” margins Loop They won’t be the same anymore; the country will not be the same” Amnon Ziv, uAn Israeli veteran living in one of the most punished towns on the periphery of the Strip (ha-Otef), i.e. Israel’s closest region to Gaza. After experiencing the most tragic days of his life, Ziv expressed himself with resignation, without emotion. His pessimistic view is shared by many citizens.
Simultaneously Minister of Defense Joab BraveA few kilometers away, he addressed a group of soldiers visiting the military detachment in the same area as follows: “We will settle here (in the towns in the south of England) again. Israel). We will return to Kibbutz Beeri The situation will be different from now on in a few months. We will reestablish ourselves even on the last meter of the kibbutz.”
These two statements reflect the attitude of the vast majority of Israelis. Some agree more with Ziv, some agree more with Gallant and think more about the future; and there are still others who share both views. Although Israel will not be the same for many of today’s generations, other generations will soon come and they too will slowly go away. Healing the deep wounds of these days.
Cruelty and persecution
cruelty of the militia Hamas only finds an echo within Cruelty of the Israeli army. Minister Gallant told his soldiers in the same address: Removed all “restrictions” on the military. There was no need for him to elaborate further. Everyone understands what you mean. Look at Israel’s air strikes on Gaza.
Israelis experienced a great shock with a sense of vulnerability. comparisons with holocaust They were treated generously. Minister Gallant himself brought up this comparison. After all, many people think about the Holocaust The founding stone of the Jewish State Founded in 1948, this organization was a gift from Western society to the Zionists just three years after the end of World War II.
Hamas’ brutal offensive began on the morning of October 7Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the October War or Yom KippurThe simultaneous attack on Israel from Egypt and Syria is an event that is recorded in the collective memory and that these days begin to fade away over time, but Israelis hear stories that are etched on their skin.
This chance confused coincidence memory. The October War of 1973 was also a surprise attack, like the one that took place on Yom Kippur last Saturday. Forgiveness Day, This is the time when the Jews will fast again and take absolute rest, urging God to forgive the evil they have caused, when the sins they have committed throughout the year are forgiven and a new reckoning begins to flow until the next year.
The most tragic day
The surprise factor is another similarity between the two tragic histories. Saturday of last week was also a rest day. the most tragic day since holocaust, Bloodier than any day of the war a full half century ago, as some political commentators have undertaken to recall.
Israeli soldiers inspect the devastated area of a weekend attack by Palestinian militants on the Supernova desert music festival near Kibbutz Reim in Israel’s southern Negev desert on October 10, 2023. Gunmen from Hamas killed approximately 270 revelers attending an outdoor rave music festival in Israel. A volunteer who helped collect bodies on October 9 said a community near Gaza had died over the weekend.
What we started to observe in the country newly started discussionThere is still basic information about actions and inactions regarding what happened, but it is too early to clarify responsibilities. It will be necessary to wait for the end of hostilities investigating who and what failed. Meanwhile, everyone agrees that there were mistakes and The consequences were devastating and unprecedented.. The shock is not over yet.
Shocked at this current stage,The deep division tearing Israel apart This is also reflected in the temporal distribution of responsibilities. It can be seen everywhere, for example in the evening program. Channel 12 News, It is the most watched movie that the majority of viewers follow to get information, from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the last resident of the area.
He is in a chair respected journalist Amnon Abramovich and in front of him inexperienced Amit Segal. The first one is 72 years old and represents to ancient Israel, to dying Israel, to a rapidly fading landwas much more liberal than the younger Segal’s. Abramovich points to Netanyahu, the politician who has ruled Israel for the longest time, as responsible for what happened. Hamas’ nurseSomeone who has been feeding fundamentalists for decades to show the world that Israel has no one to negotiate with. Secondly, Segal takes the responsibility away from Netanyahu and distributes it equally to the entire political class.
