The Israeli sky is bluer than the German one. I'm sure of it. Everywhere I go, there's cats. Tons of cats! Cats and flowers sprinkled through intimate little streets connected by wonky stairs. Wherever I go in Haifa, I can see the sea. And the men, my God - the men! Beautiful AND easy. I fucking love Israel!
My first Golden Retriever was a wonderful little dog. He was goofy and always knew how to make us laugh. Cuddly and affectionate, he was a perfect comfort dog, and he was always up to play fetch. And he was absolutely gorgeous! I adored the little guy and held his paw when he died, way too soon. I loved him, dearly.
But I hated when he broke into rooms or opened barn doors, causing chaos with the animals that got out, or in, wherever they weren't supposed to go. I hated that he stole people food or stuff that would have us at the emergency vet's to make him throw it back up. I hated when he got into fights with my other stud, I hated his tendency to bark incessantly, and boy did I hate when he ate my newly hatched chick alive.
But there isn't a single cell in my body that hated the dog.
Israel is that dog. Oh, do I love the things that I love about Israel. The list above is nowhere near complete. But I hate that it's committing genocide. I hate that it has created refugees. I hate that it draws up walls and fences that hinder people, but only specific people, from seeing their loved ones or going about their everyday lives. I hate that it has its soldiers shoot children or people who don't pose an actual threat. I hate that it demolishes homes and entire villages, that it disowns and displaces families, that it shuts off water and electricity to a specific demographic. I hate that it indoctrinates its people to dehumanize said demographic. I hate that it was built on genocide.
And to love something, be it Israel or a misbehaving dog, means that you face its issues and try and fix them so that your loved one can grow and become the best version of themselves. That is why I criticize Israel. Love.