The view of the highway from inside the bus:
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🎵 Shavua Tov! Day 682: Remembering the POWs. I now regularly lead worship in Jerusalem as part of a band in congregation there. So yesterday morning I headed out the door at 6am expecting to make it to Jerusalem by 8 am, and have time to take care of myself before the 10am rehearsal. Protestors blocked all the highways – they want the government to stop the war, get back the hostages–no matter that Hamas never negotiates–just, “Government, do miracles–that’s it!”
So – the Highway 1 was blocked, my bus tried to reroute around via the 6, the 431, and the 3; protesters blocked those too. As Herb Keinon published in the JPost this morning, hmmm, Hamas must be watching their televisions thinking, “man, those Israelis sure have lack of unity. Let’s hold on to those hostages some more and refuse to negotiate. We’re winning, obviously!’
On the one hand, it’s a conflict of interest to defeat Hamas while preserving all the lives of the POWs. One goal cancels out the other goal. This isn’t an Entebbe rescue, where the kidnappers just happened to land there in a civilian airport which is open to attack from elite commandos. Gaza is not civilian, it’s a military base – they built it as a military city underground with more tunnels than the Paris Subway. The civilians are just protection for the military equipment and structures.
Getting the POWs out safely is one insurmountable task. Defeating Hamas is an opposite goal. Aiming for both targets – well – impossible since they cancel each other out. And on the other side, the protesters have two opposing goals: Either protest, seeking to defeat your own government, OR get the hostages back. You cannot get the POWs back by weakening the Israeli government.
Below, a psychiatrist explains what life as a POW is like, mentally:
After sitting for hours at the blocked intersections listening to annoyed drivers leaning on their horns, I did arrive at the meeting hall by 9:30 with my harp.
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Day 672: Send Them Now: Hostage families sail to Gaza with a message: “Let Them Go Now!”