Tel Aviv Diary - November 4-8, 2014 - Karen Alkalay-Gut


November 4, 2014

If you want to believe any leader, believe Nasrallah who tells is to listen to Benny Gans, that Israel's enemies can reach everywhere in Israel and will attack all our sensitive places. Our reporters says he is in trouble and therefore is bragging, but i believe every single word of it. I believe Benny Gans that our army is strong and can withstand it all, but I think there is no one else to believe right now.

November 5, 2014

Lately I've been meeting a lot of young activists - their focus is on local society, on racism, on changing stereotypes. Others are helping out people in trouble, since the government has pretty much given up on most people.

But we have other enormous troubles and our blindness to these contribute to the problem. Today another driver plowed into crowds of people in Jerusalem, killing and wounding innocent people. And our government is saying these past 3 events are isolated. I am convinced they are planned, and it doesn't take that much brains to see the pattern, the method, the motivation, and the ways to ease this situation. 1. we sent a whole bunch of terrorists abroad as part of the Gilad Shalit exchange and they have been learning a lot there. I am sure they are involved. 2. we have open access in Jerusalem even though there is incredible social and economic disproportion. This has to spill out. As Ehud Barak (ugh) used to say, you can't have a palace in a jungle. 3. our declared punishment for these acts is death. who cares about death. terrorists are deterred by the destruction of their homes. 4. unless all the people are given hope, there is no other direction but down.

and here we go.

November 7, 2014

Wrote something scathing here in the night but it disappeared. Is there censorship on the web? and if there is can't we prevent the evil people from saying their nasty things? I'm so tired about the way extremist organizations use the web to create world terror. A little censorship could save lives. i mean people get blown up because 2 guys link into a little bomb-making exercise...It's pretty clear that terrorism rides on the discoveries of western culture.

This is not to say that i don't believe in the sense of hopelessness and the need for pride that breeds terrorism, that the causes of the need for terrorism have to be addressed.

And now for an adventure in the world of capitalism. yesterday when we saw that Ezi needs a new suit at once we decided to go to the Ramat Aviv Mall. I had already researched every aspect of suiting as well as pricing, and while the prices varied greatly they were reasonable. There is no doubt that the beauty we chose was far more stylish than what Macy's had to offer, but we could probably have bought 3 suits in NY for the price. The same was true for the shoes i couldn't resist.

November 8, 2014

Sometimes I feel like Shula Zakan, hiding the truths that would incriminate me, hiding the truths that keep my little life tentatively secure, but knowing knowing knowing all the time, i should be saying something.

I can't.

Anyway I want to be around when my kids need me, I want to play house with Tamar, I want to kick a ball around with Guy sometimes. I want to lead a simple life.

November 8, 2014

Before I describe my exciting Tel Aviv life, I have to say that what happened in Kfar Canna today is terrible. Is there a difference between the way we treat Arabs and Jews? It would not be surprising but given the kind of violence that has been going on i can not be surprised that someone who comes at a police car with a knife gets shot.

Would he have been killed if he were Jewish? I'm not totally sure - I've had friends who were beat up by police for no reason. There is a reason here. Aiming for the leg would have been more correct procedure. But I don't know how i would have behaved had I been the policeman.

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