A not-so-happy birthday
At 74 years of age, one would think that Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was born on October 21, 1949, might have acquired the grace to acknowledge responsibility for national foul-ups. But acknowledging that he may have taken wrong decisions is not one of his strong points.
The heads of the various components of Israel’s security establishment, have, in turn, voluntarily taken responsibility for Israel’s lack of preparedness for the catastrophe generated by Hamas. According to various sources, Hamas had been training for its bloodthirsty assault for the best part of a year, and Israel’s intelligence operators had ignored alerts and failed to tweak.
More than a decade has passed since Time Magazine crowned Netanyahu as “King Bibi,” and ran an in-depth cover story on him. Since then, the crown has slipped, and even the most loyal Likudniks have lost faith in him and are critical of the way he has allowed himself to be manipulated by the extreme right. Many political pundits are predicting that this is Netanyahu’s last hurrah.
Netanyahu has recorded a number of impressive achievements in his career, but instead of leaving the political arena in a blaze of glory, he may be forced to leave with his tail between his legs.
■ IN THE current environment of anger, grief, and vengeance, let it not be assumed that all Palestinians are terrorists or in favor of terrorism to achieve their aims. Jerusalem-based Palestinian human rights activist Bassem Eid, who is not afraid to publicly voice his convictions has put out a video in English addressed to the Palestinian people and anyone who supports them. In it, he urges them not to be brainwashed into thinking that Hamas has achieved anything on behalf of the Palestinians.
“It hasn’t,” he insists, noting that every pointless conflict over the years has been a catastrophe. Eid emphasizes that “Hamas is not a social justice movement, and it certainly does not care about the Palestinian People. It is a criminal gang that only cares about increasing its own power.
“Israel is not the main cause of your suffering. Hamas is the main cause. Israel is not your jailer, Hamas is. It was Hamas that led you into this most recent disaster.”
He also debunks some of the lies about Israel that have been disseminated by Hamas. The only action that Hamas takes “is to lead us into chaos”, he says. He also details various examples of Hamas corruption, including using women and children as human shields. “Israel uses rockets to defend its people. Hamas uses people to defend its rockets,” he says.
■ ON THE initiative of National Unity MK Sharren Haskel several legislators, among them, Vladimir Beliak (Yesh
Atid), Eli Dallal and Boaz Bismuth (Likud), Simcha Rotman (Religious Zionists), Moshe Roth (United Torah Judaism), Naama Lazimi (Labor), and
Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beiteinu) joined forces to aid Israel’s public diplomacy effort and invited members of the diplomatic community to visit Kfar Aza and Kibbutz Be’eri.
The idea was for senior diplomats to visit the scenes of Hamas carnage, so that they could send eye-witness reports to their foreign ministries.
Among the embassies represented by diplomats who accepted the invitation were Chile, Paraguay, Spain, and the Czech Republic. Also joining the group were retired ambassador Yitzhak Eldan, who is President of the Ambassador’s Club of Israel, Josh Reinstein, the Director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and
Dr. Jurgen Buehler, the President of the International Christian Embassy.
Wearing helmets and bullet-proof vests, the group was escorted by a female survivor of Moshav Netiv HaAsara, who related a personal account of Hamas savagery.
At Kibbutz Be’eri the group met former Yesh Atid MK and former head of the Eshkol Regional Council Haim Jelin, who speaking in Spanish and Hebrew, detailed the enormity of the tragedy, including the loss of a member of his own family.
The stench of death was still in the air, and the diplomats were shocked by this and by what they heard and saw.
Some had never experienced war before, and they were full of compassion for the surviving families and those who had lost loved ones.
Despite the national unity which has resurfaced in Israel, there are still those who cannot forget the people whose views and actions spurred a chasm in the nation, and possibly led to a loss of focus on issues affecting security. Several soldiers who recognized Rotman and Bismuth screamed at them and yelled for them to leave. Not wishing to incur any further ructions, the two did as they were ordered.
