War is not just fire and enemy, it consists of many small human moments. Black coffee in a ruined building with an occasional soldier, a hallway conversation in what was once a hotel on the sea, a group of reservists sitting on a cigarette, lighting Hanukkah candles, dust on hot days and mud in the rain.
Most moments in war are relationships between people who share a common goal. Among Israelis with one language, culture and a common present. That's what builds trust when you need it under fire. Without trust, there is no possibility of fighting. This is true for reservists and it is true for trust between government and citizens.
70 days of fighting creates many new friends, which means that as time passes, so does the circle of personal acquaintance with the fallen. We are in the middle of a historic event that none of us has ever experienced. The price this nation pays is unimaginable, the number of families who don't sleep at night, mothers who turn on the phone at 6 a.m. to read the names of the fallen, and a generation of men who have trouble falling asleep because of the news of that day.
Footage from GoPro cameras of Nahal Patrol fighters in Jabaliya // Photo: IDF Spokesperson
A heavy price, but there is no other choice but to complete the job. To make sure that there is no more Hamas and that there is no threat to the residents of the envelope. The Gaza Strip is in such a physical state that the price of harming Jews will be remembered for many years. This is not enough. The state of termination must be free of doubts.
Every Gazan must understand that choosing a terrorist organization and backing terrorism means destroying his own life. No matter how much he hates the Jews, he must fear more than hate. It will take more time, but this is what is required of us in this generation. A war of awakening until it is decided and corrected. We have abductees who must be returned, and there is Hamas' mission of destruction.
It was one of the most difficult weeks of the war, not only in terms of the large number of casualties, but also in terms of the feeling that Hamas could be defeated but not the lack of leadership. No matter how much the people of Israel demand to focus on the military mission, from every corner where news flows there is a trickle of spin and political campaigns. Every week I write here that this disconnect must stop.
There is a leakage of spins that must stop. Political machinations desecrate the sacred and the memory of the fallen. The sense of togetherness is a huge engine of war, the sense of trust is the ceramic vest of the front. These are the things that allow people to risk their lives
So is political programming. It blasphemes the sacred and the memory of the fallen. The sense of togetherness is a huge engine of war, the sense of trust is the ceramic vest of the front. These are what enable people to continue risking their lives. I've realized that I probably can't convince in the few words that I write here once a week, but that's the only tool I have. Whoever does not understand this will find himself the day after paying a double price, both for the omissions and mistakes, but also for a real and tangible interference with the war effort.
The wisdom of crowds
One of the most important phenomena that took place in this war was the reaction of Israeli Arabs. All of them, including the most nationalist voices. Instead of the Guardian of the Walls scenario, when Israel was surprised, instead of riots in mixed cities and a spike in crime, there was complete silence. The reason for this is the wisdom of crowds.
No one sent a message to the Arab sector to sit at home. No telegrams reached the criminal organizations or those who blocked roads during the Guardian of the Walls events. It was the common gut feeling that gave instruction. For the first time in recent decades, the silent majority that wants to integrate has won. Not because he dared to say anything extraordinary in leadership, but because of the fear of the nationalists among Israel's Arab citizens.
Even the representatives of the Joint List, who do not miss an opportunity to attack Israel, have remained silent. One Bedouin criminal who tried to steal ammunition at one of the IDF bases was shot in the first week of the war, bringing the total number of incidents to the total.
The State of Israel has not known such quiet in the Arab sector for 20 years. Everyone seems to have understood that the State of Israel has come to an end. Push the concept of inclusion all the way. Hamas's offensive has removed inhibitions from an entire country. What we see in Gaza now is not revenge for revenge – it is a deep insight into the proper conduct in the Middle East. The first to realize this change in the country were the nationalists and criminals in the Arab sector.
Politicians' promises to restore order in the Arab sector were seen as a joke, no matter how forceful it was said and in what language, which is why crime has only increased over the past year. In contrast, the Israeli spirit that rose after the shock on 7 October, a spirit that came from the masses rather than the government, was much more concrete.
This change must not be lost and dissolved the day after the war. Israel has many great challenges. One of them is to make sure that Arab nationalists are oppressed to the core. Alongside the victory over Hamas, the forces that seek to integrate into the state among Israeli Arabs must be allowed to win. Israeli Arabs will have to do national service, inciters and dishwashers will have to go to jail, and the police will have to conduct increased enforcement in the Arab sector.
Israel is a liberal and inclusive country, but first and foremost it is a country that desires life. For too long, politics has dripped the message that dictated the outcome on the ground, more precisely the chaos. After the war, new insights will dictate.
Good corner
Some people have chosen to put their lives on hold and mobilize to maintain a sense of unity. They are not in uniform, but in my view they are fulfilling a strategic mission. Hanoch Daum, for example, is a funny man who fills performances on ordinary days. Now he's spreading stories that lift unity. This is his new job. It publishes reservists who own businesses in need of help, stories of heroism of fighters and exciting moments.
He travels all over the country to perform for soldiers. His online accounts are full of pictures of the people of Israel at the forefront, in the righteousness of the road. One of the arguments of TV show editors is that you can't tell stories about good people, because it's boring. Enoch proves this not true. "The clown became king, the prophet became the clown," wrote Jonathan Geffen. Ten more influencers like Hanoch Daum - and we win faster.
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