When War is More than Just War

I see the War in Gaza quite differently than the World seems to be interpreting the events. I see a very black and white situation. There are two distinctly different groups of "causes." One is an evil. It is made up by people that glorify death. People who fire rockets at the core heart of the civilian population and then rejoice when lives are destroyed. This hunter not only aims for the innocent, but also hides behind it's own civilian population, the ones they claim they are trying to liberate, using them as human shields. This evil wants nothing but the blood of its opposite and will stop at nothing to defeat them because hate is all they know.

Then we have the opposite. A democracy that not only values the lives of their own population, but also that of the unfriendly civilian population in which the evil has rooted itself in the middle of, becoming part of. This good wants peace. They want to be able to live in peace with their neighbors and live normal lives, but continuously is forced to defend itself against the enemy that swears to bring out their destruction.

"I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life - if you and your offspring would live." -Deuteronomy 30:19

In case you haven't figured it out yet Israel is the Democracy that values human life and Hamas is the enemy that uses the destruction of human life whether that of their own people or their victims, to reach a goal. Since 2000, eight thousand six hundred and ninety rockets have been fired from Hamas into the State of Israel. This constant rocket fire has disheveled the lives of Israel's citizens. The constant lurking fear of an attack has created a sense of hysteria that has ruined lives. I was talking to one of the volunteers from a kibbutz closer to Gaza who is currently living on my Kibbutz until the tension dies down. She is here from South Africa to experience Israeli life. Well she got it. She hadn't realized how bad the rockets were affecting her until she was awoken at 2am in the morning from a rocket alert siren (aka you got 15secs to make it to a bomb shelter) only to realize that prior to her being awoken she was having a nightmare of a rocket hitting. The psychological anguish this life causes has done much harm and plenty more to come until something is done to stop it. Can you blame Israel for responding? Any other nation would have.

One of the worst parts of war is death - the death of your own soldiers - the death of your innocent - the death of their innocent. As Golda Meir once said, "We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, but we can't forgive ourselves for being forced to kill theirs." Just as when we recall our deliverance from Mitzrayim we do not celebrate the death of our abusers. Why? Because death is never good. But it is a necessary part of warfare. No modern nation will dispute this. The trick is to do everything in your power to make the innocent casualty rate as low as possible. That is why Israel drops pamphlets over future attack zones warning citizens of a strike and giving them enough warning to successfully evacuate. This is why Israel chooses its targets very carefully. And this is why Israel also sends SMS messages to Hamas cell phones informing them that their houses will be blown up and that they should get their family out as soon as possible. But instead of leaving, they bring their families up to the roof and await their death. Do other nations do the same? Of course not. Any other country would have responded faster to the situation with much less care for the enemies damage, but as we see so common throughout history, Israel is held to a different standard. Why no matter what we do does the world seem to always sympathise against Israel? How could the world side with terrorist?

The answer to this question is scary. The truth hurts. This war is more than just a war. The world's complaints are far less than solely aimed at Israel's size of force or the civilian casualty, but a darker truth. Some people in the world can't stand the fact that there is a Jewish State. They call out for Israel to take far greater risks than any other nation would ever be asked. The kind of risk that threatens its very existence. And why would we be asked to make such dangerous differences than other nations? Because, quite simply, they don't believe Israel should exist to begin with.

This week we have seen an alarming trend throughout the world. Jews are being targeted. I got an email from the URJ on Thursday warning me of "synagogue security" in America. They are worried that actions will be taken against Synagogues. Can you believe that?!? We actually have to worry that something will happen in our spiritual havens, the place where we are suppose to feel safe, in a modern country like the USA. I was awed as I read the newspaper yesterday. In France, a burning car was rammed through the gates of a synagogue. In Sweden, a synagogue window was smashed and a burning object was thrown in. In Belgium, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a synagogue after numerous other reports of rock throwing has been reported. In England, a synagogue door was burned down, a Jewish man was attacked, and there is an enormous rise in anti-Semitic graffiti throughout the country. At a rally in Australia, a banner read "Clean the earth from dirty Zionists!" In the Netherlands, demonstrators chanted "Gas the Jews!" And in the USA, protesters demanded the the Jews "go back to the ovens!" This escalation of Jews being targeted throughout the world is quite alarming. The world is telling us that this war isn't just about Gaza. It's about our very existence.

Looking at these recent incidents, we see just how important Israel is. We finally have a place we can call our own. A place where Jews can be Jews without the lurking fear. A place where we can defend ourselves from the ones who question our right to existence. Because that is sadly what this is about. What it has always been about.

One day there will be peace in this land and in the world. One day we will be able to live next our neighbors without the blood and hatred. I long for that day. But until then, I support my country - my people - in defending themselves.