Word: hanita
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This lengthy, full-page narrative account of life in kibbutz Hanita seems only to serve as the author's attempt to fuel sympathies against what he depicts as war-hungry, ruthless Palestinian terrorists "firing 82-mm, and 120-mm. mortars, in addition to the Soviet Katyusha rockets" against helpless and terrified kibbutzniks. Feldstein presents a one-sided portrayal of each party in this dilemma: the "bad guy Palestinian" is depicted simply as a massacring Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) terrorist while the "good guy Israeli" is seen only as a defenseless kibbutznik victim. There is only one enemy to be degraded...
...especially busy. As I spend the morning working in the citrus , I see Israeli warplanes flying overhead inpairs--probably Phantom jets or F-15s. The beauty of the Galilee Mountains contrasts sharply with the noises and reality of war. Later in the day, I hear several helicoptors landing near Hanita. The kibbutz's dirt road is freshly marked with tank tracks...
...middle-aged man from another kibbutz near the border was just killed by Palestinian mortar fire. Here in Hanita, the bomb shelters have been packed most nights during the past week; the youngest children are always the first to be rushed to the shelters when an attack is expected. Yet the Israelis who live here seem detached and almost oblivious to the dangers. By now, they have grown used to the violence; it is a part of their daily lives...
...Palestinians are bombarding the area again, this time with more force than ever. I should have been suspicious that something was up when the kibbutz leaders suddenly announced a surprise party for Hanita's anniversary. The party is held in the large wood-paneled recreation room that doubles as a bomb shelter, and the entire kibbutz is there...
After about half an hour of waiting, the rockets begin to hit the area. The explosions are at first mild, and it seems that this time the Palestinians have managed to miss Hanita entirely. Then, slowly, the explosions begin to get louder and the rockets start striking closer. The frequency of the attacks begins to increase as well: first the blasts come every 10 or 15 minutes, then every five minutes. Now they seem to come every few seconds...