Ceasefire

After a little over a week of hostilities, a ceasefire has been reached between Israel & Hamas, and things seem to be settling down a bit. This is good news for sure, because it means that innocent lives will be spared both in Gaza and in Israel. It also means that the chances of an Israeli invasion of Gaza are minimum, and everyone I know is relieved about that. Peace, however tenuous, is a good thing. However, I am somewhat ambivalent about the announcement, because in the big picture it seems that this was an exercise in futility on both sides.

No one really stood to gain anything substantial by this violence, and in the end no one really did gain anything. Hamas gloated that they can now strike Tel Aviv, but in reality their militants launched unguided rockets en mass, hoping for a golden bee-bee to hit anything of value. I see little to brag about in this. These guys are embarrassingly ineffective and wildly outgunned. Meanwhile, the Israelis pounded Gaza at will with precision attacks for eight days, striking valuable military targets and Hamas leadership. This works temporarily, but tunnels will be re-dug and weapons smuggled in again, and Israel loses the battle of public opinion because their responses are always painted out to be dis-proportional and excessive by the world media. This is debatable, but generally every time there is fighting--Israel is automatically perceived as the aggressor. The Israelis did accomplish an impressive feat by gradually changing the nature of their advisory's attack methods. Ten years ago, they were cleaning up bombed-out restaurants from gruesome suicide bomb attacks. Today, they are intercepting enemy rockets in mid-air, thus moving the violence to more acceptable ranges and greatly reducing their civilian casualties. Iron Dome is impressive defensive system, but ultimately it is band-aid that will never cure the actual disease. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20385306]

Most Israelis I've talked to saw this operation as a necessary action that was forced upon them by the severity of the situation. I think they have a point. If unguided rockets were reaching Chicago from Toronto, I doubt that the American response would be any less severe. We've seen how the tense situation has brought out ugly characterizations of the other side that I was surprised to hear from some. This recent round of violence, like all the ones before it, reinforced the perception that Arabs only understand the language of force. I don't totally buy into this idea, but it is rampant in the discourse about Israeli/Palestinian situation. I think that these perceptions, among other problems, are precisely what will continue to prevent any kind of lasting peace from ever taking hold. If the Israelis are all just heartless Zionists who want to murder innocents in Gaza [they're not], and the Palestinians are all militant Islamic terrorists who dream of driving all Jews into the sea [I seriously doubt this as well], it's no wonder that they shoot off their aggression at each other every couple of years.  It's exhausting.



As for team Welch, we're enjoying some well-needed time off, visiting our Olmsted friends in Europe. Ironically, this trip was planned before any of this mess started, but after a bus blew up a mile from our apartment just an hour before we left for the airport, we knew that it was time to go (& that this excursion was clearly one of divine timing). We were surprised at how quickly things escalated last week, with air-raid sirens and bomb-shelter runs, and everything we thought would never actually experience here. We are hoping to return to a quieter, more vigilant Tel Aviv that is no longer just the 'bubble' of Israel. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad there's peace. I have high expectations that this will be a genuine peace, but I have no delusions that it will be a lasting one. And that's exactly what frustrates me by the whole situation.

Shalom Ya'll,
Stew

Never a Dull Moment

We never in a million years expected to be caught in the middle of an attack on the embassy, but today it happened. It seems that there is no end to the action here in Israel...



Usually we go to the embassy about once a week for the following: to check mail, change dollars to shekels, or visit the health unit. Last week we were advised to stay clear of the embassy for security reasons.  With our trip now just a day away, we desperately needed to do one last mail run, get our flu shots that were scheduled for last week, and take out some cash.  So, our family of four headed to the embassy for a quick stop.

First we took care of the flu shots, then we split up: Stewart and Lydia headed upstairs to the cashier, and Will and I went down to the mail room.  Wouldn't you know it? The next thing we know internal sirens go off, and a voice comes over the loudspeakers: "This is not a drill.  Take cover.  Move away from the windows.  Get down on the ground and cover your heads.  This is not a drill."  Will and I moved to the back of the mail area and sat down with his new High Lights magazine.  People were filing in from stairwells, and several people reported hearing gun fire.  What?!  We just assumed it was more rockets.

Meanwhile, Stewart was upstairs with Lydia:
Lydia & I were on the 2nd floor when the alarm went off and everyone ducked for cover away from the windows. That's when I heard the distinctive 'pop-pop-pop' of M-9 shots being fired. Lydia was a real trooper. She asked, "Is that more rockets, Daddy?" I told her, in what was the most surprising sentence I've ever uttered, "No kiddo, it's just gunfire. It'll be over in a little bit." And so it was.

