Just because there isn?t a major terrorist attack, that doesn?t mean forces of evil aren?t doing their best to make it happen. Here in Israel and abroad, there are people who believe that violence and terror will help them achieve their goals. Worse, they believe that the use of these elements is actually noble and just. So it stands to reason that these same organizations and the people who join them will continue to attempt their holy war on those who do not surrender to their demands.
I am always amazed when the international media, and even elements of the Israeli press, refer to periods of calm and relative quiet when news continues to trickle through of daily mortar attacks, regular shooting sprees, rock-throwing instances that continue to result in both damage and injury, and more.
Since the launching of the current Intifada in September 2000, the Palestinians have not ceased their efforts to murder Israelis, no matter where they are, no matter who they are. The age of the intended victim is irrelevant. The youngest victims will never be born, as they were murdered in their mothers? wombs. Many of the oldest victims survived some of the worst violence ever committed against human beings only to die on a bus, in a caf?, or simply walking in the street.
The fact that there isn?t a successful terrorist attack resulting in murder and mayhem in Israel every day is a result of the tremendous efforts of the army and the vigilance of the people. In the last few months, there have been dozens of armed bombers who were on their way to commit suicide and murder. One of the most daring and potentially horrific was the planned attack on a school in Yokneam. Hundreds of our children were nearly murdered in what the world is calling a period of ?relative calm.?
In the meantime, through it all, Israelis accept long lines to enter shopping malls, because we?d rather the terrorist be caught outside than inside. We watch, we react, we guard. The army searches, targets, and invests in huge intelligence operations to understand and anticipate what the terrorist minds are planning. We walk our children into their schools, passing armed guards. The smiles on the guards? faces fool the children into accepting that it is normal to learn and play while being guarded from afar.
We accept international condemnation and hypocritical UN complaints, because in documented case after documented case, soldiers have stopped terrorists at checkpoints, found explosives hidden in Red Crescent ambulances, and caught armed wanna-be murderers in mosques, hiding until they can sneak into a school. The security fence is working as a deterrent. Even the terrorists who would have attacked in Yokneam admit that the fence deterred them from a more central attack on the coastal region.
Now, America is on high alert. Each day, different government leaders are cautioning that a terrorist attack could happen at any moment. After several days of endlessly hearing the 24-hour news forecast doom and destruction, Americans are, understandably, bored with it all. And therein lies the danger. Just because something doesn?t explode, that doesn?t mean that there isn?t a force out there attempting to plant a bomb.
In Israel, we are long past the time we can complain about inconvenience. If there is a credible threat to our national security, intelligence agencies react and people accept delays, long traffic jams, and the inevitable searches.
After a wedding last week, only hours after a suicide bomber had exploded himself, killing four young innocents, we were stopped as we attempted to leave the wedding hall. We stood in the cold Jerusalem air, talking amongst ourselves, as down the block, the police inspected a suspicious object. Cars lined up, people stood on the side of the road. It was cold and it was inconvenient, yet there was no anger, and certainly no denial. We all understood. Just because this time it wasn?t a bomb, that says nothing for the next time. Better to be delayed and safe. Better to wait. Last week, the suitcase outside the wedding hall was not a bomb, this week, the package found shoved into a milk carton on the side of the road near Beit Shemesh was. In both cases, vigilance triggered an alarm.
In this new world of post-9/11, it is finally clear to all that there are people who will stop at nothing, not the murder of thousands of people, not the brutal murder of children, perhaps not even the use of non-conventional weapons. Just as there are ominous warning signs in America, there are warnings here in Israel. More than 50 credible threats that someone is trying to infiltrate our cities. I will drive to the bank, and have someone search the trunk of my car, and at the mall, someone will open my purse and check inside.
Day after day, thousands of people accept the small inconvenience with a smile, because we, and those who guard our children, our cities, our country, understand that just because it didn?t happen today, that means nothing for tomorrow.
If there is one certainty we now have in Israel, it is that there will be another attack. Where and when we may not know, but it will happen. Our response, shaped over time and honed by experience, is that there must be increased awareness and a willingness to do whatever we can to avoid or prevent it. But even more important, we must convince those who would attack us that they will not succeed.
We may take a different route, cancel a planned trip, and even avoid public places for a while, but ultimately, we will return, if not this week, then next. There are subtle changes here and around the world. Many Israeli newscasters end the broadcast by wishing for a quiet evening, a metaphor for the hope that there will be no attack. More thought goes into our actions and decisions, and in the wake of an attack, we are kinder and gentler to each other.
