The many sides of Israeli suffering belie a ‘one-sided’ war
During the war between Israel and Hizbullah, we all became accustomed to the daily presentation of pictures on television showing the damage inflicted by Israeli air strikes on the population of Lebanon, a population caught between two warring opponents. It was unbalanced coverage, failing to reveal the degree of physical damage and personal harm in Israel caused by the constant barrage of Hizbullah rockets on deliberately targeted civilian populations.
Just as bad and unfair — and as inaccurate — is the impression created of Hizbullah as the outmatched force defending the innocent, and of Israel, as the force so superior to its opponent that it goes too far regardless of what it does to defend itself. It is a false impression and could not be further from the truth.
Of course, Israel remains strong and, ultimately, will become ever stronger and more secure as a result of this conflict. The internal questioning and soul-searching Israel is engaged in now will create a stronger IDF and an even better attuned strategy of defense.
Nevertheless, Israelis suffered significantly because of this war. During my recent trip to Israel with other leaders of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ, I saw for myself the upheaval caused by Hizbullah’s rocket assaults. It was little more than a week after the beginning of the cease-fire, and recovery efforts were only starting. The degree to which the lives of Israelis in the war zone had been affected was startling.
Early in our trip, we had a meeting with Yossi Bachar, the director general of the Finance Ministry. He gave us the stunning statistics regarding the damage Israel had suffered. The cost of restoring the military to prewar readiness — in terms of manpower, equipment, weapons, and ammunition — will be $2 billion. The cost of restoring the civilian losses — homes, buildings, and businesses — will be $1.3 billion. The rebuilding of the North will cost $1 billion. These figures do not include upgrades for military equipment, such as better armor for the bellies of tanks and guerilla-tactics training. Bachar noted that there were 87,000 businesses in the North, of which 71,000 are small businesses. Most of these businesses have been hit hard and will need support to survive. Overall, the impact on Israel’s GDP is estimated to be a loss of 1.3 percent
However, the numbers, shocking as they are, do not tell the story that is conveyed by a visit to Haifa. Thirteen people died there under the rocket barrages. More than 90 rockets were fired at the city and about half of them hit (the other half fell into the bay or the sea). Israelis who remained in the city had to be on a constant state of alert. From the time the sirens sounded until a rocket struck, those who were in danger had 30 to 40 seconds to take cover. Sometime the sirens sounded after the rocket hit. The police commander had positioned detectives at observation points around the city. These officers would observe where a rocket struck and would radio the exact location to dispatchers. Police arrived on scene within 90 seconds of a strike so that they could coordinate rescue and fire-fighting efforts.
Hizbullah’s targeting of civilians was particularly vicious, designed to maximize the harm inflicted. The Haifa police took us to see an apartment building that had been partially destroyed by a Katyusha rocket. The rocket had come through the roof of the building and continued through the top floor apartment and the next two apartments below. The rocket carried about 80 pounds of explosives and thousands of ball bearings. Those ball bearings were capable of traveling up to 500 meters after the rocket explosion, and the exterior walls of two apartment buildings in the area were pockmarked where the ball bearings had hit.
We then visited the shelter in the building. The room, built to accommodate the residents of 20 apartments, was smaller than my hotel room in Tel Aviv. It was dark, dank, and dirty, and I don’t know how the dozen or so families in the building were able to stand having to be there for hours on end, day after day.
Many left the city, but many, such as the disabled, could not. A home-visit program had been initiated to attend to their needs. The program was organized into small groups of 20 disabled persons, with a “mother” and “father” assigned to see to their needs. During the height of the rocket attacks, all stores were closed. Food and medicine could not be obtained. It was the responsibility of the “father” and “mother” to prepare food and locate medicines and deliver what was needed to their 20 clients. Going into the future, the home-visit program will provide families in the war zone with opportunities to receive trauma counseling by making therapists available where necessary.
The perception that the real damage suffered in this war was suffered almost exclusively by the Lebanese population is simply and completely wrong. Of course, they suffered much and any suffering is tragic and regrettable. But the suffering of the Lebanese was arranged by Hizbullah, by their positioning of their rocket launchers in residential neighborhoods and other civilian areas, including next to hospitals.
The suffering of the Israelis was great and extensive, and it, too, was caused by Hizbullah, by their deliberate targeting of civilian populations. To see the Lebanese as the principal victims of this war, and as principally the victims of Israel’s weapons, is to fail to appreciate the difference in the moral standing of the two sides in this war and to fail to appreciate the dangers for the future. .
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