To read the tribute to SFC Marcus Muralles, please click here
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Watching the Sadness
I'm sitting here, watching FoxNews as they broadcast the withdrawal of settlers from Gaza.
I'll admit it- I'm somewhat conflicted about it. I'm against Israel making any deals that will lessen their ability to protect themselves, and I do not believe that the group of people who call themselves Palistineans have any right to the area (and, even as the Israelis are making these concessions, some PA people are saying there will be no rest until they have all of Israel). And my heart goes out to the Jewish settlers who have lived there for decades (and were welcomed at first, in some cases). I don't think that this is a good thing at all.
Yesterday, I watched as Israeli soldiers broke their way in to homes, let the people have their say (usually calling the soldiers horrific names), then gently carried them away. Many of the soldiers disagreed with what they were told to do, but they believed (well, hoped, at least) that their commanding officers and government officials are doing what they think is best for the future of Israel.
But now, here is what the AP had to stay about the "seige" of the synagogue at Kfar Darom.
Then, the men's side was invaded. The men dumped oil all over the steps leading up to the synagogue, and then they went up to the roof. They threw paint balls at the soldiers, then sand, then water , possible some kind of acid, and some sort of oil. They kicked and punched and jabbed at the soldiers with wooden sticks. It ceased being civil disobedience and became something ugly.
I have no idea what these people are going through. I won't pretend that I do. It seems like they broke their own rules, though... by their actions, they caused several of their Jewish brothers (I don't think any of the female soldiers were involved) to be injured (mostly by the oil on the ground). Violence against fellow Israelis is divisive, not helpful.
Not only is Israel being attacked on most sides by Islamic fanatics (and don't tell me that they're not fanatics- we all know better), now there is a bitter struggle between Israelis. That may do even more damage to the People that God Loves than anything their enemies could ever do.
I pray for the peace of Israel, both from outside, and within.
I'll admit it- I'm somewhat conflicted about it. I'm against Israel making any deals that will lessen their ability to protect themselves, and I do not believe that the group of people who call themselves Palistineans have any right to the area (and, even as the Israelis are making these concessions, some PA people are saying there will be no rest until they have all of Israel). And my heart goes out to the Jewish settlers who have lived there for decades (and were welcomed at first, in some cases). I don't think that this is a good thing at all.
Yesterday, I watched as Israeli soldiers broke their way in to homes, let the people have their say (usually calling the soldiers horrific names), then gently carried them away. Many of the soldiers disagreed with what they were told to do, but they believed (well, hoped, at least) that their commanding officers and government officials are doing what they think is best for the future of Israel.
But now, here is what the AP had to stay about the "seige" of the synagogue at Kfar Darom.
Israeli forces stormed the main synagogue of Neve Dekalim Thursday, one of the last bastions of resistance to the Gaza pullout, to remove about 1,500 protesters inside.Today, I saw what seemed to start as unarmed civil disobedience- men and women barracaded into synagogues. When the soldiers finally broke into the women's section of the synagogue, the women hugged the soldiers before they got onto the buses that would take them away. It was peaceful. They had made their statement of protest.
In nearby Kfar Darom (the oldest settlement- mentioned in the Talmud- held off the Egyptians during the war in 1967- ed), riot police with helmets and shields broke open the door of the synagogue where protesters had barricaded themselves, fired water cannons on the crowd and began removing the protesters.
As forces cut through the barbed wire to reach the roof, protesters threw sand and a blue liquid at them and also sprayed them with foam. Some used sticks to try to push away the ladders used by security forces to reach the roof.
Then, the men's side was invaded. The men dumped oil all over the steps leading up to the synagogue, and then they went up to the roof. They threw paint balls at the soldiers, then sand, then water , possible some kind of acid, and some sort of oil. They kicked and punched and jabbed at the soldiers with wooden sticks. It ceased being civil disobedience and became something ugly.
I have no idea what these people are going through. I won't pretend that I do. It seems like they broke their own rules, though... by their actions, they caused several of their Jewish brothers (I don't think any of the female soldiers were involved) to be injured (mostly by the oil on the ground). Violence against fellow Israelis is divisive, not helpful.
Not only is Israel being attacked on most sides by Islamic fanatics (and don't tell me that they're not fanatics- we all know better), now there is a bitter struggle between Israelis. That may do even more damage to the People that God Loves than anything their enemies could ever do.
I pray for the peace of Israel, both from outside, and within.
