At the Lebanese border in March 2006. Click to big; more here.
Alternate titles for this post:
- The testosterone factor
- The "whose is bigger" contest
- The extremists won again
- Deja vu all over again
- The summer of our discontent
- I cannot cover a war and give up smoking at the same time (nah, too long)
If there is one thing we can always count on in the Middle East, it is this: Just when there are signs of positive developments toward peace, just when we start to hear the voices of sanity, the extremists - the madmen with the crazed eyes who are convinced they have a direct phone line to God (and that God likes to see people kill each other) - spring into action and take us backward. That is what has been happening over the last two weeks, starting with the Hamas incursion from Gaza into Kerem Shalom and culminating yesterday morning with a Hezbollah "operation" inside Israel's northern border.
Yesterday morning I called Menachem Horowitz, the Channel 2 correspondent in northern Israel, to ask if he'd be willing to meet a foreign correspondent with whom I work. The correspondent was on his way up north, I explained, and could use some insight from a veteran Israeli journalist. "Listen, I am in the middle of a war here!" exclaimed the usually soft-spoken and helpful Mr. Horowitz.
And Esther, poor Esther, whom I met yesterday for the first time over breakfast at Ginzburg, had to suffer as my phone rang every few minutes, interrupting our conversation.
I've spent most of the last 24 hours glued to the internet, telephone and television. My head hurts, my thoughts are in a whirl and I really don't feel able to write anything cogent or insightful at this point. All I can think is, "the extremists have won again."
Just over two weeks ago, Abu Mazen and Ehud Olmert met at a breakfast hosted by King Abdullah in Jordan. They hugged each other and spoke in front of the cameras about imminent negotiations. A moment of hope. And then the incident at Kerem Shalom, followed by the IDF incursion into Gaza. And now Lebanon. Once again, I wonder how much blood must be spilt before we end this ridiculous, tragic conflict. And when we will stop warming our hands in front of the tribal bonfires instead of stepping back and seeing this conflict for what it is - a game of power played by politicians who really do not care all that much about the wellbeing of the people whose interests they claim to protect.
And once again, I wonder when the politicians will learn to act instead of react. As usual, none of the politicians are thinking - not with their brains, anyway. It seems to me that when Israel does exactly what the enemy's leader (Nasrallah) wants it to do, it is probably doing the wrong thing. C., if you're reading this: remember the time you told me that Israel's entire foreign policy was based on the expression, "I'm not a sucker"? I never forgot that, you clever girl.
And that is as far as I am going to go with political analysis today. I need some time to rest and collect my thoughts first, sorry.
Here are some photos I took along the northern border when I traveled there in March with Michael Totten, who wrote these reports (1, 2) about what we saw and heard.
And below is what some Middle Eastern bloggers are saying:
From Ami, who usually blogs in Hebrew, an open letter to Raja of the Lebanese bloggers:
"Dear Raja,
I'm Ami, a Journalist and a Blogger from Israel…
I enjoy very much reading your blog, especially your last post ("an oblivious resident") regarding the current situation.
Your vivid and objective
description, as well as the interesting comments giving by your
readers, enabling us, in Israel to have a direct and first-hand
impression of what's is really going on your side…
While I'm writing
these sentences, our government is having a special meeting in order to
decide what to do, and how to react to Hizballa aggression.
Commentators in Israeli TV channels are raising certain militant
scenarios, and the word "war" is keep popping up while asking civilians
in the streets…
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I recommend reading the Lebanese bloggers. They are providing constant on the scene updates.
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The Egyptian Sandmonkey's post has a rather interesting comment thread.
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Here is a very moving post from a Syrian blogger, excerpted below:
"Thank you Nasrallah the angel of death in the Najjad-Assad squad of destruction for shortselling your Country Lebanon. You decided to sell what you don’t have to extremism and violence. Do you enjoy destroying your own bridges and infrastructures…do you celebrate the death of your own people living in poor villages…are you that blind and stupid to not know what the consequenses of your stupid action would be? yes enjoy enflaming the ignorant masses and being a hero…Saddam Hussein was a hero also when he invaded Kuwait. Is it not enough that the PLO fought from Lebanon in the 70s and 80s and ensured the destruction and divisions of the south where you come from! What did they gain from their war of attrition: nothing!"
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Here's an excerpt from a post by She, of Something Something:
"I think of the bloggers across the Arab blogosphere who have afforded me the privilege of making their acquaintance, exchanging comments and emails as we work together to break down barriers, barriers put in place by those whose greatest fear is the discovery that we are all merely people and not the monsters they make us out to be. We may not always agree, but there is both a mutual respect and curiosity that we have chosen to embrace. Despite the actions of governments and organizations in our countries, we are trying hard to make our neighborhood a better place. Now, as I sit here on this train heading south, I can’t help but wonder, is it all for naught?"
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From Eliram, an Israeli who blogs in Hebrew, a translated excerpt from her post, "The Israeli mood is at minus 7" is below:
"A million mothers wipe away tears of pain before going to sleep. A million fathers are grinding their teeth in silence. And how many politicians understand now, in the small hours of the night, that their job includes a few things besides their salaries, plenum sessions and a car nearby. It's called responsibility for a whole nation..."
