All Quiet On The Western Front

This morning whilst half asleep and drinking my coffee, my peaceful mid-morning silence was shattered by an air raid siren. For the first few seconds I wasn't sure if I was actually hearing something. But as more sirens in the area began to wail I realized this was the real thing. My first thought was something along the lines of...

'IRANHIZBOLLAHAMASALQAIDASYRIAKATYUSHAQASSAMSCUDMISSILEROCKETBOMBSHELTERNOW!'

It took me about a third of a second to literally throw myself downstairs towards the bomb shelter in a wild panic, only to find my boyfriends very surprised mother and her friend sitting on the couch, calmly drinking tea and looking a little taken back with the sight of me, both alert and alarmed, flying down the stairs. Luckily it was just a drill that was being carried out as part of the Home Front Command's operations to prepare the ENTIRE country (not just those areas bordering Gaza and Lebanon) for any future conflicts or natural disasters.

It took me a few minutes to calm down and get my heart rate back to normal. It was then that the experience made me question 'Are we ready?'.

Continue reading All Quiet On The Western Front...

One doesn't exactly have to be a pessimistic naysayer to assume that the next military conflict or act of terrorism is really a matter of when, not if. In the last two weeks we have seen a number of alarming incidents.

1. On the 3rd of November it was announced by Israeli intelligence and military officials that Hamas now has rockets with further range than ever before and are now capable of firing on Tel Aviv. An abillity that was previously impossible.
2. On the 4th of November, the IDF launched 'Operation Four Species' by boarding the cargo ship 'Francop' off the coast of Cyprus. After taking control of the ship and unloading at the port of Ashdod, 320 tons of weaponry were found hidden aboard the vessel in shipping crates. The Iranian supplied weapons were en-route to Syria where it is assumed (In direct violation of the UNSC resolution 1701) they would have been passed on to Hizbullah to assist in their re-armament effort. Amongst the seized cargo was found thousands of mortar shells, thousands of medium range 107-millimeter Katyusha rockets & 122-millimeter Grad rockets,  hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, armor-piercing artillery and hand grenades.
3. On the 5th of November the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he has "no desire to run" in the coming election in 2010 (which although already way overdue has now been put on hold indefinitely to keep Abbas in place and save Fatah from an election nightmare). Since then members of the PA have come out in exasperation and begun calling for the declaration of an independent Palestinian state immediately. Pan-Arab recognition of such a state is pretty much assured, as is the support of numerous African and South American states and those Asian nations with a Muslim majority. Erekat, the head negotiator for the PA is also considering turning to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the United Nations Security Council for recognition and endorsement whilst also attempting to raise support with the EU and Russia. This is probably just saber-rattling in an attempt to force the hand of Netanyahu through international pressure however on the off chance that the PA is really willing to declare independence then it doesn't take much to remember what happened last time there was a declaration of independence in the region (1948, tens of thousands died, many more injured and 60 years later the mess still hasn't been cleaned up).
4. Then on the 7th, after stalling for weeks, Iran bluntly refused the international offer to send enriched uranium abroad that is being proposed to help breach the impasse that has been reached in talks with the rogue state. International inspectors with the IAEA have also come out with a report stating that the hidden reactor north of Qom is too small to be used in the production of civilian nuclear power (bomb production anyone?) and questioned whether or not there are more hidden factories.

Whilst none of these alone would indicate that conflict is imminent, together they do show that the threat is constantly growing and that when that day does come Hamas and Hizbullah will be well prepared to inflict serious damage on the entire nation, not just restricted areas in the north and south. Another step has also been taken towards conflict with Iran.

During the Second Lebanon War in 2006 the state and the IDF were both completely unprepared for a guerrilla war with Hizbullah and consequently Israel suffered substantial civilian and military losses. Thankfully the government recognized this wake up call and over the last 3 years has been working towards confronting these national security problems. Hence the air raid drill this morning and my momentary panic attack.

A number of steps are being carried out to avert civilian disaster during the next conflict which could potentially involve attack from all borders and the existential threat of a nuclear armed Iran.

The advice given throughout the Second Lebanon War that lead to masses of northerners living in their bomb shelters for days has been scrapped. Instead a series of leaflet, television and radio campaigns have been released with updated recommendations in an attempt to not only ensure the safety of citizens but also make sure they are kept updated and informed during such times of crisis. Plans to take all high-school students and train them to be volunteers is aimed at creating an extra 300,000 places in the national support network and early next year gas masks will be re-distributed throughout the nation to assist in the event of chemical or biological warfare. Schools around the nation have been designated as locations for emergency field hospitals to be established to accommodate the extra medical support that it's anticipated will be required and the public bomb shelters located throughout nation are being updated and refurbished. The high profile 'Iron Dome Defense System' being built by the IAF's Air Defense Division is also expected to be operational by mid-210; this system it is hoped will be able to recognize and intercept rocket attacks through radar surveillance, shooting them out of the sky.

I'm exceptionally lucky. I've lived here for almost a year and so far the closest thing to any form of conflict or danger I've encountered has been this mornings drill. But I'm realistic enough to realise that the longer I'm here the higher the odds get that I'll be involved in a future conflict. In a way it is marginally comforting to know that whilst I'm reading the morning paper and all the horribly depressing pieces within, that the state is currently working hard to ensure that when the day does come I, along with all the other residents and citizens of Israel, will be protected behind a first class, technologically advanced and well tested system.