What happened when I tried to eat a sandwich this morning
I felt a pang of hunger this morning. So I opened my fridge, took out some cream cheese, lettuce, scallions, and hard boiled eggs. Then I took some bread -- my favorite mixed-grain sourdough, cut a few slices on a clean plate, and then made myself a sandwich. I poured myself some juice, mixed with water, and sat down in my clean and sunny kitchen and prepared to eat my lovely sandwich.
And then I thought of my friend Yara sitting in Dir Al Balach, which the IDF began bombing last week. Yara and her family have not had a proper meal since February. They are subsisting on grains of rice. Terrified of bombs and bullets.
And I thought of the hostages. Like Matan Zangauker, who has a muscle disorder and has been sitting in cages in tunnels in Gaza for 660 (!) days. I wonder how long it has been since he has eaten, or seen daylight. All the hostages. Whose families haven't slept properly in nearly two years.
Does anyone in this cursed government understand that when we starve the entire population of Gaza, we are ALSO starving the hostages????
All the people here who argue with me when I say we need to end this godforsaken attack on Gaza, who scream, "DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE HOSTAGES?" Do you understand that when we starve Gaza, we are ALSO STARVING THE HOSTAGES? That when we bomb Gaza, we are ALSO BOMBING THE HOSTAGES?
Apparently, the government knows quite well that its actions are ALSO killing hostages. Minister Orit Struck admitted it last week, out loud, to the horror of the hostage families. She opposes a cease fire, opposes a hostage deal, and is fanatically in favor of Israel continuing its military bombardment. Even as she ADMITS that this is likely to kill hostages.
And to all the people who are saying, "NO NO IT'S NOT US IT'S HAMAS" -- well, I have news for you. This government has ALSO FREELY ADMITTED that its long-term goal is to purposely eliminate the people of Gaza.
The plan of this government is to create a Palestinian-free Gaza, as evidenced by Gila Gamliel's AI-made video future-vision with zero Palestinians in it.
As evidenced by Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu who said Thursday that his government is “racing against time to wipe out Gaza and its Palestinian population,” adding that the territory will become “entirely Jewish.”
“The government is racing to wipe out Gaza. We are eliminating this evil. We are eliminating its residents,” Eliyahu told Israel’s Kol Barama radio. “Gaza will become completely Jewish.”
In case you're still trying to say that Israel isn't doing this. Israel IS doing this. On purpose. Just so we understand how far this goes: Yesterday, on Shabbat, the government held a secret meeting in order to pause the fighting for a day or two and allow some humanitarian aid in. They did this b/c of all the international pressure. HOWEVER, they had to do it ON SHABBAT b/c that's the only time that religious ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir were not there. Had they been there, the aid would have never been allowed in. The religious ministers are so vehemently opposed to any aid reaching Gaza that they torpedo any and every attempt at humanitarian aid. So much so that it nearly cripples the government, even under international pressure. Even as the government's actions are leading to an unprecedented number of countries considering international sanctions. Economic threats. Actual arrests of israeli soldiers around the world. Even from countries that are supposed to be our allies.
The government, even if it wanted to (which I don't think it does), cannot seem to soften its stance on any of this b/c the religious ministers who are anti-Gazans and anti-humanitarianism and who are playing with their billions of shekels in a plan to eliminate Gazans from Gaza, these ministers are clearly running the show.
Today, the govt is now managing these political maneuvers. But just so we understand, this government is PURPOSEFULLY trying to starve out Gazans and take over Gaza. They aren't even trying to hide it.
Also -- for those of you hanging on to this flimsy little line, still trying to say, "It's not us, it's HAMAS," I suggest that you read the very thorough investigation that the NYT conducted into this allegation. TLDR: It's not true. This is just another lie told by this government to distract us from its own actions.
This massive starvation of Gaza is not Hamas' doing. This is OUR doing. Israel. The Jewish state. We are doing this.
And in case you still have doubts, take a look at the video clip I posted this morning from Nurit Peled Elhanan showing religious radicals destroying the food packages on a delivery truck outside of Gaza. In case you had any doubts.
We are doing this. OUR people. OUR government.
And our government does not even care for one second what the real life implications are. Not the implications for the hostages, who are dying along with Gazans. Not implications for soldiers, who are dying for the lie that they are there to rescue the hostages (they are not and never have been.). Not implications for Jews of the world facing immense violence as a result of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
And certainly not for the implications for the people of Gaza.
Or, maybe they actually ARE motivated by the implications on the people of Gaza. It seems that it precisely the point.
*****
Anyway, before I ate my sandwich, I took my sign and went to stand on my street corner. Again. How can I not? How am I supposed to just sit down and eat a sandwich when all this is happening? How????
