Six whole months since October 7, and it is now crystal clear that a string of significant government failures has left this generation of Israelis more vulnerable than ever before. In short, we thought we were safe, but we’re not.
I always counted myself lucky to be alive at a time when living in our homeland was possible. Our ancestors would have given anything to be in this position, especially those who were alive before the creation of the State and experienced the horrors of the Holocaust when there was nowhere safe to go for those who so desperately needed it.
A thriving, democratic nation where we are both welcome and protected is not to be taken for granted, I thought. And so, like many other Jews, when the opportunity presented itself, I made the decision to leave Britain and make Israel my home.
As part of that decision, consideration had to be given to the inevitability that my children would serve in the army. The possibility of war breaking out was also a concern, although not a major one. Ultimately, neither affected my decision to bring my family to live here.
The country finds itself in deep turmoil
Nowhere in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that my newly adopted country would be in such turmoil as it is now. At no time could I have imagined a leader who would let down his people as unashamedly and for such a prolonged period as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done these past few years.
The preoccupation of this pre-war government with its self-preservation, to the point where nothing mattered apart from rushing through the judicial reforms to meet its own selfish needs set alarm bells ringing for a large portion of society, and yet, they went unheard.For almost a year the situation festered, dividing and weakening the nation to the point where the evil forces that resided on our borders were given free reign to do their worst.
No one was there to stop them when they launched their brutal, sustained, and murderous campaign. Our soldiers and law enforcement officers were in large part overwhelmed, leaving both them and the civilians they were tasked with protecting unable to repel the attack.
Over a thousand innocent people were slaughtered in their homes, some even in their beds. Hostages were violently captured and dragged into Gaza, where over 130 remain, with no freedom in sight.
And our country is still at war. Six months later.
THE DEEP divisions that existed before October 7, which many believed had since gone some way toward healing, have once reappeared, only this time, they’re deeper than ever.
The nation is grieving; crying out for answers. Strong leadership is essential to lead us out of the quagmire of misery into which we have been thrust, and yet the voices at the top speak only for themselves.
With no clear path to victory or even an idea of what that victory might look like, people are starting to lose patience.
Soldiers, hundreds of whom, tragically, made the ultimate sacrifice, and the thousands more who have suffered life-altering injuries fighting on the frontlines, are in danger of having fought in vain.
And then there are the hostages. Those poor innocent men, women, and children have disappeared underground and remain at the mercy of their cruel captors. Promises by the government which claims to be doing all it can to “Bring them Home Now,” are met with derision and disbelief for the most part.
And, most importantly, the country no longer feels safe. With no one in charge making decisions we could all get behind, any remaining trust between the people and their leaders on October 6 has vanished altogether, leaving many feeling frustrated, angry, and alone.
The one country that promised a safe haven for Jews can no longer be trusted to deliver. With self-interest at the top trumping all else, at times it feels as if we are still at the mercy of our enemies, just as we were on October 7.
Until the leadership changes, this appalling situation will doubtless persist. More soldiers will fall on the frontlines as the war drags on with no clear path to victory and more grim news of hostage deaths will emerge.
Despite all of this, however, we must remain resilient. We have to believe that good will prevail, even with the profound failures of our self-serving government which is but a temporary impediment to our safety and the overall peace in the region.
Without this, the establishment of a Jewish State, Israel, a place of refuge for Jews across the globe, would have been for nothing. Let’s hope that this comes to pass before more innocent lives are tragically lost.
The writer is a former lawyer from the UK who now lives and works in Israel as a freelance writer for The Jerusalem Post.