I was born in a bombed hospital in WWII- and I know the terrible consequences of bombing a hospital. But I also know that there are military centers in those very hospitals that house Gazans who have been treated in Israeli hospitals.
The Israelis have invested a great deal in the health of Gaza citizens, not only in medical treatment but also in transportation to and from hospitals in Israel.
Two days ago one of those hospitals was hit – in Ashkelon. The Child Development Center in Barzillai Hospital
So I was a bit surprised that Naftali Bennett had to go back in history to remind us that Dresden was bombed by the Allies and London was bombed by the Nazis. Why not use a local illustration?
Of course I don’t like it. I’m not a giggling terrorist chortling as he shoots the parents in front of the bound children before he burns them all up in their homes. I would much rather be saving lives than destroying them. And that doesn’t make me self-righteous. It makes me human.
All day long we hear about victims and witnesses. I see my friends talking about how they were talking to their children when it happened and heard them being killed, grandparents explaining to their grandchildren how to care for their bullet wound until someone arrives. I hear my friends on the phone explaining that they have found shelter in someone’s home but don’t have money to buy food – even their credit cards were stolen and maxed out by terrorists. The stories are endless. Here’s one:
23 “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[c] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 genesis 18
I cannot bear the sense of satisfaction I get from seeing an explosion in Gaza. I hate myself as much as I hate the terrorists who slaughtered my friend’s daughter and son-in-law while he was on the phone with them. The rapes, decapitations, incinerations, are beyond forgiveness, but I have been with people from Gaza, and I know there are rightous people there.
They left flags of Isis along with the decapitated bodies of our children. It was a message to us that they mean business – to slaughter all of us. And now some of them are being treated in our hospitals now.
I can understand why someone would join Isis – after all the flag says “There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet” which is the prayer of Islam. But they do not represent Islam. Islam does not slaughter babies.
imagine this – after decapitating a family, the terrorist goes through their pockets, steals their jewelry, money and credit cards for a shopping spree, grabs the play station for the kids, etc. etc. God send Elijah to Ahab and has him say:
אחאב הולך לקחת את הכרם, אולם שם מחכה לו אליהו הנביא, השואל אותו “הרצחת וגם ירשת” ואומר לו: “במקום אשר לקקו הכלבים את דם נבות, ילוקו הכלבים את דמך גם אתה.”
: “Have you killed, and also taken possession?” and, “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood
My mother managed through the wars by always looking forward. And when things were particularly difficult, don’t think at all about what happened, only if it helps you to understand what will happen. This always helps me in times of war.
So I will not dwell on decapitation of babies in the south, but the need to fortify the defences in the north. Thank goodness my invalid friend in the northern border has been moved to a safe place. She was saying she will die in her living room, the one with a piece of rocket from the gulf war on her sideboard, and I was tortured by that image.
One of my grandsons is volunteering to organize packages to soldiers in the south, one is a soldier, and my daughter is treating people for trauma. But I am doing little except writing, comforting friends, and following the news.
My blue-eyed cardiologist met me this morning because he’s going on reserve duty tomorrow, and although he really concentrated on my heart, I could see the concern in those beautiful eyes.
My mother always said you should keep the people who need to concentrate on defence full of love and power.
If you write me to ask if i’m okay, and I answer, it means I’m okay at the moment. Any one here might not be okay a moment from now. Rockets are falling indiscriminately, there are still ISIS type guys wandering around the country, and as much as we try to keep things normal, there are dangers all around. So okay doesn’t mean much.