High Alert

Error and tragedy: The country goes on high alert after yesterday's IDF slip-up kills 18 Palestinians in Beit Hanoun, many of them women and children. IDF initial investigation suggests that the accident may have been caused by an equipment malfunction.


Whatever the cause, the event is dreadful, and no sane person can think that it was intentional. Of course, that doesn't stop Hamas from saying that we should be wiped off the face of the earth. Ah, yes. They target civilians, and that's somehow OK, and we try to target weapon caches and Qassam launch sites to protect our civilians, and that isn't OK. (Photo on left: police sappers remove a Qassam rocket in S'derot. On right, S'derot residents pick through a crater when a Qassam landed in a busy commercial neighborhood.)

While all olim (immigrants) from English-speaking countries struggle with the many aspects of cultural and social interaction here, the gulf is relatively small. Israelis, no matter where they are from, either already have or quickly adopt a western mentality when dealing with most of the big issues in life. We want a better world for our children. We favor democracy and freedom of speech. Despite sharing tastes in music and food with our Middle Eastern neighbors, our cultural and political sensibilities are overwhelming western. This—our inability to understand what seems like irrational and counter-productive reasoning—is one of the roots of our problem here. We keep expecting the Palestinians to make rational decisions, as if they were a western partner. We can't seem to climb into their heads and figure out why their leadership would so consistently take the path that causes the most pain and suffering for their people. We understand cause and effect: they fire Qassam rockets in S'derot, we go after the weapons and launchers. And if they put those in densely populated civilian areas, people are going to get hurt.

The constant rain of Qassam rockets on the area (20 rockets were fired from Gaza throughout Wednesday, including one that landed near a children’s home of a Negev kibbutz) has caused a huge increase in casualties there, and has triggered demonstrations. People expect Olmert to step up and do something.

A near tragedy: French UNIFIL troops almost fire on an IAF plane. Luckily, they remember how much wine and cheese we import, and hold back.

Trying to prevent a tragedy: Police are fearful that if the Gay Pride march isn't called off in Jerusalem, there will be a major explosion of violence. The past week has already been rocked with horrible demonstrations from the lunatic fringe religious right.

An editorial tragedy: OK, so it isn't a tragedy. Blogger dropped my 04 November post, so I reposted it this morning. I also failed to give credit to my sister Tracy for first alerting me to the Natan Shaked (Mr. Gay International) story, but other savvy readers also spotted the story, almost seconds before I had posted it. Thanks for keeping me on my toes.

I'm so busy, it's tragic: As the countdown to liftoff (i.e., my trip to the States) continues, I keep frantically checking things off my list. Yet the list doesn't seem to be getting any shorter. Nadine, sullen over the confiscation of her sheep (which Gill suspects may have been causing her stomach problems), and cranky that I have been ignoring her, wedges herself into bed on Gill's side and refuses to come near me all night. I will have to do some serious groveling when I return.