Apparently, an assailant drove his rental-car to the back gate and came at the security guards with an axe and a knife, injuring one in the leg before being shot multiple times by the guards on duty. Most people expected the attacker to be a Palestinian, but according to the news it was an Israeli man about 41 who was trying to commit suicide. He survived several shots to the leg and was rushed to the hospital. This had nothing to do with the ongoing conflict in Gaza, but it was just something else that adds to the tension.



We just so happened to pick the exact wrong time to visit the embassy.  Thankfully, we weren't walking to our car at the time the whole show went down, because it happened to be parked just a few feet away.  Consequently, our blue van became part of the crime scene, and we were forced to enjoy a leisurely lunch at a nearby cafe and wait for the police and news media to clear out before we were able to return home.  On the upside, we were able to meet up with our Hebrew teacher from the states, Hilla, for a short visit.  She just happens to be in town visiting family.

 In typical Israeli fashion, they cleaned up the blood, took some pictures, interviewed a few folks, and before an hour passed you never would have known what had happened there.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4308990,00.html

The scene from our van:



This was all a little rattling, but we are quickly learning to expect the unexpected over here, and then to deal with it--and then go out to lunch. What else can we do?

On the bright side of all this mess, we have a lot to be thankful for.
1) we all got our flu shots
2) we got the mail
3) no one got shot (for real)
Great Success! Yes, it's Crazy.
But one thing we know for sure: the Tel Aviv Welches are in need of a little break from Tel Aviv.

Oh, and air raid sirens went off today in Jerusalem for the second time this week as more rockets were fired in their direction from Gaza. So it seems that all of the Israeli Olmsteders are getting a truly "Israeli" experience.

Shalom Ya'll,
E & Stew

Will has been asking for a rocket for Christmas...

Little did we know, Christmas would come early this year.

Of course, he wants a toy space rocket, but there's nothing like the real thing.
The tally is now one rocket fired at Tel Aviv per day for the last three days.  Jerusalem was even targeted by three rockets on Friday.

For the first rocket, we were north of Tel Aviv doing a little shopping.  We noticed that traffic was very heavy coming home, and then we received a phone call from a friend telling us that they were in their safe room, and for us to come to them if possible.  Rockets were being fired on Tel Aviv.  This is all very shocking and unprecedented for Israelis and foreigners alike.  The sirens in Tel Aviv haven't been sounded in 20 years.  No one thought that Gaza had anything capable of reaching near Tel Aviv, but now the new Farj-5 rockets that have been smuggled in by the Iranians are proving otherwise.

The Tel Aviv bubble has officially been burst.  Thankfully, the rocket was reported to have landed in an open area.  Our friend here joked that it was amazing that Hamas found the only undeveloped spot of real estate in Tel Aviv.  Later reports claimed it hit the sea.  By the time we arrived home, we had a flurry of phone calls to return.  The embassy instructed us on safety procedures, and we were told to keep the kids home from school.

With Stewart's dad and step brother visiting, we still had important sites to see.  The next morning, Stewart was in touch with the embassy and asked for permission/ recommendations on traveling to the dead sea (about a 2 hour drive west from Tel Aviv).  They gave them the green light, so they went on with their plans.  The kids and I took a break from sight-seeing to stay home for the day.

Will was playing in his room, and Lydia and I were solidifying her Christmas list when the sirens went off.  We all scrambled into the bomb shelter, closed the door and sat down.  Both kids looked at me with a surprised/ scared/ excited "now what?" look, and I just burst into tears.  Not being much of a crier, I totally surprised myself.  I think it was more adrenaline than fear, but i tried to smile through tears and assure them that everything was fine and we were just going to hang out in the office for a while.  Within 5 seconds I heard a boom from outside.  It sounded distant, and it wasn't close enough to rattle the building or anything like that.  But I still heard it.  And I knew what it was.  Thankfully, I had internet in the office, and I was able to track the story. The first report: "Sirens alerted in Tel Aviv, sound of blast reported."  Stewart and I texted right away.  They were fine, and they knew we were safe.  We probably stayed in the bomb shelter for 15-20 minutes before I read that the rocket reportedly landed in an open area. The recommendation is to wait for 10 minutes or until you hear a blast, and then you're free to come out.  As a rookie, I decided to wait longer until I knew for sure the coast was clear.

As it turns out, the rocket landed in the sea right outside of the embassy in front of this restaurant where we dined our first week in Israel.  I listened to an eye witness report on the news.  The man said that everyone was sitting out on the sand having lunch when the sirens went off.  They all ran into the kitchen of the restaurant.  He was a restaurant employee, and as he was making sure that everyone was safe inside he saw the rocket hit the water, maybe 50 meters from the shore.  He said the water splashed 10 meters in the air along with a black plume of smoke.  Five minutes later, the restaurant patrons emerged from the kitchen and took their seats at their tables.  After all, they hadn't finished lunch.

