Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I very rarely discuss politics. I don’t have time nor patience for it, and I don’t even pretend to understand what the heck goes on in government. There are plenty of other things in my life for me to get passionate about, so I leave the politicking to the pundits.
That being said I cannot ignore what is happening in Israel and Gaza. The world is making out that Israel are the bad guys for firing retaliatory rockets into Gaza. When someone repeatedly attacks you and you sit by doing nothing for a long time, does that give your attackers carte blanche to keep doing it? Does it make it right? No. So when you are finally fed up with these random attacks and you want to do something to make it stop, you are well within your rights. So Israel has decided these rocket attacks must end, and decides to retaliate in kind, and sends rockets to military targets in Gaza.
When Israel is under attack it sends its children to safety. There are reports of parents from southern towns sending their children to relatives in northern parts of the country in order to keep them safe. The bomb shelters are once again inhabited. Precautions are taken to safeguard life and limb, on the Israeli side. School has been cancelled. Our children’s safety is paramount.
In Gaza there have been reports of children hurt / killed at military installations that were targeted by Israel. Such a hue and cry that Israel killed innocents. What were such innocents doing in military installations? Where were their parents who are supposed to keep them safe and out of the line of danger? Are their parents, the military commanders, hiding behind their children? Are they that cowardly? If you knew you were a likely target of military strikes and you had children, would you not do all you could to safeguard your children’s lives? To me this just seems like common sense, but maybe other cultures think differently.
I am scared what the death toll on both sides will be once this campaign is over. If there will be a ground incursion to Gaza, what will that mean to Israel? Will we be burying more of our young people? Will more parents mourn the loss of a son killed protecting his country? And if there is even one death mourned, will it have been worth it? Will this operation be the one to finally end the violence and the bloodshed? Or will the violence continue to be perpetuated by Hamas and its splinter groups?
My thoughts and prayers are with my family and friends, with my people of Israel. I know it is easy for us to sit here in North America and wring our hands at the plight of our brethren over there, but please know that you are in my prayers.
In the Pink 
Well-written. Yes, family-friends-my people are in my prayers as well.
I agree – well put. It is easy to get very sad about events and very angry about how it is represented in the media. Sometimes I think the entire problem is the media (or perhaps the media is just the face of ‘the darkness’ in the world). But, on the other hand, here we are – we could be strangers, but we are not-at-all strangers bcuase we are sharing our view – our sense of our people.
So, I am thankful for this technology and strength it provides. Thanks for your words.