Saturday morning headline: war for uranium destruction. Other unattainable objectives no longer serve politicians’ justifications for war.

Saturday breakfast captured my mood: “Was the coffee really strong enough? This bread tastes good, a bit salty.” Three bites later: “I don’t like this bread anymore. I want challah.” Haim wonders why I woke up in “combat mode.” I told him: “Chief of Staff.” Understood. Last night’s news reported him saying it would be a long war.

Once “long war” implied three months. So, we thought when government officials warned of a long war in October 2023. That lasted two years.

Friday, we drove to Herzliya (20 minutes) for a doctor’s appointment. In the car, ready to head home, preliminary warning alarms sounded. Maybe an air raid siren wouldn’t follow, or it would take 10 minutes. We could get to Raanana, Kfar Saba, gambling on no sirens en route. It takes longer to write that than think it. We were out of the car, heading for an adjacent commercial building, like others, following arrows to a bomb shelter.

Boom. Commonplace booms – from falling missiles or interceptor launchers, in open spaces or residential ones. Even when your locale doesn’t get an air raid siren, you often hear the boom. Minutes later, back in the car. No siren in Herzliya. We missed one in Kfar Saba.

Another air raid siren interfered with dinner preparations. Headed to our safe room while crumble for strawberry cream dessert was in the oven. Fortunately, though it made me cringe – and laugh – the recipe published online this week had instructions to set temperature and timer taking according to possible interruptions for bomb shelter breaks.

A week in which an attack on a synagogue in Michigan was no less disturbing and preoccupied us with the brother of our close friend in Jerusalem who is a member of that synagogue. These brothers are children of Shoah survivors who found safe shores in the United States. One reason, I was taught to appreciate the United States.

Like last week, an air raid siren before Friday night dinner. Haim’s daughter and family were with us. His son and family reached their parking lot when alerted by the preliminary warning, so they waited it out at home.

After our granddaughters finished jumping on our bed and spreading strawberry crumble topping over the table and floor, they went home and we watched a replay of the evening news. Not just Iran, Iran, Iran, but Lebanon, Lebanon, Lebanon. Until seeing more headlines this morning about Hamas commending Iran but asking that attacks against Gulf States cease. (It needs its lifeline from Qatar.)

That Hamas regained control of central Gaza. That Hamas that Israel was intent on dismantling. That Hamas seen yesterday with white vans at Gaza’s border patrolled by the IDF since the ceasefire. Like white vans that entered Israel on October 7, 2023. That Hamas.

That Hezbollah. Incapacitated by Israel? That Hezbollah, in sync with Iran, attacking northern Israel. Yesterday major damages to the northern Bedouin town, Zarzir, and a building in Kibbutz Cabri. Incessant strikes today. Israeli civilians – Jews, Arabs, Druze traumatized. Israel under attack from Lebanese territory.

Friday night news reported Syrian consideration of combatting Hezbollah. A week of reports from Lebanese civilians daring to plea for protection from their fate dictated by Hezbollah attacking Israel and Israel retaliating. Their plight undermined by media preoccupied with war with Iran.

In the West Bank, hilltop youth and extremist Jewish settlers continue terrorizing Palestinian villages. Police disregard calls by Israeli volunteers protecting Palestinian victims. Plot: ethnic cleansing. Negligible as news goes.

Israeli attention channeled to intercontinental war impact: civilians threatened in northern cities and towns, self-evacuating. Civilians moving from central Israel homes lacking safe rooms to family members’ homes with safe rooms become children’s bedrooms, as parents hope middle-of-the-night sirens won’t awaken their children and at least they won’t have to move them from bedrooms to safe rooms or out-of-home shelters.

Little attention to wartime government preoccupation with legislation stripping democratic institutions of power. Adjusted budget lines repleting funds for rebuilding areas of northern Israel and the Gaza Envelope destroyed since October 7. Not just war costs, for interests – not health and education – keeping the government coalition together.

Former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz interviewed on primetime news, supportive of justification for attacking Iran with the US (only that way), says greatest threat to Israel is division within. He referenced a statement suggesting only public protest could topple the Iranian government. But we’re at war.

Removing the ayatollah regime – a war objective until feasibility interfered.

What happened to protesting Iranians encountering the Basij?

Halutz cited the statement’s implication that public demonstration of protest as the way to change the government holds for Israel too. Almog Boker, a journalist in the studio during the interview, commented after Halutz left that war is not the time to call for public demonstrations. It’s not the time for government hijacking the law either. Maybe it’s time to reprioritize.

Harriet Gimpel, March 14, 2026

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)