I've been writing a weekly opinion column for years. Every time I am unsure of what the subject should be. But this week I was not sure whether I should write a piece at all.
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Because if I do, and my words are misconstrued, will the police rush to arrest me and issue a statement to the media? That is, if I dare in some way express empathy with the victims – the children and the elderly – in the Gaza Strip, even though I entirely blame Hamas for everything.
The first reason why I was debating whether to write something or not is because anyone who expresses sympathy with the Palestinian casualties is labeled as a supporter of terrorism.
I, along with the vast majority of Arabs, empathize with the pain of Jewish and Arab Israeli families who were killed in the south. None of us think that Hamas acted out of respect for the Palestinian national struggle.
The second reason why I was debating is due to the personal tragedy that my family went through. After Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile from Lebanon toward Shtula, four workers were injured: one was killed on the spot, and three others – my uncle and his two sons – were seriously injured.
One lost his hearing and had back and neck surgery, the second had leg surgery, and the third, although sustained light injuries, was hospitalized in shock and crying like a child. Their worlds are shattered and the road to recovery is long.
I myself live just a few kilometers from the Lebanese border, in Kafr Yasif. Since the beginning of the war, tanks and other fighting vehicles have been passing through town toward the border, and of course, the missiles have been shaking the entire house and sowing fear and anxiety, especially since there is not a single public shelter in any Arab settlement.
In the last two weeks, most of what I have done, apart from looking after my family, is sending messages to friends – Jews and Arabs – to ask if they were safe and whether they needed a helping hand.
But most of whom I contacted barely replied. There is an atmosphere of fear. I feel distrust even from people I've known and spoken to daily for years.
I have chosen not to watch the news or listen to the radio because I can no longer take hearing of the atrocities that took place in the south, as well as the deaths in Gaza, especially the children.
Meanwhile, the war continues, with all its might. Not only to defeat Hamas but to restore Israel's honor.
It's a matter of time until the war is over because even power has limits. Until then, in the hope that a northern front will not open, more people will still lose their lives. This is deeply regrettable, regardless of who the victims will be.
Therefore, revenge, attack, and assassinations are not a plan. We need an actual plan.
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