The Security Post

This is a post that certain members of my family probably should skip. So if hearing about what it's really like on the ground in Israel will keep you up at night, stop reading.

You still there?

Oh good!

See, the truth is that we're perfectly safe. We live about a block away from my school, and Sarah is very familiar with the regulars on her buses. 

The purpose of this post is really more to give an update with an American-Living-In-Israel perspective, and also for posterity. A friend of mine recently reminded us that just 18 years ago, Clinton, Rabin, and Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn. That post inspired me to discuss what's going on currently, especially since the Palestinian Authority's presentation to the United Nations.

First, the Attack Outside Eilat (I meant to write about this subject shortly after it occurred, but a number of things got in the way.).

As a class, we first heard about the attack on the radio coming back from a historical site in the center of the country. Details were scarce but all we knew was that a bus was attacked near Eilat. My first call wasn't home (since it was the middle of the night and my personal security was not in question), it was to my friend Brad, who lives in Eilat. He filled me in on the details and he was perfectly fine. 

Then, the "what next" question came up: Sarah and I had plans to go to Tel Aviv that night. Usually, we take a bus from the Jerusalem bus station to the Tel Aviv bus station, traveling through very busy terminals and along a very busy road. Sarah and I had a long discussion about whether we should continue with our plans or stay in Tel Aviv. I sought counsel in one of my teachers. "Given the events of today," I asked, "would you have any pause about going to Tel Aviv tonight on a bus?" His response was quick and definitive. "To Tel Aviv? Not for a second." We ended up going to Tel Aviv and the experience was completely normal. We were checked before entering the terminal, there was some traffic getting out of the city, and we arrived safely and without incident. It was clear by that point that this attack, while coordinated, was a relatively random act of terror, and not something coordinated by a larger national or political entity.

The next night we had Shabbat dinner with some of Sarah's family. This was the first time that I had been in Israel during a terror attack, so I considered myself lucky to be able to get quick, first-hand reactions to the previous day's events to help me get a better picture of the Israeli mentality. I asked our family about what the previous day was like for them, what they did, and what went through their head. Sarah's cousin said that they heard about it, listened to the radio and watched the news for about an hour, and then went on with their day. To paraphrase her, "after an event like this, Israelis are in denial about the situation (and yes, since two people have already asked, that is the word she used). We can't think about it all the time because we would go insane. Instead, we carry on with our lives."

And that's Israel the day after an attack.

Now, some thoughts about the current situation.

The classic argument is "yes, things are fine, but you have to watch out for the crazies." Yes, that's true. As it is true in the US. Recently, I saw an article about a TSA agent who is on trail for murder. Will that stop you or me from going to the airport and getting screened by a TSA agent? Not so much. So I'm not really going to address the crazies. They're crazy. But security is really good. For example, shortly after the attack outside Eilat, there was a security alert in Jerusalem. We received a text message from our director of student services advising us to stay away from crowded areas. Some people decided to still go to an arts festival, and another group of us just went to dinner at a smaller, quieter restaurant. Nothing happened. Well, not nothing. The terrorist was captured. But we have an incredibly good system for being alerted when there is a security threat.

As for what will happen next, it's anyone's guess. The usual response on the news is B-roll of Palestinians throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers, and the soldiers responding accordingly, usually with non-lethal, crowd dispersal techniques that look like the soldiers are shooting children. Two new factors, though, may play into whether the Palestinians will respond: 1) the Arab Spring was predominantly peaceful and the world community really likes peaceful protests. It's clear that the world community got behind the Arab Spring largely because they were such peaceful protests. If the rebels (Libya notwithstanding) had been backed by guns and rockets, the world would have just seen it as a civil war. Instead, we have new governments in many of those places. Whether that will end up being a good or bad thing, and whether that will be good or bad for Israel is another issue, but the take away from the Arab Spring for the Palestinians is that peaceful protests work. 2) I know, it's another peaceful protest, but the world really liked the recent protests in Israel. While I may have some issues as to the pragmatic aspects of what the Israelis are fighting for, one cannot deny that nearly 500,000 people got together peacefully and there was only civil discourse. Again, world's view: peaceful protests are a good thing, especially when all you see of a country is soldiers firing at children.

So what happens now? If the Palestinians are smart, they will continue to engage in peaceful protests and demonstrations, they will allow the world community to facilitate peace talks, and when those talks are over, they will actually impose some sort of discipline on their own people so that some crazies don't try to disrupt everything. Now, the same can be said on Israel's end, since it was an Israeli, crazy, fucktard of a man that killed Rabin when so much seemed possible. 

As for the security situation, we will have to see. If the Palestinians start sending suicide bombers over, I would expect the world community to say, "see, this is why we shouldn't give you a state." And then we'll go back to the rhetoric of the last 20 years. However, if the security situation improves, Israel should take down the fence/wall/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, get out of the settlements (which they should stop building anyway), and be the first to recognize a legitimate Palestinian state.

In the meantime, we're all fine. As I mentioned, we have an incredible security system that alerts us of areas we should avoid. We know where we shouldn't go (i.e.: vacation in Gaza), and we know where it's perfectly safe to visit. We watch the news every day to keep up with the situation. 

For now, as we hope for the future, we have calm.