There is a notable difference in atmosphere in this war, compared to the previous one.

First of all, it is obvious to everyone (well, besides people whose understanding of the situation is naïve and unrealistic) that this operation is completely justified and necessary. One may disagree about how to go about this militarily (I’ve noticed that disagreement is mainly voiced by those who have no military knowledge or understanding whatsoever), but there is little argument that the situation in the South can’t continue.

Those poor people in Sderot and in the villages in the area have been sitting ducks for years. I know the foreign press likes to minimize these rocket and missile attacks, but they’re no joke - they kill and they maim and they terrorize, and they make anything resembling a normal life impossible.

The lack of serious Israeli military reaction didn’t make things better (nor did the disengagement, in which Israel completely withdrew all presence from Gaza, both military and civilian). It made things far worse, by emboldening the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad and teaching them that Israel is weak and incapable.

The frequence and the range of the missiles grew and grew all the time, with the latest ceasefire being used to prepare and smuggle more and better weapons. Now Ashkelon was also being targeted, a much larger town, home to the electricity plant that supplies most of Gaza’s electricity.

As if it wasn’t unbearable before, now things were getting out of hand. There was a real feeling that these civilians had been abandoned to their fate, and an increasing frustration and anger among people all over the country and not just in the Sderot area, at what appeared to be the indifference and impotence of the government.

Things have changed. Even though Ashdod is now a target and also Beer Sheva and Yavne, we’re going somewhere. It appears there is a “Baal Bayit” (literally “Owner of the House” a colloquialism meaning someone in charge) after all. Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi are heroes of the day.

Secondly, it is quite clear that the IDF has learnt many important lessons from the Lebanon War of the summer of 2006. This time around, things are obviously much better planned, organized and coordinated, and the forces are better trained and ready for their missions. Being aware of this fact is proving incredibly important for the morale of us people at home, although everyone is so worried about the soldiers and praying for their welfare.

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They’ve got retired generals on TV all the time giving commentary. This is just as well, because some of the field reporters are spouting such a lot of nonsense just to fill the time, it can drive you crazy. They obviously know very little about what’s happening inside, but they have to talk so talk they do, ad nauseum.

The highlight of last night’s viewing though, without a doubt, was the footage of one of the wounded soldiers, being wheeled on a stretcher into one of the hospitals. “Don’t worry,” He shouted out to the reporters as he went passed, in the rough tough growl of a real soldier, obviously dying to hop off the stretcher and run right back into the thick of things, “We are going to ****** their ******!” (I’m far too embarrassed to repeat exactly what it was he said, but it was pretty obscene). This was broadcast uncensored, quite a few times, to everyone’s utter delight. Now that was good for morale! I’m sure the PC Peacies were horrified at his coarseness. Tee hee.

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A conversation loud argument in the dining room at work yesterday. Y, born and bred in Syria, representing the hardline pulverize-the-bastards point of view vs. R, Israeli-born, just come back from maternity leave, representing the we’re-sorry-about-the-Palestinians’-suffering-but-if-it-has-to-be-either-us-or-them-suffering-then-it-should-be-them point of view. (Representing the we-are-wicked-and-evil-and-must-stop-these-atrocities-immediately point of view was… er… nobody. )

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Our Sis was just telling me about her mother-in-law, who lives right on the southern edge of Ashkelon. She said she rang her before and was a bit worried when she didn’t answer. “I must have been on one of my little walks”, she explained to Our Sis afterwards. ‘Little walks?” Our Sis wondered, worrying that her elderly, widowed mother-in-law might be doing something foolish and irresponsible like taking a stroll around the neighborhood. “Oh yes, down to the shelter. That’s my little walk.”

She refuses to leave her home and come and stay with Our Sis, even for a weekend. She says they are being very sensible. They don’t dwell on it, and only watch half an hour of news in the evening, even though these missile and rocket attacks go on all day and all night, and they can hear the blasts from the operation in Gaza quite clearly, as well. The rest of the time they do other things. She has her other grandchildren with her, so she has to keep things normal for them.