Life goes on in shadow of Armageddon

Hurry up and wait. This is all one can do when an impending mass attack from the terror-sponsoring country that has vowed to wipe you off the face of the planet is imminent. The tension is palpable in Israel as we brace for Iran’s retaliatory strike in response to the elimination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. Israel hasn’t commented on Haniyeh’s elimination.

The assassination was a major embarrassment for the Iranians and a message that Israel has the ability to reach its enemies, no matter how far away. Haniyeh was filmed the day before, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in.

Iran is more than rattling sabres, it’s threatening a massive blow to Israel and doesn’t care if it ignites the region. Israelis brace for impact.

Life in Israel is a series of paradoxes. On the surface, we seem extremely resilient – and we are. But scratch beneath the surface, and we’re a country in deep pain, angry that 115 hostages are still in the hell of Gaza, and war fatigued. We’re also a country longing to dance again, packing restaurants and bars because the tourists aren’t here, and defiantly going about our daily business because war, sadly, isn’t new to us.

Our resilience muscles are well flexed.

Israelis are living a bizarre double life. Our shelters are prepared, ensuring that we have water, spare chargers, snacks, and whatever else we may need. We’re still going about our daily routine, doing whatever we need to do, albeit with one eye on news updates. We wait for the orders from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command about any changes to the guidelines, and we’re highly annoyed at WhatsApp groups trying to grow followers by pushing messages that create panic. We know what to do, and will have sought out where the shelters are when we’re out and about our daily lives. Contrary to a popular “news” group – and I use this term loosely – that many follow on Telegram, we’re not running for our gas masks and waiting for Armageddon. Do we anticipate possible interruptions to services and infrastructure? It could happen, which is why the mayors of cities have been working closely with relevant IDF units.

We’re not panicking. We have faith in the IDF and the air-defence array and allies that will probably join a coalition similar to the one that defended our skies on 13 April. American warships stand ready off our coast. As I write this, the overwhelming sentiment in Israel is “Get it over with already.” We know that prolonged threat is also a form of psychological warfare.

We’re not naïve. We’re aware that this is the most dangerous phase of the war since the first hours following 7 October. Hezbollah has blatantly threatened to target civilians, and the response has been deafening silence. We’re aware that we could face an unprecedented amount of missiles and drones. The IDF has said that we’re prepared for any eventuality, and can quickly move from defence to offence.

For the Israeli public, in the event of Armageddon, proceed to the nearest shelter and wait for the storm to pass. Some may wonder, how are you so calm and resigned? How do Israelis have this “keep calm and carry on” attitude when an attack looms? The answer is simple. We have no choice. Am Yisrael chai!

Rolene Marks is a Middle East commentator often heard on radio and TV, and is the co-founder of Lay of the Land and the SA-Israel Policy Forum.