Originally, this was intended as a good news story (at least in part), but events have overtaken us. The “good news” includes Prime Minister Netanyahu reaching out to the bereaved father of the brutally murdered Palestinian boy, to assure him that Israel is committed to pursuing justice for his son. Another is the “Peace not Vengeance” Facebook page, established by several American Jewish groups. It includes our own board chair, Theodore Bikel, asking: “Who is supposed to draw comfort from acts of vengeance? The mothers of the murdered youths? …”
And there’s this piece from The Forward’s website a few days ago, about activists and political leaders speaking out against hate. For example:
Even as Hadash, Israel’s communist party raised its massive red flag and banged its drums to lead the procession on march up to the Prime Minister’s residence, it — along with those in Meretz green and Labor blue — chanted relatively the innocuous and (arguably) apolitical cheers like: “All of us together, without hatred and fear!” “Arabs and Jews refuse to be enemies!” and “No more violence! No more racism!”
But this is the very bad news we’ve gleaned so far today:
Over 150 rockets fired from Gaza at Israel, including one toward Haifa (the farthest ever from Gaza), several in Tel Aviv, and about five in Jerusalem. There was also a Hamas incursion from the sea at Kibbutz Zikim (near Gaza), the first of its kind; all of the infiltrators were killed (this links to a soundless IDF video showing two attackers charging onto a beach, two Israeli soldiers firing and a drone targeting a group of attackers). There have been at least 17 Palestinian deaths in Gaza so far, and up to 80 injured. The IDF has called up 40,000 soldiers, mainly to replace the conscripted soldiers in the West Bank.
One missile hit Jerusalem (not intercepted by Iron Dome) and one hit the West Bank settlement of Givat Ze’ev.
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