Younger generations see things more clearly than older people, and this is worrying. Young people avoid the complexity of the vineAh, they don’t pay attention to the nuances that are of greater importance to older people. Segal’s father was a convicted terrorist and, among other things, A bomb was thrown under the vehicles of Palestinian mayors in the West Bank In the 80s, when Amit, now 41, was born. Today, Baba runs ‘Makor Rishon’, one of the most influential and radical publications associated with the most nationalist and religious Jewish settlers in the country.
Amnon Abramovich represents The ideal Israel that almost no longer exists It is rarely seen among young people. In the same surveys, it is also noted that young people look the other way. Avoiding complexities that were important in the pastFor those who want to simplify ideas, this is certainly something that happens all over the world, but is clearly observed in Israel. The complexity faced by previous generations was part of everyday life until recently, but it does not occur with the same intensity among young people.
The director of a major polling company, which in many recent elections conducted exit polls that later yielded results that were far removed from the actual vote, justified himself by announcing that his company conducted polls first thing on election morning. When the polls opened, they reached unrealistic results with these surveys because women vote first thing in the morning. older people, mostly left-wing, while he wasright wing young peopleThen they go to vote and their votes are not recorded in the ballot boxes.
Security bug
an advantage these days a very Jewish sense of vulnerability. nor that strong army managed to prevent The great tragedy caused by the attack of the Hamas militia A devastating attack on the south of the country no matter what deep scar. this will be one It opens the wound in the country’s history It will take time to get over it and you will only do it when there is a problem. belt rotation.
In recent years many Israelis have second citizenship, usually European or American. Descendants of Jews deported to Spain in 1492 Those who have the right to apply for Spanish citizenship; The same thing happened to those with ancestors who lived in Portugal. Thousands of Israelis have taken the necessary steps to obtain Spanish or Portuguese passports, some fraudulently.
It has become commonplace in Israel Making jokes about needing to have a second passport ready for what could happen. You never know what can happen and what is happening these days is proof of that. Uncertainty about the future surrounds Israelis As for the Jewish State, there was uncertainty that did not disappear with the establishment of the state, as some Zionist leaders in the past claimed and the majority of Israelis believed.
dream of zionism
Zionist leaders They dreamed of putting an end to the characteristics of the diaspora that they considered unhealthy, but Many Israelis today feel the same anxiety their ancestors did where they live on the planet. In fact, many Israelis seem to be aware and say that the Jewish State is not eternal, as its leaders claim; They think it will disappear at some point and diaspora will start again.
There are even Jews who want such a thing to happen because they believe that Jews can only develop their talents under conditions of hostility in the diaspora. They think that The State of Israel is a temporary dream with an expiration date. However, the exact day and time it will end is unknown. All these ideas It will shake Israeli society hard.
The two pillars of the state Military and intelligence servicesThey were shaken by Hamas’ attack. Mighty Army, most popular and most supported institutionHowever, Hamas could not stop its attack. Intelligence services were also unable to detect and neutralize it, and these two situations led them to question the two groups that ordinary people had believed in the most until now.
Oneseveral hundred militia They managed to deal this blow in one day, but they wonder what would have happened if the attack had been bigger. They console themselves by thinking that the army is indeed ready. fight against other armies, not against irregular militias that do not follow the rules of conventional warfare. But what happened will need to be translated into fundamental reforms in the military apparatus and intelligence services to cope with unusual situations.
Matters were further complicated by a Hamas leader saying that the fundamentalist organization was surprised by what was happening, especially by what had happened. Israel’s collapse during the attack. The militants expected the Army to offer greater resistance, but Israeli defenses collapsed and took a long time to react.
It is also worth noting the not always artificial naivety of many Israelis on this issue. wild invasion Palestinian Territory. There is a majority of Israelis who do not want to know what is going on around them, preferring to ignore the brutality that soldiers inflict on Palestinians every day, although this is no secret since almost all Israelis go through the Army.