blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv,

There is such a difference between what I know and what I see on the foreign TV channels.  The first time I watched a few hostages moving from Hamas to the Red Cross, the mother and daughter waved goodbye to the captors, and it was clear to all that it was staged, that the only way they could not damage the chances of the hostages they were leaving behind was to behave as they were told.  

Today as I was watching the French news, I saw that the “Hamas Fighters” gave us 13 hostages yesterday and it was a wonderful occasion.  Of course no one mentioned that we released almost 100 terrorist prisoners in exchange,  that most of them will return to East Jerusalem and go back to work.   And of course there’s the 200 trucks of food and fuel we sent in today.

Jonathan Pollard has said that the families of the kidnapped people should have been jailed so they wouldn’t get in the way of the negotiations.  But I wouldn’t have had the heart. Would you?  That’s why I – along with hundreds of thousands of Israelis – walk around with a necklace that looks like dogtags and says “bring them back”

here are my dogtags

it may be our greatest weakness before Hamas.  We just can’t bear it.  

Why, you say, don’t we feel that way about the people of Gaza?  We do, or, we would if we weren’t so scared and disgusted with what they’ve done.


Waving to captors – nov 26, 2023 Read Post »

blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv

The hostages make me weep – each time I think of them.  Each time I see a photo or hear a story or see a display of their photos I think of the coming deal that will bring back some of the hostages but leave the others, but will give Sinwar a chance to escape, I weep.  As it is we have a government that barely functions, but I don’t think they should be pushed into a dangerous deal.  Let’s find those hostages.  Each one – babies and soldiers – must be counted. 

hostages Read Post »

israeli politics, my life in tel aviv

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The 240 hostages in Gaza, the stories of survivors, the vegetables harvested by volunteers – I want to tell you about it all – but I can only show you a tiny piece of it.

I suddenly fell apart at a memorial in the military cemetery this afternoon – after buying so many vegetables from the south I had no energy to put away, and visiting the exhibits of families of hostages.  I looked at all the graves of soldiers and saw there was room for so many more….

 

 

what is left – nov 6, 2023 Read Post »