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Yaron London
Photo: Carmit Hasin

Odd silence at the airport

Op-ed: Israelis going about their business as if threat of devastating war with Iran not looming

During a visit to the airport a few days ago, I noticed that the terminal was busy, but not more than usual for this time of year. I didn't see families dragging luggage behind them and pushing packages that were wrapped in haste. I didn't see people bidding farewell to loved ones who are staying behind with tears in their eyes. I didn't see people rushing to the airline counters in hopes of purchasing a ticket at the last minute. I didn't see an unusual amount of police trying to keep the order. Even American yeshiva students, who tend to leave Israel at the beginning of every war, did not paint the terminals with the black of their clothes.

 

No, I didn't notice anything that reminded me, let's say, of the Americans' evacuation from Saigon hours before it was taken over by communist forces, or of Jews trying to hide from the Wehrmacht's Panzers. In short, Israel's only international airport seemed to be operating normally, as in times of peace.

 

And this is peculiar, because according to many, a terrible war may break out at any minute. Thousands of rockets will be launched from the north, ballistic missiles will be coming in from the east and at least some of them will penetrate Israel's air defense systems and destroy entire areas in major cities. Tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousand will not make it to the shelters in time, and hundreds, maybe thousands will suffocate due to the shortage in gas masks.

 

According to senior security officials, this scenario may play out if the "forum of nine ministers" backs Netanyahu and Barak's position and authorizes them to send our warplanes and commando units to Iran. It is entirely possible that just one minister, smart or dumb, level-headed or hot-tempered, may tip the scales in favor of a strike and cause us great suffering – worthwhile or not. It is clear that for the pessimists, staying in Israel means that they are gambling with their lives.

 

And it is known that many Israelis hold foreign passports, many have enough cash to remain abroad for a lengthy period of time, and many, both Jews and Arabs, have relatives overseas who would greet them with open arms. Many Israelis have experienced persecution and have developed sensors that warn them of imminent disasters. So how is it that I saw no sign of this at the airport? And how is it that Israelis are not sensing that their lives are in danger, or maybe they do but are not behaving as one would expect of people in their situation? And how is it that despite the constant chatter about an impending war, we continue to go about our business as though tomorrow things will not be worse than they were yesterday?

 

Perhaps the current mood of the Israelis is embodied in the phrase, "We overcame Pharaoh and we will get through this too"; and maybe, despite all the painful lessons we have learned, we still tend to count on our leaders' wisdom; and perhaps we put our trust in the military – or maybe we are just in denial. It is also possible that we are acting this way because we realize we have no other country.

 

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.22.12, 00:22
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