Of all the unnecessary background noises that are accompanying the war – the misery, the conflict, the division, and the most unnecessary debate that once again flared up in recent days surrounding the question of whether military forces were transferred from the area around Gaza to Judea and Samaria on the eve of the massacre.
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This is not some good-spirited debate. Already from the very beginning, it deviated from the intelligence failure that enabled Hamas to surprise us, and the lack of intelligence that led to the relinquishment of two commando platoons in the Gaza region in favor of another military zone (published by Roi Sharon from Kan).
This argument focused on the region to which the forces were moved – Judea and Samaria – and it suggests that the fault of the residents in that region where the massacre occurred. It was posted online and was included also in the commentaries broadcast in news studios.
This is a sad and divisive debate even in times of peace – let alone in times of war. The residents of Judea and Samaria are as entitled to security as much as the residents of the communities near Gaza, and vice versa. The residents of Judea and Samaria have been forced into this debate against their will and are finding themselves in a defensive position that should not have existed from the outset.
They, whose very presence there contributes to the security of the entire country and fulfills the ideology of true Zionism, just like residents in other peripheral areas around the country, should not apologize for the reinforcement of military forces that are intended to protect their lives.
Even in an opposite hypothetical case, in which forces would have been transferred on the eve of a massacre of Judea and Samaria residents to the surrounding Gaza region or to another region (and such plans have existed in the past), it would not be acceptable to state claims and incitement against the Gaza border residents. If claims on the terrible mistake are to be sounded (preferably – after the war), these should be addressed to the IDF, and certainly not to the residents.
"Settlers" from the Gaza region and "settlers" from Judea and Samaria and "settlers" from other cities in Israel and "residents" from the kibbutzim are now fighting shoulder to shoulder in Gaza. From the point of view of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, we are all in the same boat: We are residents of the Land of Israel and wherever we live will be considered not legitimate. The Palestinians have said that time and again only we have closed our ears from hearing.
Esti Yaniv, mother of Hallel and Yagel who were murdered in Hawara, said at the height of her grief and with incomparable nobility: "We love the country. We love the army, and we want unity."
Sarit, mother of Ben Zussman who was killed in Gaza, referred, at her son's funeral a few days ago, to the "Israeli spirit ... that pulsates through our amazing soldiers," and demanded/begged: "If our soldiers managed to put themselves aside and the nation in the center, it is befitting that our leaders do the same."
Brigadier General (ret.) Dedi Simchi, whose son Guy, an IDF paratrooper, fell on the day the war broke out, and Yechiel Leiter, the father of Major Moshe Leiter, who was killed in battle in Gaza, implored the public, in a joint letter, to stop the political and divisive discourse of the last few days, to invest all our efforts in securing victory and put all disputes aside.
We are commanded to listen to them. At least to them. They have lost the most precious of all and fear that their loss will be in vain; that we will not achieve the goals of the war; and that the disputes, the division, and the quarrel between the brothers will return.
Since October 7, people of different opinions, beliefs, and views have been buried in cemeteries, side by side. The Palesti-Nazis are fighting against all of us. They are not discriminating between us, and we also need to protect ourselves against this at all costs.
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