For many Israelis, this is apparent: the language we speak and the culture we hold dear is much closer to our neighbors in Beirut than to the Protestant ethos and mores of the people of New Hampshire. And even as the horrendous conflict continues between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as an occupation, there's still a sense that our fate is dependent upon and alongside our neighbors nextdoor — not with our American allies overseas.
Israel's alignment with the US has not been since time immemorial. But aligning with the West isn't entirely Israel's fault. It's easy to categorize Israel as "colonial," but it has struggled hard to be accepted in the Middle East.
Israel is one of the US's most reliable and most loyal allies and in the Middle East, US policy is seen as almost synonymous with Israel's.When protests break out in the Middle East, the Israeli flag is burned together with the American one; we are known as the “little devil”, while America is the great demon.
Besides the direct daily conflict with Palestinians and tensions with our neighbors, every time the White House gave out a "special statement" about the region, we Israelis began to brace ourselves for the unknown.
It was no surprise that this week, as tensions between Iran and the US were higher than they've ever been; as the prospect of another war that would devour the region seemed imminent; as family members from all around the world messaged each other on Whatsapp groups about World War Three, Iran threated to destroy Haifa, my birth town, as revenge against the US. Haifa is known as a place of coexistence.
The reaction in Israel to the threat of annihilation was minimal. The Israeli army announced it was closing Mount Hermon, the ski resort located in the contested Golan Heights, a site on the border with Syria that's a potential target for rocket fire by pro-Iranian militias. And many Israelis dismissed the threat, saying Iran would never attack Israel because our air force would destroy Tehran.
Israelis don't want to be America's pawns in the Middle East any longer. We've suffered enough | The Independent
