Déjà vu War in Gaza

Unlike Israel’s 2006 war against Lebanon, the Israeli public opinion on the current military attacks on the Gaza Strip is not an impenetrable wall of support. During the 2006 war against Lebanon, there were no mainstream articles in opposition to the war until well after the war had ended with Israel’s defeat. This time, there are already small holes in Israeli public support for the attacks in Gaza. Below is an article appearing today (28 December) on the front page of Israel’s largest circulation daily newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth. (Translated from Hebrew by the Alternative Information Center). 

And here it is again, the same periodical "déjà vu" war. The same ceremonial spraying of blood that is poured on the flickering shooter, who for several decades has been leading the entire region to hell.

Truth be told, the soul is fatigued from dividing time between the 1967, Six Day War, and now into “operations,” “wars,” “battles,” “actions” and “campaigns.” They are all one long war. They are all the unending “seventh day.” They are all one big slaughterhouse. The Occupier’s War against the occupied, the Occupied’s War against the occupier.

And once again, like echoes of 1967, we hear all the bombastic words concerning heroism and surprise, about military finesse and success…even though the meaning of this same “surprise” that we sprung on the Hamas is unclear. And not to our surprise—what did we see? Hamas did not succeed in getting its planes out of the hangers? To advance its artillery? To station its patriot missiles?

And also—why should we deny this—it is not too glorious or daring to execute a high-tech fly-over of a huge cage, targeting its captives with missile-firing helicopters and bomb-dropping airplanes. The finesse and success exist, in the meantime, only in the analyses of a few generals (retired) who once again display an exhausting softness. As always.

Immersed in these bombastic words, a small and ugly truth is flickering: in Israel’s southern cities there are so far tens of missiles, and in Gaza there are so far hundreds of dead. Almost half of whom were civilians, almost half of whom were graduates of a police course who have no connection to the Qassam missiles.

We have witnessed this bloody imbalance again and again. Isn’t this exactly the way Israel acted in the terrible years of the Intifada? For every person injured by the rejectionist bloc, Israel bombed the police station, office, or base of the Palestinian Authority. Until it bowed down. Until it lost its power and position. Until on its wreckage Hamas rose. Who are we now, crowning in the heat of the desire, not to anger the angry mobs?

Only anger, grief, pain and a desire for revenge will be born of this operation "Cast Lead," —both there and here. Not to forget the new campaign material for the coming elections —here and there.

It is so tiring. It is so exhausting.