Life Under Rockets: How Do Israelis View the War with Iran? 0 12

The internet is filled with contradictory information, including this: "In Israel, discontent is growing over the war with Iran; however, because residents are forced to constantly stay in shelters, protest sentiments cannot yet spill out onto the streets, and people cannot demand an end to the war"...

At the same time, people who have direct contact with relatives and friends in Israel hear something completely different: yes, shelling is indeed happening, yes, it complicates life, - however, there is neither panic nor despairing moods...

So what is really happening? How do Israelis live in conditions of a war that has lasted for more than 900 days, with rare breaks?

To tell us about this, we asked Dr. Dina Lisnyanskaya, a professor of Oriental studies; being one of the most renowned researchers in the field of political Islam and radical Islamic movements, she is well-versed in the processes occurring, including in the Middle East and Europe. And just like many other Israelis, she leads a rather difficult lifestyle — a life under shelling...

• Yes, from time to time, we hear statements that, supposedly, we, Israelis, are massively opposing the war with the Iranian regime. I will say right away: this is nonsense on the verge of absurdity. It is like opposing a doctor who saves you from a life-threatening cancer tumor, or opposing the police protecting you from a murderer.

In Israeli society, there is a clear understanding of why we are waging this war, and a full consensus regarding the justification of this war. And there is a very simple explanation for this.

There is a well-known phrase: "If someone says they want to kill you — believe them." The Iranian regime has been saying for decades that it wants to destroy Israel; moreover, since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the regime has defined the destruction of Israel as its strategic task. And it has confirmed this in action: for years, it has financed, trained, and armed its proxies, forming around Israel the so-called "ring of fire" of terrorist groups — Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad. These and other similar groups have been carrying out terrorist attacks in Israel and other countries (Argentina, Bulgaria, etc.) for years with the aim of killing Jews. Iran itself, in the last 2 years, has been the FIRST (!) to conduct massive rocket attacks on Israel twice, launching hundreds of ballistic missiles — so talking now about an Israeli attack on Iran is at least incorrect. Iran's attacks on Israel have been the largest single ballistic missile attacks in history.

And perhaps most importantly: despite all international agreements and restrictions, Iran has been developing a nuclear weapons program for decades, making it clear that it is intended specifically for the destruction of Israel. In the main square of Tehran, there were even countdown clocks — showing how much time is left for Israel and its inhabitants to live.

For many years, Israel has also been subjected to rocket fire from the south and north by Iran's proxies — Hezbollah and Hamas, limiting itself to only local countermeasures. However, the brutal massacre on October 7, 2023, became a "point of no return"; it became clear that a regime with hands elbow-deep in the blood of both Israelis and its own people has no right to exist.

Of course, during the war, life is very hard for people. Several times a day — sometimes during the day, sometimes at night — sirens wail, and people have to run to shelters. Children cannot study normally, and adults cannot work normally. Making any plans, even short-term ones, is practically impossible. There are wounded, and there are casualties among the civilian population. The regime uses drones, heavy artillery, and even cluster munitions, which are banned in many countries.

But again, all claims that Israelis "sit in shelters and are afraid to stick their noses out" are complete nonsense: between shellings, people lead normal lives, shops, cafes, and others are open. In case of any destruction (fortunately, relatively few thanks to the work of our legendary air defense), relevant services arrive and restore order.

And most importantly: everyone in Israel understands why this war is happening. It is not happening because our Prime Minister Netanyahu or anyone else in Israel wanted it. We were drawn into this war by a regime that has set as its goal, like Hitler once did, to "finally solve the Jewish question".

We have no contradictions with Iran. We are fighting precisely against the regime, not against the people of Iran. Until 1978, our countries historically had good relations; both we and Iran remember this and want it to be restored. And if the regime collapses, they will be restored.

And finally, regarding the support of our government. Israel is a democratic country, and demonstrations both against and in support of the government are absolutely normal. But in this case, there are no disagreements: no matter how tired we are, no matter how much we want the war to end quickly, it cannot be an end just for the sake of ending. The result must be the complete elimination of the threat from the Iranian regime and its proxies. This will benefit not only Israel but also the people of Iran and all the countries in the region that are also currently being shelled by the Iranian regime.