The only thing still forbidden to the soldiers here is to go wading in the surf at Gaza,” explained Ynet reporter Yoav Zitun, in an article on the leisure village Israel has set up for soldiers in Gaza.
Apart from the prohibited wading, it offers all the amenities: a physiotherapist to massage their legs and backs; popcorn and candy floss machines “like at the cinema and fairs”; a lounge room with a fixed menu that includes Belgian waffles and fresh pretzels; a spiritual corner with religious books and prayer accessories provided “in a positive spirit, without coercion”; indulgent breakfasts “like in a hotel”, and lunches and dinners of barbecued meats with “non-stop service”.
Annihilation, it turns out, is a tiring business.
After almost 15 months of a war of annihilation, with no end in sight, feelings of hatred and revenge apparently no longer provide sufficient adrenaline to counter the exhaustion and hardship of the long separation from home – the high financial cost, the distance from family.
So, the army devised the ingenious idea of remodelling wartime service in Gaza as a kind of luxurious vacation at an elite hotel…..more
