True Peace

 

I don’t think there is one Israeli who doesn’t long, pray or plead for every single hostage to return home safe in body and spirit. I believe that all of us were devastated by the murders of Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, and Almog Sarusi, hy’d. In our eagerness to bring them all home, some of us forget it is Hamas who is the real villain.

Last week my daughter told my husband how to make a good fish dinner. She illustrated the recipe by showing him pictures of Avinatan Ohr playing chef on the camping trip she, her husband, and other friends from Shilo had last summer, before he was kidnapped. How I want them  to be able to go out to nature with him again! But not at any price!

In 2011 Israel released over a thousand terrorists in exchange for Gilad Shalit. How many of those terrorists came across the border on October 7 to murder, maim, and rape? How had the Shalit deal encouraged them to kidnap as many as possible?

In 2005 Israel made a bid for peace by the Disengagement. Thousands of Jews were expelled from their homes and Gush Katif was turned over to the Arabs who in turn elected Hamas to run Gaza. Since then, there has been ongoing terror, shelling, and rockets on Israel from that territory. There were wars: Cast Lead in 2008, Protective Edge in 2014, and Wall Guardian in 2021. My son-in-law was injured in Protective Edge. How many soldiers were killed and injured? How many civilians?

Now we’re at war again. I don’t want this one to end with some flimsy cease-fire like the others. I don’t want to be attacked again. I don’t want to lose any more of our youth on the battlefield. I don’t want to bury more victims murdered in the name of Allah Akbar. I want peace.

Yes, our government and army were sleeping on the job last year. Yes, we need new leadership. However, fighting among ourselves will not bring the hostages home. Rather it emboldens our enemies.

As horrendous as Simchat Torah attacks were there was one comfort and that was the unity we had. I beg that all of us, secular or religious, left or right, sabra or immigrant all look at each other and remember we’re one family. Let’s work together to have a true peace, a lasting peace.