you need anything else, I’d be happy to help.
Israluv – thank you my dear 🙂
BraveJeWorld – thanks fir the repost!
Asked my wife to forward it to others who want to know better as well.
Hopefully you and my other friends will not be called up for this.
Thanks for a great post! We pray for peace and security in Israel….I hope it comes soon.
Amazing post! Thank you, I’ll forward it.
In hindsight, however, I think it’s obvious that the Israeli military presence in Gaza kept the rockets at bay.
I’m entirely unconvinced by the disengagement. You reap what you sow.
Dvir
I think that everybody who is involved in a war (or even just in a small conflict with another person) thinks along the same line of what you wrote here.
Being so far from the theatre of this horror, I cannot have an objective judgement.
But, I think, what’s happening these days is just the last ring in a chain that goes beyond the judgement on this last episode.
We really have all to pray for peace in Israel/Palestina. And that God sends people to both sides who will work for such Peace to happen and stay.
What do you expect from HAMAS, if they were sieged for more than 20 months, no food , no water , no electricity most of the time , nth at all ….. Hence they have the full right to defend their selves by the only mean of defense they have , which is to fire Al Qassam Rockets ..
More than 530 civilians have been killed in the israeli massacre in Gaza till the moment and still counting … Shame on the whole world…
Lotus Evangelist:
Thanks for sharing this with your wife and the community at Florida. It’s important people understand why we are doing this. Gaza is captive in Hamas’ hands, just like Ashkelon, Sderot and the other southern cities.
Stuart:
I join your wishes and prays!
Eli:
Thank you for that comment. In my belief the disengagement was necessary, too bad the Palestine Authority failed to take ownership of Gaza.
Stefano:
Thank you my friend. It’s difficult to judge objectively with everything’s that you see in the news, but we must stand our ground. The Hamas aggression cannot continue.
Anonymous:
Not in the habit of answering to people without a name. However, I do think you have some wrong facts. Siege of 20 months? We had a cease fire from mid June 2008 – I assure you the 1.4 million people living in Gaza enjoyed it very much: food, gas, water, exchange of goods, prosperity. Hamas was busy building tunnels to smuggle rockets and drugs. Who broke the cease fire, sending 60 rockets a day, when Livni visited Egypt? Even Egypt are blaming Hamas for the current war. 530 civilians dead? We probably have different definitions for civilian – Hamas troops are not civilians.
Hamas is a terror organization, refusing to accept Israel as a country – the problem is pretty obvious.
I do wish for peace soon and 2 countries for 2 people, but that requires understanding and ownership on both sides.
Everyone in the world is calling them Civilians …. . if you don't consider kids civilians and you call them terrorists then I strongly urge and insist on that each one to just have a quick look at this site which shows the small Hamas terrorists
http://www.lojainiat.com/index.php?action=dnews&mid=9130
Please ignore all what is written and just see the small terrorists!!!
Also I would like to share you what has happened today in Beit lahya or Beit hanon where the Israeli troops when they reached the cities that are located on the boarders , they gathered one family with all their relatives (kids , women , men ) in one house and then the Israeli soldiers started to shoot them one by one , reports say that this massacre witnessed more that 40 deaths but ambulances till now are not able to reach them and soon will share with you the official report on this massacre from CNN or BBC ..
I really don’t know how any human being if I can call them like this can do what Israel troops are doing in Gaza ….
Troops are striking hospitals is Gaza … striking ambulances . striking civilian’s buildings , universities , money exchange places , schools
I’m not sure if you heard that Israeli troops striked 11 mosques and surprisingly it striked one mosque during the time of prayer where civilians are inside the mosque at the time of prayer – I really couldn’t believe this incident – couldn’t the Israeli army strike the mosque in a non prayer time
I can tell as much incidents as you want from what is currently happening in Gaza !!
And back to the six months truce that was held between Hamas and Israel , I urge you to search in the world news not the Israel news about the siege that Hamas suffered during the truce and all the world was worried about the humanitarian situation in gaza due to the lack of electricity and food during this siege .
And why to go far, please check here
http://anilnetto.com/civil-society/huge-anti-war-protest-in-israel/
how the Israeli people were protesting against the war on gaza and they were calling to STOP the Siege and to STOP the OCCUPATION
websphere 4 ever – civillian deaths is an unfortunate result of war.. but lets us clarify a few things- israel sent txt messages, leaflets in gaza warning the residents to remove themselves from buildings with known hamas terrorist hold up so that they could leave w/o being harmed.
hamas has a habit of hiding in hospitals, schools and any other place brimming with civilians. The university was a Hamas sponsored university where the lab was used to create new rockets.
as for Beit lahya or Beit hanon – which one is it? please do not report a massacre w/o concrete evidence. if it is true i hope our soldiers are prosecuted to the full extent of int’l laws.
As for the siege of Gaza – do i need to remind you that Egypt kept its borders closed as well and they are fellow muslim brothers? how does it appear when their own kind refuses to help?
Great post. Everyone outside of Israel should read it.
Even if you don’t personally know a single person in the south of Israel, if you are a supporter of Israel, every soldier and civilian who is killed or hurt is personal.
