A must read letter I received re: The crisis is Gaza

> An Open Letter to A citizen Of Gaza:
> I Am the Soldier Who Slept In Your Home:
> By: Yishai G (reserve soldier)
> Hello,
> While the world watches the ruins in Gaza, you return to your home
> which remains standing. However, I am sure that it is clear to you
> that someone was in your home while you were away.
> I am that someone.
> I spent long hours imagining how you would react when you walked into
> your home. How you would feel when you understood that IDF soldiers
> had slept on your mattresses and used your blankets to keep warm.
> I knew that it would make you angry and sad and that you would feel
> this violation of the most intimate areas of your life by those
> defined as your enemies, with stinging humiliation. I am convinced
> that you hate me with unbridled hatred, and you do not have even the
> tiniest desire to hear what I have to say. At the same time, it is
> important for me to say the following in the hope that there is even
> the minutest chance that you will hear me.
> I spent many days in your home. You and your family's presence was
> felt in every corner. I saw your family portraits on the wall, and I
> thought of my family. I saw your wife's perfume bottles on the
> bureau, and I thought of my wife. I saw your children's toys and
> their English language schoolbooks. I saw your personal computer and
> how you set up the modem and wireless phone next to the screen, just
> as I do.
> I wanted you to know that despite the immense disorder you found in
> your house that was created during a search for explosives and
> tunnels (which were indeed found in other homes), we did our best to
> treat your possessions with respect. When I moved the computer table,
> I disconnected the cables and lay them down neatly on the floor, as I
> would do with my own computer. I even covered the computer from dust
> with a piece of cloth. I tried to put back the clothes that fell when
> we moved the closet although not the same as you would have done, but
> at least in such a way that nothing would get lost.
> I know that the devastation, the bullet holes in your walls and the
> destruction of those homes near you place my descriptions in a
> ridiculous light. Still, I need you to understand me, us, and hope
> that you will channel your anger and criticism to the right places.
> I decided to write you this letter specifically because I stayed in
> your home.
> I can surmise that you are intelligent and educated and there are
> those in your household that are university students. Your children
> learn English, and you are connected to the Internet. You are not
> ignorant; you know what is going on around you.
> Therefore, I am sure you know that Qassam rockets were launched from
> your neighborhood into Israeli towns and cities.
> How could you see these weekly launches and not think that one day we
> would say "enough"?! Did you ever consider that it is perhaps wrong
> to launch rockets at innocent civilians trying to lead a normal life,
> much like you? How long did you think we would sit back without
> reacting?
> I can hear you saying "it's not me, it's Hamas". My intuition tells
> me you are not their most avid supporter. If you look closely at the
> sad reality in which your people live, and you do not try to deceive
> yourself or make excuses about "occupation" , you must certainly reach
> the conclusion that the Hamas is your real enemy.
> The reality is so simple, even a seven year old can understand:
> Israel withdrew from the Gaza strip, removing military bases and its
> citizens from Gush Katif. Nonetheless, we continued to provide you
> with electricity, water, and goods (and this I know very well as
> during my reserve duty I guarded the border crossings more than once,
> and witnessed hundreds of trucks full of goods entering a blockade-
> free Gaza every day).
> Despite all this, for reasons that cannot be understood and with a
> lack of any rational logic, Hamas launched missiles on Israeli towns.
> For three years we clenched our teeth and restrained ourselves. In
> the end, we could not take it anymore and entered the Gaza strip,
> into your neighborhood, in order to remove those who want to kill us.
> A reality that is painful but very easy to explain.
> As soon as you agree with me that Hamas is your enemy and because of
> them, your people are miserable, you will also understand that the
> change must come from within. I am acutely aware of the fact that
> what I say is easier to write than to do, but I do not see any other
> way. You, who are connected to the world and concerned about your
> children's education, must lead, together with your friends, a civil
> uprising against Hamas.
> I swear to you, that if the citizens of Gaza were busy paving roads,
> building schools, opening factories and cultural institutions instead
> of dwelling in self pity, arms smuggling and nurturing a hatred to
> your Israeli neighbors, your homes would not be in ruins right now.
> If your leaders were not corrupt and motivated by hatred, your home
> would not have been harmed. If someone would have stood up and
> shouted that there is no point in launching missiles on innocent
> civilians, I would not have to stand in your kitchen as a soldier.
> You don't have money, you tell me? You have more than you can imagine.
> Even before Hamas took control of Gaza, during the time of Yasser
> Arafat, millions if not billions of dollars donated by the world
> community to the Palestinians was used for purchasing arms or taken
> directly to your leaders bank accounts. Gulf States, the emirates -
> your brothers, your flesh and blood, are some of the richest nations
> in the world. If there was even a small feeling of solidarity between
> Arab nations, if these nations had but the smallest interest in
> reconstructing the Palestinian people – your situation would be very
> different.
> You must be familiar with Singapore. The land mass there is not much
> larger than the Gaza strip and it is considered to be the second most
> populated country in the world. Yet, Singapore is a successful,
> prospering, and well managed country. Why not the same for you?
> My friend, I would like to call you by name, but I will not do so
> publicly. I want you to know that I am 100% at peace with what my
> country did, what my army did, and what I did. However, I feel your
> pain. I am sorry for the destruction you are finding in your
> neighborhood at this moment. On a personal level, I did what I could
> to minimize the damage to your home as much as possible.
> In my opinion, we have a lot more in common than you might imagine. I
> am a civilian, not a soldier, and in my private life I have nothing
> to do with the military. However, I have an obligation to leave my
> home, put on a uniform, and protect my family every time we are
> attacked. I have no desire to be in your home wearing a uniform again
> and I would be more than happy to sit with you as a guest on your
> beautiful balcony, drinking sweet tea seasoned with the sage growing
> in your garden.
> The only person who could make that dream a reality is you. Take
> responsibility for yourself, your family, your people, and start to
> take control of your destiny. How? I do not know. Maybe there is
> something to be learned from the Jewish people who rose up from the
> most destructive human tragedy of the 20th century, and instead of
> sinking into self-pity, built a flourishing and prospering country.
> It is possible, and it is in your hands. I am ready to be there to
> provide a shoulder of support and help to you.
> But only you can move the wheels of history."
> Regards,
> Yishai, (Reserve Soldier)