If there is one message Israelis can give to Americans in the wake of increased warnings of an impending attack, it is that victory over terrorism is, above all else, simply life.
I am always amazed when the international media, and even elements of the Israeli press, refer to periods of calm and relative quiet when news continues to trickle through of daily mortar attacks, regular shooting sprees, rock-throwing instances that continue to result in both damage and injury, and more.
Since the launching of the current Intifada in September 2000, the Palestinians have not ceased their efforts to murder Israelis, no matter where they are, no matter who they are. The age of the intended victim is irrelevant. The youngest victims will never be born, as they were murdered in their mothers? wombs. Many of the oldest victims survived some of the worst violence ever committed against human beings only to die on a bus, in a caf?, or simply walking in the street.
The fact that there isn?t a successful terrorist attack resulting in murder and mayhem in Israel every day is a result of the tremendous efforts of the army and the vigilance of the people. In the last few months, there have been dozens of armed bombers who were on their way to commit suicide and murder. One of the most daring and potentially horrific was the planned attack on a school in Yokneam. Hundreds of our children were nearly murdered in what the world is calling a period of ?relative calm.?
In the meantime, through it all, Israelis accept long lines to enter shopping malls, because we?d rather the terrorist be caught outside than inside. We watch, we react, we guard. The army searches, targets, and invests in huge intelligence operations to understand and anticipate what the terrorist minds are planning. We walk our children into their schools, passing armed guards. The smiles on the guards? faces fool the children into accepting that it is normal to learn and play while being guarded from afar.
We accept international condemnation and hypocritical UN complaints, because in documented case after documented case, soldiers have stopped terrorists at checkpoints, found explosives hidden in Red Crescent ambulances, and caught armed wanna-be murderers in mosques, hiding until they can sneak into a school. The security fence is working as a deterrent. Even the terrorists who would have attacked in Yokneam admit that the fence deterred them from a more central attack on the coastal region.
Now, America is on high alert. Each day, different government leaders are cautioning that a terrorist attack could happen at any moment. After several days of endlessly hearing the 24-hour news forecast doom and destruction, Americans are, understandably, bored with it all. And therein lies the danger. Just because something doesn?t explode, that doesn?t mean that there isn?t a force out there attempting to plant a bomb.
In Israel, we are long past the time we can complain about inconvenience. If there is a credible threat to our national security, intelligence agencies react and people accept delays, long traffic jams, and the inevitable searches.
After a wedding last week, only hours after a suicide bomber had exploded himself, killing four young innocents, we were stopped as we attempted to leave the wedding hall. We stood in the cold Jerusalem air, talking amongst ourselves, as down the block, the police inspected a suspicious object. Cars lined up, people stood on the side of the road. It was cold and it was inconvenient, yet there was no anger, and certainly no denial. We all understood. Just because this time it wasn?t a bomb, that says nothing for the next time. Better to be delayed and safe. Better to wait. Last week, the suitcase outside the wedding hall was not a bomb, this week, the package found shoved into a milk carton on the side of the road near Beit Shemesh was. In both cases, vigilance triggered an alarm.
In this new world of post-9/11, it is finally clear to all that there are people who will stop at nothing, not the murder of thousands of people, not the brutal murder of children, perhaps not even the use of non-conventional weapons. Just as there are ominous warning signs in America, there are warnings here in Israel. More than 50 credible threats that someone is trying to infiltrate our cities. I will drive to the bank, and have someone search the trunk of my car, and at the mall, someone will open my purse and check inside.
Day after day, thousands of people accept the small inconvenience with a smile, because we, and those who guard our children, our cities, our country, understand that just because it didn?t happen today, that means nothing for tomorrow.
If there is one certainty we now have in Israel, it is that there will be another attack. Where and when we may not know, but it will happen. Our response, shaped over time and honed by experience, is that there must be increased awareness and a willingness to do whatever we can to avoid or prevent it. But even more important, we must convince those who would attack us that they will not succeed.
We may take a different route, cancel a planned trip, and even avoid public places for a while, but ultimately, we will return, if not this week, then next. There are subtle changes here and around the world. Many Israeli newscasters end the broadcast by wishing for a quiet evening, a metaphor for the hope that there will be no attack. More thought goes into our actions and decisions, and in the wake of an attack, we are kinder and gentler to each other.
If there is one message Israelis can give to Americans in the wake of increased warnings of an impending attack, it is that victory over terrorism is, above all else, simply life.