ani_ohevet_parot

Lol yeah. For sure. Life in the barracks is super weird, especially on my base because it was a "closed base" (meaning we slept there) and there are a lot of girls. Sex is not allowed, but the little convenience store that every base has technically has to supply condoms "just in case."

But yeah, people are fucking. Not as much as you'd think since you literally see these people all the time, but enough that the army will pay for one abortion if you're a girl and get knocked up (two if you work as a fitness instructor or the army's equivalent of an HR clerk, which are typically the two positions that allow the most opportunity for sex between male and female soldiers.)

The really ironic thing is that, while they'd pay for your abortions, attendance at religious events was necessary.

"We'll get that unwanted fetus out of you, but God forbid you miss the lighting of the Shabbat candles you filthy heathen!"

I mean what?

I don't know I think it's fucked? I can't think of anybody barring religious/patriotic nut-jobs and government contractors that go around rubbing their hands and thinking, "yes, yes, another Palestinian family run out of their home, it's all coming together!" Most Israelis, even really conservative ones, aren't out to wreck families. They might support the settlements because of the principal, but they don't want to dominate the world or fuck up someone's life. It doesn't mean lives aren't getting fucked because of certain political leanings, but it's become quite an "out of sight, out of mind" thing for a lot of Israelis I think. Most of the gung-ho, "drive 'em out!" sort of people are ones that are scared and drawn to fanaticism for any which reason. For some people it gives their life purpose, thinking they're the chosen people. For some it's vengeance, either for a loved one lost or injured, or a fucked military service, or it's guilt turned outward.

They are my spirit animals. Have you ever looked into the eyes of a cow? Brilliant. I sometimes dream that I am a viking warrior princess, and my steed is a beautiful heiffer named Ingrid, and I would ride her into battle wearing nothing but my breast plate and helmet, and all the men would faint at the site of our beautiful splendor, and then Ingrid would gore them while they were down.

Cows fucking rock.

Joining the US Army was never in my plans. I came to Israel when I was 17 on a program and kind of got swept away by the country and the people. I had this big plan in my head, I was going to do it, I was going to forge a path for peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. I had this vision of me being this sort of beacon of progressive light, going in and teaching empathy and reason towards Palestinians to the right wing soldiers while at the same time fighting for a cause I believed in. I had this view of the IDF as as close to a righteous army as you could get, because they taught things like "the sanctity of the weapon", and because you could swear into the army on the Quran, etc.

Also I was extremely depressed and thought that if I was in the army, it would force me to get out of bed and do something. Maybe a bit of structure and discipline would get me functional again. (Just a note going forward to people with clinical depression: armies aren't a great idea. Try meditation. And mushrooms. And maybe therapy.)