Yohay Elam

I’ve been to Haifa, in the warzone! Katyusha rockets fall there. I came from my home in Tel Aviv, in the center of Israel, considered by many Israelis to be “a bubble”, disconnected from what’s really going on.  So, I came to see “the real world”. I’ll try to lay down my impressions, and try to avoid politics. I sort of translated my Hebrew post. You can view all my pictures here.

 

Continue reading “A visit to Haifa – the warzone”

I just returned from a demonstration against the war. Yes, it was in Tel Aviv. There were 2500 people according to the Internet newspapers. It seems liitle, but it was much more than I expected, and more than a similar demonstration last week. Here are some pictures.

The protesters called to stop the war and stop the killing of civilians. Unfortunately, it wasn’t well organized. Different groups shouted different slogans. Many of the protesters were communists, and many others belonged to smal extreme leftists groups,  very far from mainstream. It wasn’t exactly my natural habitat. I was with some other moderate left wingers who felt the same. But, as the war continues, more and more people think it is wrong.

If the war continues, the protests will get stronger, and the military will stop praising the citizens as it does today. They praise the citizens for being patient and disciplined. How long will it last? How long will the war last?

 

War broke out on July 12th. Hizbullah fired rockets into Israel, all along the border line. This was only used as a diversion from the primary goal. They used this diversion to blow up the border fence, invade into Israel sovereign territory kill 4 soldiers and kidnap 2 others. Along the day Israeli forces tried to rescue the kidnapped soldiers, and lost 4 more soldiers, when a tank overran a land mine.

This is definite act of war. The enemy invaded our soveriegn land, as recognized by the UN. They also killed soldiers and kidnapped others. My government had all the right to retaliate against the enemy, and demand the safe return of the kidnapped soldiers. In addition to the act of war, the enemy is a dangerous organization, that is building serious military force. The destruction of Israel is one of Hibullah’s goals. So, at first, I totally supported my government.

In the following days, Israel began bombarding in Lebanon. They targeted the Hizbullah and also Lebanese infrastructure, in order to put pressure on the Lebanese government. On our side, many rockets were fired on civilians in northern Israel. On Saturday night, the Lebanese prime minister called for a ceasefire. On Sunday morning a deadly rocket attack killed 8 in Haifa.

I still supported my government. Rocket attacks on civilians are unbearable.I thought the offer for ceasefire should be seriously considered, and not thrown away. But, a few hours later, after the attack on Haifa, I suported my government to continue the war against Hizbullah.

In the last days, the routine of rocket of rockets on northern Israel continues. Every day more people die. The generals say that Hizbullah is hurt. On the other side, many many civilians are killed. The numbers are already in hundreds. The Lebanese infrastructure is badly damaged. Ground fights have also begun in southern Lebanon with casualties on both sides. The military is calling more reserves.

I became angry with my government. Too many civilians are dead in Lebanon, and the Hizbullah is still firing at us. Upon entering the tenth day, with more ground collisions,  this is becoming a serious war. This is no longer a military operation.

The media in Israel doesn’t show too much of the damage and the casualties in Lebanon, and it took me some time to realize what is going on over there. The goals of the war seem to fade out, and all I see are two hateful sides killing each other.

Jonathan asked for a recipe for peace. Can we, the common people blogging and commenting, do anything about it?

Are we waiting for a major catastrophe to halt the fighting?

Are we only puppets of the USA and Iran?

My city, Tel Aviv, hasn’t received any rockets yet. I am not afraid, and I hope that the rockets won’t come ’round here. Wothout rockets here, only today, I realized how bad this war is, and how deep both sides are into it.

I’m depressed.