15 seconds: that’s around the amount of time you need to walk down the hallway, or pour yourself a glass of water, or scroll through some posts on Instagram. For Israelis, that’s the time they have to run to a bomb shelter after hearing the sirens go off. 

On Tuesday, Nov. 12,  the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) killed Bahaa Abu Al-Ata, a commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), in an air raid in his home in Gaza City, Gaza. Abu Al-Ata had committed various operations against Israel, and according to Haaretz.com, he was responsible for sending rockets into Tel Aviv in March earlier this year. The IDF had been planning attempts to assassinate Al-Ata throughout the year. However, his constant moving around and hiding behind civilians had made the task impossible for the IDF, as they feared civilian casualties. 

In response to Abu Al-Ata’s assassination, the PIJ launched over 450 rockets into southern Israel. 

“Our inevitable retaliation will rock the Zionist entity,” the PIJ stated, in reference to Israel. 

Unlike the IDF attacks that target specific terrorists, these rockets are shot aimlessly into Israel, harming innocent citizens. As of Thursday, 77 Israelis have been lightly injured, and over 90 percent of the rockets fired were intercepted, thanks to the Iron Dome, a defense system that works to identify and destroy projectiles before they land in Israel. 

It is time to stop holding Israel to a double standard and start condemning countries that terrorize others. In 2018, Israel became the most condemned nation at the United Nations (UN), receiving 68 condemnations, but a dictatorship like North Korea only received nine, and Iran, a country where they hang homosexuals and discriminate against women, was condemned six times.     

Israelis are forced to live under conditions that no other nation would accept for its citizens. In the south of Israel in places like Sderot, outdoor playgrounds have bomb shelters built into their structures. Children grow up accustomed to life under the constant threat of rocket attacks. 

No one should have to fear for their lives on a daily basis. In 2019 alone, over 1,000 rockets were launched into Israel from Gaza (Wikipedia). According to the Washington Post, weapons like these were hidden inside hospitals, mosques and schools by terrorist groups such as Hamas and the PIJ. Think about how different your life would be if there were terrorists living less than a mile away from your home.

So before you judge Israel and its actions, look at the opposition, and think if 15 seconds is enough time for you to run for your life.