While wars and skirmishes are constant news topics, their impact did not completely affect United States residents until the fatal day 10 years ago when terrorists attacked us on our own soil. Granted, it had happened before, but on a much smaller scale. Sometimes it takes an incident such as the September 11, 2001 attack to make us realize the fragility of our existence as a free country.
After this attack we identified the source and became a country at war.
Israel has dealt with this problem from their first day as a nation. They are surrounded by those who want to wipe them off the map. Every measure they take to protect themselves has purpose, from the border fences to having every Israeli citizen serve time in the armed forces.
August 18, a bus and civilian vehicles were ambushed by Palestinian insurgents who entered Israel through the porous Egyptian border in the Sinai. They killed 6 civilians and 1 soldier who were on their way to Eilat, a resort town. It was the deadliest attack on Israeli soil in 3 years. As Israel responded by chasing down the insurgents, 5 Egyptian soldiers also lost their lives caught in the cross-fire. Israel then proceeded to Gaza to take out those responsible for the attack by shelling their meeting areas and homes, as rockets continued to fire into Israel from Gaza, injuring more Israelis.
This incident in Israel struck closer to me than to many who live outside of the country. My own son is in the IDF. He had moved to Israel two years ago, immersing himself in the culture and then to fight for Israel’s right to exist. He was a mere 10 minutes from that attack Thursday morning near Eilat. In fact, he had been on a bus heading in that very direction, on that very road. I had known that he was going to Eilat that day and when I read about the attack my blood ran cold. I did not stop shaking until I heard from him later in the day that he was alright. How many other parents went through the same thing? How many are now weeping at the loss of loved ones?
What would the United States have done if this happened here? Likely, a similar reaction. In fact, we went overseas and into Afghanistan, where we remain to this day. We must protect ourselves from those who wish to destroy us.
Israel’s fight for existence is the world’s fight. A fight that every free person should support because there are those who wish to end our freedom and end our lives, for no reason other than ideological differences. And, often, for no reason at all.