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Israeli Soldiers Want to Save the Country

(JNS) Fiamma Nirenstein - The IDF's Tze'elim base is a city of tents and concrete huts, home to a constant flow of soldiers going into and coming from the fighting in Gaza. Back in real life, Col. Asaf, 51, runs an office dealing with robotics. He has a wife and three children back at home. Here, he is a commander of operations. "From here, I direct the fighting of the infantry and the artillery," he says. "I tell them where to go, what to avoid, what to do. I send up the drones to get a good look at the targets, the weapons, the terrorists. If the strike is necessary and there are no innocent civilians, I send in the air force to prepare the ground, but I call it back if children suddenly appear on the street or in homes." "We are winning the most difficult war. The achievements are always getting more significant. Many tunnels have been discovered, the refuges of known terrorists. Weapons caches have been revealed and destroyed. Every day we know more and we take important steps. Calm and time - that is what we need. We fight well. Let us do it. We will destroy the enemy." The soldiers feel that they are doing something essential. You breathe this spirit in from them. They are exactly where they want to be. They tell you that themselves over and over again. They get annoyed when you ask if they are emotional or afraid. Of course, they are. So what? They want to save the country. They know they are the defensive wall. They only want to be allowed to do their job. The writer, a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, served as vice president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
2023-12-29 00:00:00
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