By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
MEVASSERET ZION, Israel –Our minds and hearts are still reeling from the events of the last year, starting with the vile attack on kibbutzim and towns in the south by Hamas, the subsequent war in Gaza, political division in Israel and the current trial for corruption of Prime Minister Netanyahu, when we find our northern neighbor and enemy, Syria, in turmoil as a result of the rebel groups’ overthrow of Assad’s murderous regime.
On top of it all, this year has now officially been declared a drought year, with farmers all over Israel struggling to produce the crops we need. We simple citizens can enjoy the mild winter days, and fortunately there is no shortage of water for our basic needs due to Israel’s innovative desalination program, but the overall situation is grim and the future is ever more difficult to decipher.
Hamas’s assault on the peaceful communities on the border unleashed a response from Israel that has led to untold suffering for the residents of the Gaza Strip, in the IDF’s attempt to eradicate the ability of Hamas to try to repeat that attack, as is its stated aim. It goes without saying that no normal citizen of Israel rejoices in the suffering of innocent people on any side, but a repeat of the events of last October cannot be allowed to continue to threaten Israel’s civilian population.
The trial of Benyamin Netanyahu has managed to further deepen the political divide in the country, with his supporters waging a war of animosity against his detractors. Bibi himself has not been backward in coming forward with statements denigrating the ‘hostile’ media and the ‘less than impartial’ legal system, with special antagonism reserved for the Attorney General, who stands alone as the last bastion supporting the rule of law in Israel.
Particularly upsetting for me is the hostility reserved by supporters of Netanyahu for the families of the hostages held by Hamas in inhumane conditions in the tunnels under Gaza. Together with a couple of hundred other inhabitants of Mevasseret Zion and its environs just outside Jerusalem I stand on the bridge over the main highway from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to demonstrate for the return of the hostages every Saturday night. We stand with our flags and are addressed briefly by representatives of various groups before the names of all the hostages are read out and we call for their return.
Last week we were addressed by a representative of one of the groups that had worked tirelessly to restore some semblance of order to the ravaged south of Israel after the seventh of October. The speaker, who was originally from a religious kibbutz, said that the aims and actions of the party purporting to represent Religious Zionism are not in accordance with the ideals of the religious Zionism on which he was educated. As a former member of Bnei Akiva, that certainly chimes with my own understanding of what religious Zionism is and should be.
With turmoil on Israel’s northern border, war in the south, unrest in the West Bank and far-reaching internal divisions it seems callous to continue living in relative comfort and enjoying the sunshine, but that is all we can do as the tempest rages around us.
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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson is an author and freelance writer based in the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Zion, Israel.