The nation's mood: No longer 'all for one and one for all'

Parents of 18 year-olds who will be inducted into combat units in the coming months were as emotional as everyone else when they heard the voice of Gilad Shalit, but they had their own fears and anger. 'The behavior of the leaders is terrible. I try to explain this to my son, but he is as stubborn as a mule - he wants to enlist in a combat unit'

Roee Mandel
Published: 07.03.07, 16:23 / Israel Culture

The boys are psyched; the parents are full of fear. In the coming months they will accompany their sons to the recruiting office for their service in the best IDF fighting units. They were as emotional as everyone else when they heard the voice of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, as he pleaded with the government to work for his release. The parents of the recruits told Ynet that they were very worried about sending their children to serve in the army. “It is no longer ‘all for one’”, said Roni Simcha, father of 18-year-old Tzach, who is enlisting in August to the paratroopers unit.

Simcha received the news of Shalit’s audiotape in a storm of emotions. “If it was up to me, Tzach would not enlist at all. The behavior of the leaders in the government and the IDF is terrible. I try to explain this to my son, but he is stubborn as a mule - he wants to enlist in a combat unit.”

According to Simcha, the iron principles on which the state was based, no longer exist. “I do not think they are doing anything to free the captured soldiers. As a father of a recruit, it is very disheartening that soldiers are left behind on the field. I see the how the IDF treats disabled soldiers. They leave them behind as well. The state wants to take everything from us, including the most precious thing - our children, but they are not prepared to give anything in return.”

For Ronit, mother of Gal who will enlist in the air force in July, fear overshadows pride. She admited that she would be happy if he would avoid serving in a combat unit. “I always tell him that I would prefer it if he would be a jobnik (pencil-pusher), but he does not listen. He is full of motivation. I try to calm myself with the fact that he will undergo extensive training, but I worry about what will happen afterwards.”

Like many other parents, Ronit was attached to the radio and TV and kept listening over and over to Shalit’s recorded message. “It was very difficult to hear, and I felt for his parents. I am sending my son to the army, but not with a full heart. I am not calm and I do not trust those to whom I am entrusting my son. We saw what happened with the Gilad Shalit incident and in the Second Lebanon War. We heard stories from our friends, and now we are even less relaxed.”

Yoav Cohen, father of 18-year-old Shachar who will enlist in a combat unit, sounded a slightly different opinion. As opposed to Simcha and Ronit, he is not afraid to send his son to a combat unit. His concerns stem from the current leadership failure to courageously deal with the issues of captives. “I served in a combat unit and so will my son. I encourage him to follow his beliefs, and both of us know that he may have to pay the price for the right to live here. But I am afraid of the politicians who are running the country.”

According to Cohen, the Israeli government should have acted differently in Shalit's case and told the truth, even if it is difficult. “In our country we do not do things at the right time. Today the price does not matter - 500 or 2,000 terrorists. But we should have reacted with strength and on time - we should have given an ultimatum and stood by it. As difficult as it sounds - if my son would be kidnapped and the prime minister would say to me: ‘I am willing to release 5,000 terrorists, but I think that we should react with force, at all cost,’ I would accept it. Everybody is talking but no one is saying the truth - this land was won with blood.”

I know the pain and worries of a parent that has a son in the IDF.

- - - - -, good hunting and stay safe.