Synopsis
The last brutal offensive in Gaza, given the name "Cast Lead" by the Israeli Forces, went on for 22 endless days. Just like any place in the world wracked by conflict, the people of the Strip experienced unbelievable tension, anxiety, and loss of hope. Sex, perhaps the most essential mode of human connection and communication, was universally jettisoned for more pressing concerns, such as food, fuel, electricity, and the search – elusive though it may be – for physical and psychological safety, security, and equilibrium. This makes sense: during war, sex becomes a kind of no-fly zone; the sexual instinct is perturbed, and the conjugal bed is worn-out with worry over when the next bomb will hit. Even if we manage to overcome the fear and make a mental break from the imminent dangers in our surroundings, the sheer exigency of the machines of war – the airplanes and tanks, the ambulances and missiles, the constant hum of their moving parts, the ground-shaking force of their explosions – will always win out over the most triumphant acts of human will.