I really want to see what will be your comments on what happened today …
What happened today is really hard to believe…
3 days ago the Israeli terrorist troops started their ground strikes and started to hit civilians everywhere in Gaza and even in their homes which is supposed to be a safe place as jenieg agreement states , but anyhow those civilians ran away to what they thought is a safe place , they ran away to the UNRWA schools in Gaza which the UNRWA stated that it is a safe place “Agency said that the school was clearly marked as a United Nations installation and they should be protected from any attacks” , but no place is considered safe for the Israeli terrorists troops as you remember they already striked hospitals , ambulances and mosques …
so what the terrorists did is that they striked the UNRWA SCHOOLS, which resulted of a death of at least 55 women and kid and not one school, 3 schools …I really don’t know how to describe this massacre, and now everyone in the world is calling what Israel is doing as WAR CRIME, but unfortunately it’s too late where over 640 civilian has been killed till now.
I believe that all the Israeli army should be prosecuted and hanged for only striking the schools …
And guess what , live on AL JAZEERA channel , they interviewed one the terrorists generals in the Israel army and asked him why did you hit the UNRWA schools , guess what was his answer , as usual we all thought that he will say that Hamas men were hiding in the schools…. But surprisingly his answer was like this “We the Israel army are not supposed to provide and explanations and clarifications to whatever we do”
I believe this guy should be prosecuted by each free Israel person …
@ web sphere:
An armed force that hides among civilian women and children is probably the most inhuman and horrifying example of cowardice, and is probably a criminal act as well. Hamas loves to launch rockets and mortars from within schools, even UN schools, or use them as ammunition dumps (the same goes for mosques).
There is really no reason to have to explain the work of the IDF, especially not to anyone who comes to the table with terms like “terrorist” when referring to a defending force. A force being used to protect innocent women and children being mortared/rocketed/shot/bombed indiscriminately for as long as Jews have existed in this region.
Just to add that reports mentions that UNRAWA has informed the Israeli army that schools contain only civilians and there is no Hamas men. Despite all of this nth stopped the Israeli troops to strike the schools as they want to hide their failure in targeting Hamas defense soldiers by striking unarmed , weak civilians and just hitting anything in there way ..
The problem is clear. It’s the Occupation, 60 years of it, 60 years of lies and false promises by politicians greedy for power, and extremists greedy for more stolen land.
Give the land back to the Palestinians and make the politicans work with your neighbours instead of using both Israelis and Palestinians as human shields for their games. Please 🙂
Dear Dvir,
you wrote “I do wish for peace soon and 2 countries for 2 people, but that requires understanding and ownership on both sides”.
I support this.
I think that, for this to happen, brave people with completely open minds need to take leadership on both sides.
No prejudices for peace.
Let’s, each one of us, pray his God for this to happen, SOON!
Friendship.
With the recent events in Gaza, and the numerous comments to this post, I must stress some points:
– Israel does not want to conquer Gaza.
– Israel wants peace with the Palestine Authority.
– Israel will not disappear.
The last point is most important, as I read the comments of pro-Hamas readers, thinking the current and future resistance will result in Israel seizing to exist. Iran also thinks so. Too bad.
Just look at Jordan and Egypt, the economical boost the peace process brought to those countries. You think Jordan will benefit if Israeli tourists will stop coming?
We want peace. We (I at least) want a Palestine country. But we cannot agree to Hamas’ aggression, not would any other country.
As for the horrible incident at UNRWA school: we are not targeting civilians! But when Hamas terrorists are walking hand in hand with children, hiding in Hospitals, firing Qassam Rockets from schools and private homes – what would you expect? Why didn’t the headmaster of UNRWA school kicked Hamas’ terrorists off? Here’s a video from late 2007, showing Hamas firing Qassam from a school yard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elyXQ6g-TJs
Dvir,
sometimes (most of times I think) civilians are, in some way, “kidnapped” by terrorists. Do you think it is easy for some civilians to denounce the presence of some terrorists in their building? Or to the headmaster to do the same?
It would be similar to ask to someone who is kidnapped and under the menace of a gun, to escape.
The situation is so complex.
It is not easy to say “this is white” or “this is black”.
As I said before, some new way to build a “process for peace” needs to be established by brave and inspired people on both sides.
Going back to say “they did this before” does not take the peace process anywhere, I fear.
Let’s all pray our God for stable peace to happen.
Ciao
/Stefano
Back to the UNRWA incident , even if there were Hamas soldiers in the school this doesn’t give any right to any human being who has mercy to strike the school knowing that it will definitely hit at least one kid ….
But again and again UNRWA is keep on saying that there were no Hamas soldiers in the school and Israeli had no right to do what it did and it’s a WAR CRIME …
And finally IDF admitted yesterday that they hit the school by mistake!!!!!!!!!! What a mistake!! That resulted in murdering more than 40 civilian.
I really urge each one of you to watch ALjazeera Int channel and see and listen to what Gaza civilians are facing and what they are expressing about the Israeli Massacre, and how Israeli troops are grouping families (CIVILIANS) and shooting them with cold blood.
Please all check the following links.
Gaza diary: Where is the humanity?
Gazans fear Israel using phosphorus
With this kind of life , don’t gaza has the right to defend her self !!! or only Israel has the full right to do what ever they want ??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0aEo59c7zU