The echo of air defenses intercepting Palestinian rockets falling from Gaza and Lebanon has gone from a nuisance to a warning. Since Saturday, when this new war broke out, the explosions heard in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities in the country announce that life in Israel will never be the same. You can't because there is no turning back. The war heralds the birth of a new Israel, but it remains to be seen whether or not it will be faithful to the principles of its founders.
This mystery, together with the anguish over the blood spilled and the anxiety that emanates from all vulnerability, dominated the conversation that this correspondent had yesterday at noon on the terrace of the La Cantina restaurant, with the businessman Daniel Benaim, the technology consultant Keren Eisen and producer Natalie Kerpel.
“It's my way of fighting,” said Joe Marciano, owner of La Cantina, one of the few establishments that were open in an empty and depressed Tel Aviv. There was very little defiance and much pragmatism in his attitude.
“It's sad to say, but war brings out the best in us,” Natalie said, and she was right. At dawn, the captain of the El Al plane that covered the route from Barcelona assured that the company will not stop flying as long as there are any Israelis who want to return home.
Like most airlines, they canceled their flights; The airport was almost empty. Nobody at the passport control reserved for foreigners. It has never been easier to enter Israel.
However, there was a line to take the taxi. There was a lack of vehicles, because many Israelis prefer not to leave home, including taxi drivers. The line was long but quiet. No trace of the usual nervousness of Israelis when they have to wait. No one gathered around or raised their voices.
“At least the war reminds us of good manners,” Daniel intervened, half seriously, half joking, before admitting that the blow had been hard and the recovery will be even harder.
“How long will it take us to overcome the Yom Kippur War?” Keren asked, and she answered herself. “Fifty years have passed and I think we still haven't gotten over it.”
Israel defeated Egypt and Syria in that 1973 war, but the country was transformed. Labour, which had been the dominant political force since independence in 1948, gave way to Conservative governments. Safety was a priority. The hawks dominated the doves. Religious extremism maintained its intolerance and increased its political weight. They spoke more frequently of Greater Israel, a country that occupied the ancient biblical territories, especially Judea and Samaria, the present-day West Bank. The Palestinians resorted to terrorism. All peace initiatives failed because the weight of the extremists was too strong. It cost Prime Minister Rabin his life and, to a large extent, so did President Arafat.
Peace was considered impossible, and Israel became accustomed to living with its original sin. There would be no homeland for the Palestinians.
“The war has returned at the worst time.” Daniel does not hide his frustration. He does not find the answers to explain the internal fracture, the theocratic and authoritarian drift of the country, the decline of the armed forces and the bad strategic decisions, such as strengthening the detachments in the West Bank at the cost of weakening the Gaza front.
The expansion of settlements, the harassment of Jewish settlers towards their Palestinian neighbors, has triggered violence. That is to say, the Government's priorities – expanding the domain of the West Bank – have prevailed over the general interest of protecting the country.
We finish the glasses of wine. The thunder of the explosions warns us that we are at a dead end.
“We can't continue like this,” Daniel admits. “We need a new country, an Israel that recovers the values that brought us here.”
We agree that it will take a generation, perhaps two, for Israel to regain the centrality of secularism and the rule of law, for Palestinians to renounce terrorism and develop the structures of a prosperous state. “Behind every tragedy there is a great opportunity,” says Daniel. The difficult thing is knowing how to take advantage of it.”
