A Haifa update, for those concerned.

Well, as most of you may be aware, things in the north of Israel have started to get crazy, especially right along the Lebanese border. Here's an update:

Hezbollah kidnapped two IDF soldiers, which sparked retaliation from the Israeli side of things. Similar situations happened before, in 2000 and 2002, both ending with negotiation and exchange of prisoners. In this situation, though, Israel quickly struck back, and Olmert has already announced that he will be ruling out negotiation.

As far as a meeting held last night with a professor focusing on Israeli politics and military had to say, Israel will most likely attempt to completely wipe out Hezbollah. What does that mean? It means that things will most likely get worse before they get better. There will most likely be an aggressive ground attack into southern Lebanon and into Beirut, as well as air attacks on both military and "civilian" buildings, as rockets are held both in military locations as well as people's houses. Don't be surprised if the media starts talking about the IDF attacking "civilians," th0ugh, but we have to trust that Israel has no interest in killing innocent people, only people harboring weapons or officials using civilians as bodyguards and protection.

In addition, Hezbollah has warned that if Israel attacks Beirut, Hezbollah will retaliate against Haifa. Now, what does that mean for me? Well, it could be a lot of things. First, it could be an "empty" threat; Hezbollah may not have the ability to actually accurately attack Haifa. As far as the IDF knows, the Hezbollah only has a few hundred long-range missiles, none of which have highly accurate locating technology. Additionally, long-range missiles require advanced machinery, which means they are easier to locate and destroy, as opposed to short-range weaponry, which can be stored in people's homes, garages, cars, etc, and may only need to be launched from the shoulder.

So, we've been recommended to stay close to home. There are announcements over loudspeakers if situations changes (spent two hours in our apartment's bomb shelter yesterday, woo hoo!), so even in Shabbat we will be able to get information, if need be. Rocket attacks have slowed down this morning, so hopefully the IDF has already crippled Hezbollah's ability to attack. Looking forward, though, Haifa plans on opening business as usual Sunday morning after Shabbat, and the University will be completely open. My program has no plans of ending early or cancelling sessions, so we expect to continue as planned.

Just so you know, the university is doing more than necessary to protect us. Last night, we were warned to stay in our shelters last night, while outside the university, buses were running, bars were crowded, and businesses were open. If things get too risky, trust me, we will be the first ones out of here... the last thing the university, the IDF, and the Israeli government want are 250 tourists under attack.

I'm planning on staying here for the remainder of my program; yes, it's tense, but in a way, it's also exciting, interesting, and unbelievably alive. Being in such a crazy place raises one's awareness, one's interest, and creates an environment of sharing and communication. We are definitely interested in each others' safety, and the university is doing everything they can to insure our safety.

Feel free to call, if you like; I'll have my phone off for Shabbat, but I'll be available as of tomorrow night (tomorrow midday, US time), and into Sunday, as normal. I'll try to check e-mail more often than usual, just so I can get back to people in a timely manner. I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers already, but please trust that we are all interested in making sure that Haifa remains a safe place to live and study.