Pride, Endings, Nail biting and Differences of opinion

Last week a strange and maybe very Israeli experience was taking place here. It was part of the prisoner exchange with Hezbollah from the second Lebanon war. The exchange itself was televised and reported in the papers. It seems that the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers were coming back. The public was not sure if they were alive or not. Actually, it seemed a long time ago that they were not alive and the Israel Defense Force has already declared them dead. But among all the news, commentary, and opinion there was something that was very unique. It was Israeli but also Tel Avivi in nature. For a long time, maybe even longer than the second Lebanon war (in 2006), Tel Aviv has not reacted this way. Suddenly the voices from every television set took over the air in Tel Aviv. From open windows and porches, in every corner candy store, in cafes and restaurants, the pictures and voices of reporters and commentators were in the background. The feeling in the air was a mixture of sad reality and hope for a miracle. Most of all it was the feeling that we are all in this together. While the soldiers have families, army friends, and close relatives, they also belong to "us".
TV reporter and commentator while the prisoner exchange was going on.
Most people in everyday life do not care on a personal level about every soldier. You need to keep some distance to cope with death. But the faces of the two kidnapped were on bulletin boards and newspaper ads the last two years. This reporting and advertising and especially the speeches from Hezbollah, some from Nasralla, some from others, have kept the memory alive. This was the day to finish this story, good or bad. Since there has not been a full scale war the last few years, many in Israel assumed that Tel Avivians do not care about kidnapped soldiers. This was the hope of the Palestinians, especially Nasralla and Hezbollah. Many times Nasralla said that Israel is too soft and that soldiers will not fight like in the past. He also said that the population simply does not care to support the soldiers. For some reason, seeing how Israel has become more quiet and more ordinary has equated this to what is seen in most western countries. Where only a small part of the population directly involved in the military is truly worried about soldiers and fighting and the missing and the dead. But that does not seem to be the situation in Tel Aviv. On July 17th, when the exchange with Hezbollah took place, nobody in Tel Aviv seemed to ignore the TVS. As the news progressed it became clear that the two "missing" soldiers are not alive. It was also clear that they were probably not alive much beyond the day they were taken two years ago. In other places there would probably be anger and blame on Hezbollah and Nasralla. In Tel Aviv the feeling was sadness and relief. Now we knew what the situation was. We also knew that there is not going to be any regrets, the soldiers will have to be buried and another chapter of this sad saga was over.
      If you come to Tel Aviv when an event like this happens, take some time to speak with people in cafes and going about town. You will find deep concern and care like no other place. Sometimes there is not much we can do about Hezbollah and Nasralla, but there is a great deal we can do about each other. This is something that CNN, NBC, or BBC will not tell you very clearly. Actually, it seems to me that the media outlets are more concerned with what Nasralla says than what people really feel and do on the streets of Tel Aviv. Which is probably the sign of the times. I guess George Orwell was not that far off when describing the future in "1984".

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