July 2011

So, that brings us to yesterday: Day 3.  After church in Jaffa, we went north to Caesarea for one last hurrah with Stewart's dad and uncle Mike before their night flight back to the states.  We chose to do this partly because it is a great place to visit, and we hadn't had a chance to show it to them yet, and partly because it is almost an hour north of Tel Aviv and presumably out of rocket range.  At about 4:30, we were strolling on the beach when we heard a boom.  Mike asked if it was thunder.  I said, "I don't think that was thunder."  We walked back to the van, and the cell phones started again.  Red alert in Tel Aviv.  More rockets fired.  Not long after, we received messages from the embassy that the all clear had been given.  The rocket was intercepted by Iron Dome.  Wooo-hooo for Iron Dome!

I think by that point, Mike and John couldn't get out of here fast enough.  I don't blame them, but I must say that I really don't feel scared nor do I feel less safe than I did 4 days ago.  Now, if we were situated any further south, that would be a much different story.  I think our dear friends who live 45 min south  in Gedera have spent more time in their safe room than out of it.  What does have me concerned is that Israel has called up 75,000 reservists to prepare for a possible ground invasion.  We already know of a handful of Israeli friends that have been called up in the last 48 hours.   In the landscape of the new Arab world, I don't think anything is predictable.  No one knows how this is going to turn out.

For updated Israeli news in English, you can always check out these links.  We think the BBC MidEast news page also does a good job of coverage.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4307195,00.html

http://www.haaretz.com/

For now, we are safe and handling things well.
Pray for Shalom,
E

Things heating up...

So, life just got really interesting over here in Israel all of a sudden. My Dad & Step-brother Mike & I returned from Petra last night to find out that Israel had attacked Gaza. Then, while driving home from a day of touring around Jaffa today, we heard that rockets were fired from Gaza that reached Tel Aviv. This was the first time since the first Gulf War of 1991 that the Red Alert sirens were sounded here in the city. Usually we are too far north for rockets from Gaza to reach us.   Things are a little tense, but most of our Israeli friends do not seem too rattled. They are accustomed to these type of situations.



Personally, we are glad to have our bomb-shelter in order (which usually doubles as our office). We hoped that we would never have to use it, but we'll see about that. Once we returned home tonight, we did what came naturally...we ordered pizza and drank wine while we watched the news. Lydia sat crossed-legged on the couch, eating M&Ms when she said, "We're just trying not to panic."
Seemed like a pretty Israeli thing to do.

One thing is for certain: Dad & Uncle Mike are getting an unique 'Middle-Eastern' experience.

For more info, check out these links:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4306249,00.html

Book Review: Palestine- Peace not Apartheid

I recently finished Jimmy Carter's book, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid. Before living in Israel and becoming familiar with 'the situation' here, I had little use for Carter. I saw him as a one-term president who was unnecessarily critical of Israel. However, after reading his own words and hearing him recount tireless efforts to aid the sputtering peace process over three decades, I've come to see him in a different light. This book is a coherent synopsis of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, which contains stories of his personal encounters with Israeli leaders who are household names here. Carter gives a succinct timeline of all the major events which shaped Israel through 2006, as well as  his own perspectives on major events of the last 30 years, including the first Camp David accords in 1979 (where he brought the Israelis and Egyptians to the table to negotiate a peace which has lasted until today). He also includes a brief description of each country in the region, it's main leaders and parties, and how they might contribute to a lasting Middle East peace. He firmly believes in a two-state solution, as do most Israelis today.

It is no small secret that Carter was heavily criticized for his views in the publication. Many Israelis and American Jews are offended when their country is a associated with the word 'apartheid' (it is the only Democracy in the Middle East, right?). However, based on his experience with this issue and his devotion to the cause of peace, Carter has definitely earned the right to be heard, and he calls it like he sees it. He states that "Israel's continued control and colonization of Palestinian land have been the primary obstacles to a comprehensive peace agreement in the Holy Land." (p 208) Blame for failure of the peace process is not laid on Israelis exclusively, but this was what got him so much flack from the Right. I was just another one of his critics, before moving here and seeing for myself some of the troubling realities that he describes in the book.

Carter's dream of permanent peace for Israelis and freedom and justice for Palestinians is a long way off today. However, I have a newfound respect for him as an informed American leader who knowingly stepped into a barrage of criticism simply for saying what he believed about this extremely complex issue. Regardless of whether you are conservative, liberal, or under-informed on Middle East peace (I still fall in this category btw), I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about what remains the most nagging problem in Israel today.