Since 1948, Israel has been punishing Gaza. Yesterday, Israel saw pictures that had not been expected in its life, because of its arrogance. We thought we were allowed to do anything, and that we would never pay a price or be punished for it.

We continue without confusion. We arrest, kill, mistreat, rob, protect massacre settlers, visit Joseph’s Tomb, Othniel’s Tomb, and Yeshua’s Altar, all in the Palestinian Territories, and of course, we visit the Temple Mount – more than 5,000 Jews on their throne.

We shoot innocent people, gouge out their eyes and smash their faces, deport them, confiscate their lands, plunder them, kidnap them from their beds, and we the Israelis carry out ethnic cleansing – a holocaust. We also continue the unreasonable siege. We built a huge barrier around the (Gaza cages 2.6 million people) Strip, its underground structure cost three billion shekels, and we are safe. We rely on the geniuses of Unit 8200 and the Shin Bet agents who know everything and will warn us at the right time.

We are moving half the army from the Gaza enclave to the Huwara enclave just to secure the settlers’ celebrations of the throne, and everything will be fine, whether in Huwara or Erez. Then it turns out that a primitive, ancient bulldozer can break through even the most complex and expensive obstacles in the world with relative ease when there is a great incentive to do so. Look, this arrogant obstacle can be crossed by bicycles and motorcycles, despite all the billions spent on it, and despite all the famous experts and contractors who have made a lot of money.

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We thought that we could continue the dictatorial control of Gaza, throwing here and there crumbs of favor in the form of a few thousand work permits in Israel – this is a drop in the ocean, which is also always conditional on proper behavior – and in return keep it as their prison.

We make peace with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – and our hearts forget the Palestinians so that they can be wiped out (holocaust of Palestinians), as quite a few Israelis would have liked. We continue to detain thousands of Palestinian prisoners including children and those held without trial, most of them political prisoners, and we do not agree to discuss their release – even after decades during which time they are held in prison.

We tell them that only by force can their prisoners achieve freedom. We thought we would arrogantly continue to repel any attempt at a political solution, simply because it was not convenient for us to engage in it, and everything would certainly continue like this forever. And once again it proved not to be the case. Several hundred Palestinian militants breached the fence and invaded Israel in a way no Israeli could have imagined. A few hundred Palestinian fighters have proven that it is impossible to imprison two million people forever, without paying a heavy price.

Just as the smoking old Palestinian bulldozer yesterday demolished the wall, the most advanced of all walls and fences, it also tore off the cloak of Israeli arrogance and indifference. It also demolished the idea that it is enough to attack Gaza from time to time with suicide drones, and sell these drones to half the world, in order to maintain security.

Yesterday, Israel saw images it had never seen in its life: Palestinian military vehicles patrolling its cities, and cyclists from Gaza entering its gates. These images should tear off the cloak of arrogance. Palestinians in Gaza have decided they are willing to pay anything for a glimpse of freedom. Is there any hope for that? no. Will Israel learn its lesson? no.

Yesterday they were already talking about wiping out entire neighborhoods in Gaza, about occupying the Gaza Strip and punishing Gaza ‘like it has never been punished before.’ But Israel has been punishing Gaza since 1948, without stopping for a moment. 75 years of abuse, and the worst awaits her now. Threats to ‘flatten Gaza’ prove only one thing: that we have learned nothing. Arrogance is here to stay, even as Israel has once again paid a heavy price.

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Benjamin Netanyahu bears a very heavy responsibility for what happened, and he must pay the price, but the matter did not begin with him and will not end after his departure. We must now cry bitterly for the Israeli victims. But we must also cry for Gaza. Gaza, whose population is mostly refugees created by Israel; Gaza, which has not known a single day of freedom…NOTE: Gideon Levy is Jewish. YOU CAN SHARE THIS STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA.