Israeli Reservist: Second Thoughts on Israel's War Fever

"Opinions like mine are marginalized in this fever-ridden country. I thought I was a traitor for thinking these thoughts. Maybe I am a traitor, but at least I know that here I can publish these views without fear of being arrested for treason. It is this right that Israelis must fight with equal passion to preserve -- even in times of war."
[link to news.ncmonline.com]



Second Thoughts on Israel's War Fever

New America Media, Commentary, Adam Werner, Aug 03, 2006

Editor's Note: A student and reserve army member in Tel Aviv says Israel's cause is just, but fears that justice is transforming into vengeance. In Lebanon, that means destruction; on the home front, heated patriotism that harshly stifles debate. Adam Werner, 24, served four and a half years in the intelligence corps of the IDF. He is currently studying for his B.A. in Tel Aviv university, majoring in history and political science. He recently served a week of active reserve army duty due to the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

TEL AVIV, Israel--Moments after the abduction of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah it was clear to me and other Israelis that outbreak of war on Israel's northern border was inevitable. I anticipated the unleashing of Israel's military might -- and the fact that I might be called up for reserve duty -- not because I willed destruction but because I saw no other alternative.

The simple and logical view of most Israelis is that Hezbollah is a fundamentalist, terrorist organization that violated our sovereignty, captured two of our boys and killed eight more in the battle that ensued. We had not provoked Hezbollah, we were not occupying Lebanon and therefore there could be no plausible justification for their actions... so they must be punished.

However, after weeks of dreadfully following the fighting from the relative safety of Tel Aviv, I have reached the sobering conclusion that there is a point where justice transforms into vengeance, and vengeance cannot be justified. To vengeance there must be an alternative.

As the war wears on and casualties on both sides accumulate, each of us must take a moment to ponder at what price must justice be served. How just is the displacement of over half a million Lebanese civilians? If we tear an entire village to the ground, even if it does harbor terrorists, is that justice?

The public consensus in Israel is quite simple: yes. Security above all else. Sometimes I wish that my country's current surge of patriotic pride would overtake me, but regretfully I see the ongoing conflict in blinding shades of gray.

I cannot help but wince when I see my city adorned in billboards proclaiming "WE WILL WIN" -- a national rallying cry to a war that can bear no decisive winner. I cannot rejoice when I hear of a "successful" air force operation that wiped out an entire neighborhood in Beirut. I cannot miss the irony that this Lebanon war followed the retreat of Israel from Gaza, a retreat many Israelis viewed as a sign of national weakness. In a similar way, the invasion of Lebanon in 1982 took place only two months after the evacuation of Yamit, the largest Jewish settlement in Sinai, which was returned within the framework of the Israel-Egypt peace accords -- also seen as capitulation by many in Israel.

In this part of the world, exerting your power is believed to be the only means of survival, and showing restraint is an unquestionable weakness. I cannot bear the thought that Israel is waging a war that endangers thousands on both sides for the sake of flexing its military muscle to all those who oppose it.

Israel is caught up in war fever. Slogans visible everywhere include "A United Israel to Victory" and "Let IDF win." It's an understandable phenomenon, as we are constantly rushing into bomb shelters and our loved ones are called up to fight against the source of all this chaos. I absolutely relate to the fever, but I cannot march blindly to its beat. I shiver with each news report of another salvo of Katushya rockets into Israel, another air force bombing in Lebanon, another action, another reaction -- and who will remember who started it all when we are busy counting the dead?

My greatest fear is that the democratic values on which we pride ourselves will be threatened by this war fever. Ninety people protested in Haifa against the operations in Lebanon last week. They endured verbal and physical abuse from a much larger group of onlookers and were ultimately arrested for conducting an illegal protest.

I did not attend or witness the protest -- I am not brave enough to voice anti-war sentiments at a time when the country is fighting what the public perceives as a battle for survival -- but I believe its outcome serves as a warning. Even in times of national adversity, we must not sabotage Israel's democratic foundations and drown in patriotic sentiments. It is crucial to take a moment to listen to the other side -- what it says might actually make sense.

Opinions like mine are marginalized in this fever-ridden country. I thought I was a traitor for thinking these thoughts. Maybe I am a traitor, but at least I know that here I can publish these views without fear of being arrested for treason. It is this right that Israelis must fight with equal passion to preserve -- even in times of war.

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