Slowly, Slowly, Not so Quietly, Violence Begins Again in the Gaza-Sderot Region

We are beginning to see the Gaza-Sderot region heat up again. Since the beginning of July, and especially over the last week, Palestinian militant factions have shot 14 Qassams and mortars, that fell in Kibbutzim, Moshavim, near Ashkelon and in open fields (thankfully, no one has been harmed this time).

We - the Israeli air force - have been bombing some of their tunnels, in the southern and northern regions of the Gaza Strip, and have killed at least two and wounded five (including children).

This is a very familiar, all-too-familiar scenario - we bomb and kill them, they bomb and try to kill us, they bomb and try to kill us, we attack and try to kill and injure them.

Halas, Dai, Enough.

In how many languages do we have to say that we have had enough of this cyclical violence, and that we must find a way to negotiate some kind of very long-term ceasefire before our leaders take notice and do something?

In Arabic: كان لدي ما يكفي
In Hebrew:  מספיק ודי
In French:  J'ai eu assez de 
In Italian:  Ho avuto abbastanza
In Chinese: 我有足够的
In Greek:  Είχα αρκετό
In German: Ich hatte genug
In Russian: У меня было достаточно
In English: I've had enough

Violence begets more violence. It solves nothing. It does not bring security - not to them, not to us. It harms and destroys and kills all that is good, all that is valuable.

A few years ago, when visiting a family whose neighborhood had been hit by a number of Qassam rockets, one of the children said: "I asked my mother if we would leave Sderot if I were injured? She said: 'Of course, honey.' So I asked her:  'So why can't we leave now, before I get hit?" I am fairly sure that Gazan children are asking their parents the same question.

But we won't/can't leave because this is our home and they won't/can't leave because of the siege, and because it is their home.

There is a precious thing called freedom - freedom from discrimination, from violence, from fear, from hatred. The Gazans don't know it, we don't know it.

We want to know it.
Now.
Yes now.

Halas, Dai, Enough