Israeli Mom

I think it’s the music on the radio. When I work on my websites, I have one of the computers playing my favorite easy-listening radio station. It’s a military station, run by the IDF, but you have to know it to appreciate how secular, liberal and non-military it really is. Click here if you want to listen to the broadcast.

Well, they’re playing sad songs today, and that’s when you know that something sad happened, probably soldiers getting killed. Of course, this time, they weren’t exactly killed today, but probably quite a while ago. Whenever you have people getting killed, it’s a sad thing, but this was a bit more complicated. These are the two soldiers that were kidnapped almost exactly two years ago, the incident which sparked second Lebanon war in July 2006.

Ever since then, the Hezbulla refused to give any details about the two kidnapped soldiers, not saying even if they were dead or alive, only that they are holding them hostage until their demands regarding the release of Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners are met.

That ambiguity about whether the soldiers are dead or alive, was and still is perceived as extremely cruel on the part of Hezbulla towards the families of the soldiers involved. The ambiguity had been kept till the very last moment, and the families were still praying to see their loved ones back home safe and alive, only to have their hopes shattered as they saw two coffins brought out of the Hezbulla vehicles in Lebanon. There’s the tragic element to the day - the very human need and hope, so cruelly nurtured by the Hezbulla only to be crushed with the sight of the coffins. And in a sense, the entire nation went through the same thing.

It’s all contrasted with the red carpet laid out in Lebanon to honor the released Lebanese prisoner Samir Kuntar. And yes, I know, one nation’s terrorist is another nation’s freedom fighter. Still, this particular individual was involved in one of the more horrific terror acts ever. Not a big one either, “only” 3 people died, but with all due respect to the the Lebanese cause, the guy sounds like a total psychopath. Cold coldbloodedly killing a man in front of his four years old daughter, and then killing the child by crushing her skull. As someone said today on the radio, woe to the people who celebrates THAT as heroic.