July 20

Sunday

Day 4 of the War

Woke up w a jolt this am with first thought toward our soldiers under heavy fire in Gaza, followed by the 20 who have fallen which include 2 American lone soldiers, and 2 civilians hit by Gazan rockets inside Israel, a Bedouin in a field and a man bringing food for soldiers stationed at the Erez crossing. We haven't heard from Eric since Thursday am and while we read that his group uncovered 13 tunnels on Friday, we know nothing for sure except that no news is good news. The worst news is the names scrolling nightly on TV. Haven't seen death rolls like that since 9/11. Before that, the first Lebanon war. Here is where it stops being shock and awe to uphold a cause and turns into private hell. Sara's garin today will visit Raanana to comfort a female combat soldier from their kibbutz garin whose boyfriend was one of the two Americans. Sara could use some comforting herself... the funeral is waiting until his parents land from Texas. His girlfriend's from Long Island, her parents will be here too.
Shock, awe. Heartbreak. I'm sure we saved civilians by being careful but we also became more vulnerable. Oddly the country is soothed, as USA in 9/11, by a feeling of patriotism. We are fighting for a cause. Of course so is Hamas. (See the Green a Prince!!!) Major difference, to me, is method. You smile and grimace to see Israel's field hospital in Gaza for treating wounded Arabs. Their women wail and their men dance. We should listen to their women. They sound like us.
Good fences make good neighbors everywhere not just here. So does prosperity. For now there are tunnels instead. And a cash-strapped Hamas more prepared for war than ever. The world's huge investments of cash aid were used on resources like arms, war training, and expensive kilometers of concrete reinforced tunnels laden with 1,000's of arms and rockets. Nonproductive for society. Which as a banker...
So alongside wasted foreign $ aid, this is what we in the region keep count of these days: number of nights at war, number of booby-trapped houses that cover entrances to 60-foot deep, rigged tunnels stretching kilometers (500,000 shekels per) to inside Israel, and, worst of all, we count dead and wounded. Mighty grim meters.
Sorry. Siren. Back now. Forgot one more thing we count - Booms! Just now 5 - a high number - last licks? We hope so, for all sides.