The Doodlebug, Hitler’s pilotless rocket bomb, was first launched against England from across the Channel in the summer of 1944. Also known as V-I for Vengeance, the bomb would buzz through the sky, and when it ran out of steam, would fall to the ground and explode causing terrifying destruction and innumerable deaths.
A few months later, the Nazis inaugurated their silent V-2 version causing even greater mayhem.
Now we know where Hamas gets their ideas.
The whimsy of balloons and kites flying through the sky that later land with a punch against our fellow Jews in Southern Israel is no different than the deceptively named Doodlebug Hitler sent to annihilate the residents of London.
Peace mit di Doodlebuggers, indeed!
Said Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz:
“If the terrorist group doesn’t stop launching incendiary balloons, we’ll respond with force. We will not accept this; therefore, we closed the Kerem Shalom Crossing [the primary border crossing between Israel and Gaza] as a result.”
Those sheltered playgrounds painted in cute colors that dot the town of S’derot – they were paid for by generous Jewish benefactors who couldn’t bear the thought of Jewish children in the State of Israel being unable to go out and play.
It’s the same tepid response, again and again.
The best line is when Israeli leaders wag their fingers and say, “they’re only hurting themselves, fighting with Israel.”
Like Hamas or the PA/Fatah/Al Aksa Martyrs’ Brigade care.
Ever notice that in each and every peace plan, goodwill gesture and ceasefire Israel signs, every courtesy is given to keep Israel’s enemies on their feet and fighting? What incentive is there for Hamas to quit their doodlebugging when Israel permits the flow of humanitarian goods, fuel and cement to continue crossing over into Gaza, keeping warmongers there well-fed and worry-free. Stopping the fishing is a paltry first step.
We’ve never heard of Israeli leaders showering their suffering Jewish citizens on the front lines with tax breaks, interest-free housing loans, rebuilding grants or free goods. Even more to the point, how can we allow Jewish babies and children to grow up under the shadow of terrorism year after year?
For the record, those sheltered playgrounds painted in cute colors that dot the town of S’derot – they were paid for by generous Jewish benefactors who couldn’t bear the thought of Jewish children in the State of Israel being unable to go out and play.
SHIFT THE SCRIPT ALREADY!
The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught us the Blueprint for true peace.
Beginning with the Rebbe’s conviction that al pi Halakha, Pikuach Nefesh, protecting and saving lives, especially those of its Jewish citizens, supersedes all other considerations, the State of Israel has every justification to:
Nullify and cancel the Oslo Accords and all its derivatives, past and present, and restore the legal status of YESHA – the liberated territories from the Six-Day War – to what it was before those agreements were signed.
Simultaneously:
Restore military control and security over the entire YESHA [Yehuda, Shomron and Gaza] - while doing everything possible to reduce unnecessary violence against the Arab residents, during and after the takeover, to prevent humanitarian problems. Israel’s actions will be taken in the framework of a state of war where the security of its soldiers and citizens comes first.
Let us trust in the Rebbe’s assurance that “when the enemy sees you have risen at dawn with a show of force and are ready to strike first, he will give up - saving not only Jewish lives but even those of the enemy!”
If Israeli leaders are not ready to take these life-saving steps in Gaza, at the very least, the State of Israel should, unofficially, resume chairmanship and decision-making powers over the water and other resources and security that were ceded to the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria. Doing so will certainly benefit the Jewish communities established there and will also help the Arabs in the area who have long suffered from their corrupt “leaders.”
Tamar Adelstein & Faige Lobel represent Crown Heights Women for the Safety and Integrity of Israel, based in Brooklyn, New York