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Israelis Cheer the Liberation of Hostages

(Free Press) Jessica Kasmer-Jacobs - On midday Saturday in Tel Aviv, my husband and I were sitting on the beach with our 2-year-old son when the lifeguard's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Attention, citizens of Tel Aviv! We are thrilled to announce that four hostages have been rescued by the Israel Defense Forces alive! Noa Argamani, Andrey Kozlov, Almog Meir Jan, and Shlomi Ziv! Am Yisrael Chai!" The cheers were immediate and ecstatic. People threw their children into the air. Strangers hugged strangers. Many openly wept. The clapping and singing and dancing spread all the way down the beach. Because it was Saturday, secular Israelis posted handwritten notes with the names of the rescued hostages around religious neighborhoods to update their neighbors who observe the Sabbath and wouldn't have been checking their phones or watching TV. News anchors broke down in tears. Neighbors shouted out of their windows to announce the news to passersby. In the towns where they lived, groups gathered around their homes with flags, waiting to welcome their neighbors home after eight months in captivity. Pundits on CNN talked about the "released" hostages. But they were not released. They were liberated. They were saved in a daring daylight operation. Around the world we are condemned for a war we did not start and did not seek. Even the rescue mission is spun in the press as Israeli overreaction. If there is one thing we are certain of, it is this: we live in a country of heroes. We live in a country in which strangers feel like family. A country in which other men and women will sacrifice their lives to liberate us, to bring us home.
2024-06-11 00:00:00
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