After the War

Now that the war seems to be over ('seems' being the operative word) we can freely continue to soul search about the results, the casualties and the long-term implications. Although the consensus in Israel was that, having exhausted all other possible channels, invading Gaza was our only choice to stop the rocket fire on civilians, there were not a few voices that urged restraint and retreat all throughout the military campaign. Most notable among them are Gideon Levy, a journalist for Haaaretz who's life mission has been to bring Palestinian suffering to Israeli public attention, and David Grossman, a well-known Israeli writer whose voice carries extra weight as the bereaved father of a soldier killed in the second Lebanon War of 2006. I believe that the strength of our democracy lies in enabling these very often unpopular voices to be heard in the most prominent of public forums and to generate constant discussion on the nature and values of the Jewish state. I use them to check myself by always keeping an ear open to the anti-consensus. Sometimes I find myself agreeing with them, but not this time.

Try this metaphor: a child from a liberal, well-educated, humanistic family that eats organic food, recyles and donates regularly to charity gets beaten up on a regular basis by a gang of thugs at school. Together with his parents, the kid devises strategies to convince them to leave him alone: hanging out with cool kids on the playground, organizing school-wide soccer competitions and talking to the principal, but nothing works. Day after day the kid is cornered by the gang and knocked around, until he's had enough. They next time they surround him, he puts up his dukes just like they taught him in kung fu class and beats the shit out of every one of them. They never bother him again. The moral of the story? Sometimes you have to play by their rules.

But we're still agonizing. Shoot and weep. Here are a few facts to ease the conscience:

-Haaretz reported: " a doctor at Gaza'a Shifa Hospital told an Italian journalist that the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead might have been 500 or 600, mostly young men between the ages of 17 and 23...The doctor said he was surprised that aid groups reported the numbers without confirming them...It is enough to visit a few hospitals to understand that the numbers don't jive." Previous reports were of over 1300 Palestinians killed, many women and children among them. It is important to note that the IDF chose to ban journalists from Gaza during the fighting, ostensibly for fear of their safety, more likely because they didn't want them in the way. Hopefully the lesson has been learned.
-A young Israeli woman has organized a charity drive for Palestinian families in Gaza and has collected several truckloads of clothing, children's toys and various other necessities donated by other Israelis who wish to help.
-A French documentary aired on Israel's Channel One on Wednesday showed an interview with a Palestinian Fatah supporter in Gaza whose legs were amputated after he was shot and left for dead by Hamas militants. He noted that when he was injured by Israelis,a soldier saved him but that his own people had shot him six times. A few minutes after the interview was aired the man was arrested and tortured by Hamas. Channel One, feeling responsible for his safety, managed to pull strings with the army and sneak him out of Gaza, effectively saving his life. Is there another people on earth who would do that?
-Ari Folman's anti-war movie "Waltz With Bashir" was nominated yesterday for an Oscar in the category of best foreign film. If you have not yet seen it run out and do so. By combining animation and documentary Folman has created a new genre in film and yet another way for Israelis to examine our identity, our values and the very problematic reality in which we live. It is extraordinary that while we were fighting yet another war this film has been recognized as a powerful medium for deglorifying armed conflict.