■ IN RECENT days the embassies of Kazakhstan, Japan, Korea, and Austria have canceled important diplomatic events in light of the security situation. Their decisions may have been a mark of respect to Israel. Or it may simply be an indication of fear. The Israel, Britain and the Commonwealth Association executive board, which is headed by Brenda Katten, is meeting toward the end of the month to assess the situation and to make a final decision as to whether to go ahead with the Balfour Day Dinner planned for November 9.
The country is slowly getting back to normal, and it is important to remember that in as much as Israel is a nation in mourning, it cannot allow its life to be dictated by Hamas. Mass cancellations of social events in Israel is another feather in Hamas’s cap.
■ IT IS heartening to see the number of high-ranking officials from the US and Europe who are arriving in Israel at a steady pace to show solidarity, to meet with families whose loved ones have been murdered or abducted by Hamas, to talk to survivors of the October 7 massacre, and to remind Israel to do its utmost to avoid harming civilians in Gaza.
Sadly civilians are always part of the collateral damage in regions of armed conflict.
In the present situation, Gazans should be alert to Bassam Eid’s charge that Hamas has brought nothing other than death and misery to the Gazan population.
■ MORE THAN 900 New York Friends of the IDF (FIDF) supporters came together in solidarity for the hundreds of thousands of Israeli soldiers who are putting their lives on the line to restore national security. The mass get-together, originally scheduled as a gala celebration of Israel’s 75th anniversary of independence, was transformed into a solidarity rally.
Among those attending the event at Chelsea Piers were members of the Fauda cast including its star Itzik Cohen (Captain Gabi Ayub) as the evening’s emcee. Musical performances were provided by
Noa Kirel and award-winning violinist
Bar Markovich.
There was also a briefing from the ground by former IDF Chief of General Staff, Aviv Kohavi, and an inspiring speech by actress, author, and staunch defender of Israel’s reputation Noa Tishby.
Emotions ran high when Ronen and Orna Neutra from Long Island, NY spoke about their son Omer Neutra, an IDF Lone Soldier, who was taken hostage by Hamas last Saturday. Omer was serving as a tank commander near the Gaza border when Hamas launched its attack.
■ ON WEDNESDAY of this week, while her husband was hosting US President Joe Biden, Sara Netanyahu, paid a condolence call to the Moreno family, which lost loved ones in two wars. This time it was Itay, the son of Moshe and Tami Moreno, and the grandson of Moshe and Margalit, and Ilan and Sylvia Moreno. Itay, who fought in the Maglan unit, fell in battle against the terrorists at Zikim.
Seventeen years earlier, his uncle, Lt.-Col. Emmanuel Moreno, was killed in combat. Moshe Moreno, who traveled to the south to volunteer, managed to see Itay half an hour prior to the battle at Zikim.
Not many parents whose sons and daughters have paid the supreme sacrifice, had the opportunity to meet them on the battlefield before they fell. The Moreno
family is not the only one who has been bereaved more than once by this war. There are parents who lost two sons, and cousins who lost entire families.
Sara Netanyahu embraced the parents and grandparents, and sat privately with Gal Moreno, the young widow.
After hearing reminiscences of the Moreno family’s contribution to Israel’s security, Sara Netanyahu said:
“I know that Emmanuel was raised on the story of the heroism of Yoni Netanyahu, and Itay was raised on the story of the heroism of Emmanuel Moreno. This is the chain of the generations and the heroism of our people, since the days of Joshua and of the Maccabees. I know that many soldiers will study and be inspired by the
story of Itay’s heroism.”
■ CURRENTLY WINDING up a solidarity mission to Israel is William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, who led a delegation of 50 prominent US community leaders on a visit to areas of devastation. The delegation also engaged with key government figures, and met with families of hostages and those killed in the Hamas attacks. Solidarity missions from Jewish communities throughout the United States and from other countries, are expected to arrive in Israel in the weeks ahead. Meanwhile, solidarity rallies continue to take place abroad.