16/02/2024
MY ISRAEL WAR DIARY # 16,
FEBRUARY 16, 2024
BY BARBARA DIAMOND, JERUSALEM
Photo courtesy of Stuart Gherman, Jerusalem
This week, I took my grandson for his initial army interview to Tel Aviv - on Israel’s high-speed train from the Yitzhak Navon station in Jerusalem. It is exquisite… the trains arrive… 260 feet below street level. It is one of the deepest such stations in the world. What struck me as I watched hundreds of male and female soldiers moving quickly in order to catch the next train…. was “the quiet.” There were no screaming children. No laughing friends. No sense of frivolity. No tourists. Everyone was going somewhere…with a purpose. By any measurement… it was not normal. It was as if the “public” was functioning as a “whole”. It felt like we were all one organism … moving in synch. I am writing this- 24 hours after the experience. The impact was massive.
A visit to the Michael Levin Lone Soldier’s Base was long over-due, and it was time to introduce my grandson to the people who had been so helpful throughout the past four months. The “vibe” was so different from the train station! Smiling, laughing, friends being made at every turn. So wonderful to know that there is a place where the young men and women volunteering for service to Israel, who do not have families to support them in the country, are welcomed with events, meals, supplies, and guidance when needed. Yesterday was their bi-annual blood-bank, and at the prescribed hour, a constant flow of young adults arrived to give their blood to save lives.
Volunteering for the Israeli Army is one of the most difficult bureaucratic nightmares in the world. One would expect that during wartime, exceptions might be made… nope. The paperwork is massive. Having provided the paperwork, one is often informed that it is not sufficient. The right hand and the left hand of officialdom seem a) not to communicate with one another and b) intent on separating “the wheat from the chaff”. Only those with a tremendous commitment to service will survive the jostling back and forth between the different agencies involved. Making Aliyah … coming to Israel to take Israeli citizenship, is equally daunting. Patience is required…and then still again, a bit more forbearance at the news that indeed there is more bureaucracy still to be endured, on top of what one thought …was the end of the process.
International pressure on Israel has increased the stress on all of us waiting for this war to be complete. The list is long and the reasons are endless for those who wish this war to simply “stop.” Most of those “demanding” an end, are not entitled to “demand anything at all.” In response, there are those in government who are asking for an international task force to help Israel complete the job quickly. It will be interesting to see whom among the nations might step up to the proverbial “plate.”
Irritating, at the very least, is when players such as Hillary Clinton step forward to announce that “Bibi must go!” The people of Israel do not need her proclamations. They will make their own decisions in due course. America has been trying to “depose” Netanyahu for a very long time, looking perhaps for someone weaker to fill his shoes. They really must stop acting as if Israel is their naughty 51st state. When someone like Hillary decides to make statements that will put her on the front page of newspapers, it does seem that they have a need to make themselves the center of attention. Perhaps she hopes to be a replacement candidate for the current Democratic Vice President in the coming U.S. elections? She is clearly not satisfied sitting on the sidelines. There is also apparently a need for previous leaders…both military and political…to pontificate on what they think should be done in the current war. This is not restricted just to the USA…retired Israeli Generals are not much better… perhaps feeling “out of the loop”… making statements which actually undermine the current war efforts. There is a reason that all of these “has-beens” are “no-longer.” They should respect the will of their people… and stay silent in matters over which they have no influence.
This past Shabbat dinner at the home of a close friend was unique on many levels. My grandson was with me for our first Shabbat in many years, and we shared the evening with such special people, each in their own way. One of the guests was a “lone soldier” who at a young age left his family and country of Venezuela to come to Israel, to become a Jew, and a soldier. He shared with us all that he had “lost” five of his friends …comrades in arms… this past week in Khan Younis, in the south of Gaza. Announcements such as these leave us breathless. There are no words which are appropriate. He sat next to my grandson at the dinner table. He too will be a lone soldier serving his people in the IDF. He was sitting next to a man of valor and courage… generously sharing his experiences.
The young woman at the table was from New York, managing to run her business affairs on different continents with clients dispersed as far as South America. She had envisioned having the USA as her home base while spending extended periods in Israel. Her last experience in New York was just after October 7th. She saw people ripping down the posters of those abducted by Hamas: innocent children, the elderly, women r***d repeatedly as hostages, men of all ages…who were being beaten and abused. How could Americans be so cruel as to tear down the posters of innocents being held by brutal, evil terrorists? She shared that this experience was an epiphany for her. She concluded that she no longer belonged in the United States. She is closing up her apartment …permanently. She chooses to live in Israel where life is cherished.
The Biden administration continues to try to pressure Israel towards solutions and resolutions which may be in the best interests of the USA but not in the best interests of Israel. There is no compromise to be had with evil. When Blinken and Biden push the concept of the Palestinian Authority being “in charge” of Gaza, on “the day after…” Israel knows full well that their leadership will once again bring enemies to our doorsteps. New ideas must be born out of necessity. These old ones never worked, and are doomed to failure.
It was quite shocking to hear that the USA has ”sanctioned” three Israelis in the West Bank for their anti-Hamas activities. As dual citizens, they have been shunned by the Biden Administration- their bank accounts frozen in the USA. Apparently, those in power believe that these three individuals are so important as to be putting the possibility of a “two-state-solution” at risk. The absurdity of the United States applying such sanctions on dual citizens would be humorous if it was not impacting on the lives of three families here in Israel. When did the United States ever impose any kind of sanctions on x-pats anywhere else in the world? These foolish stabs at political relevance make the United States leaders appear very small-minded indeed. Surely, they should be paying attention to Iran as the sponsor of terrorism around the world, rather than three citizens in Judea and Samaria? This area known as “the West Bank” is a tinder box, and Israel is doing its best to root out terror from there as well as from Gaza. If a few of our citizens decide to take the law into their own hands… it is Israel’s responsibility to judge them, not that of the United States.
Last night there was a very special event here in Jerusalem. The California comedian- Elon Gold performed at a fund raising evening for the Koby Mandel Foundation. Not only did the Jerusalem Theater’s large hall completely “sell-out”, but two more nights were added to accommodate all who wanted to attend and support the work of the foundation. Elon Gold was in rare form… much new comedy, some bitter-sweet, as a result of the current Hamas-Israel war, the hostages still in captivity, and the rampant antisemitism which has reared its ugly head once again. We are one of the few ethnicities that is able to make fun of ourselves… while keeping our self-respect. Thank you, Elon, for a great evening.
In all of my years living in Israel, never before have I seen this nation so united. I know from those who were here during the Yom Kippur war, that the country was equally unified then, from its beginning. Israel is fighting this war, on behalf of its citizens … on behalf of Jews around the world… and on behalf of those everywhere who treasure democracy and are repelled by evil. We appreciate every ounce of your support. Come and visit! There is so much to be done!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in the Washington DC area, Barbara has been a pro-Israel activist for over four decades, having had a radio show in Jerusalem called "Barbara Diamond One on One,” doing in depth interviews which aired in Israel and in the UK. She participated in missions to the USSR to meet with Refuseniks, to Ethiopia with a medical team to help the Jewish villages and to China to open up relations prior to China recognizing the State of Israel. She has been pro-active lobbying congress and helping to start a Pro Israel PAC in Los Angeles. She stays involved through the Jerusalem Press Club attending up to the moment briefings which she shares on her blog at: thetimesofisrael.com. Ms. Diamond is the 2018 recipient of the "StandWithUs"- Israel leadership award and the author of thedementiadiary.com - A Chronicle of Caring, intended to open up the understanding of the experiences of those caring for a loved one with cognitive decline.
