Many Israelis still say war in Gaza is necessary
In this most recent iteration of the decades-old conflict, Israels image is taking a beating like never before. Even longtime supporters are taking to the op-ed pages to condemn the asymmetrical death counts.
Yet to the mystification of the world, a vast majority of Israelis, including those on the left, still support this war, feeling Israel is in an impossible position. "The settlements surrounding Gaza are all kibbutzim [settlers living communally] kibbutzim who have traditionally been supporters of the Israeli left," says Marc Schulman in the " Tel Aviv Diary" he is writing for Newsweek, "
in this war when kibbutz residents make up only 2 percent of the population, 13 percent of the casualties have been from kibbutzim. "
Stand at kibbutz Nahal Oz, across the divide from Shujaiyah, where some of the worst battles have taken place, and you'll hear the constant background noise of open combat. Rat-tat-tat-boom! Like many other communities on the Israeli side of the border, Nahal Oz has become a ghost town, with only a few families left on-site and a coterie of older men guarding the fences. All families with children have been dispatched to the center of Israel.
Those remaining insist Israel cant be blamed for defending itself.
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