The story was about a red-cupped flower that grows in southern Israel, called kalaneet (anemones).  

Previously, in Israel, people could pick any wildflowers they wished. But there is a list of flowers for wildlife preservation that cannot be picked.  Anemones are among the listed flowers, and therefore, can now be seen throughout Israel.

Bashan said he enjoyed writing the story, but only wishes that all of the stories he covered from Israel were about flowers.

At the Edmonton JCC recently, Bashan’s topic, Listen to the Full Story: The real deal with the current conflict, was an account of a field journalist’s eight years under qassam rockets.

From the time that the first mortar hit a Netzarim home until today, countless shells and rockets hit homes and villages in southern Israel, most of all in the city of Sderot. This situation makes the lives of families in this region often one of disruption and terror.  

Forty-three-year-old Bashan is Channel 2’s regional news correspondent for southern Israel.  

“In one way, for a journalist to cover war, it’s very fascinating, observing people trying to live a normal life in an unbelievable situation,” said Bashan. “But it’s also scary, because this work is very traumatizing. I think, along with the people of Sderot and others in southern Israel, I also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Bashan explained that in Israel, “people say we journalists are crazier than anyone, because when the rockets hit, everyone runs for shelter except us.  We run to where the rockets hit.”

In Sderot, Bashan said, “25,000 people are living in a kind of a cage. It’s terrorizing to live there under continuous rocket fire, but most cannot leave because no one wants to buy their homes and live in danger. But, then where is safe in Israel today? Tel Aviv has also been hit. There is no safe place.”

All the recent trouble in Gaza began back when Hamas won the elections, Bashan pointed out.  

“In Gaza, we’re dealing with a terrorist organization that has no interest in peace, only the destruction of the Jewish state,” he said. “No one really wants to talk to us or have peace. They just want to kill us. I see no hope for lasting peace under these circumstances, but at least after we went into Gaza, we can hope for a few months of quiet.  Meanwhile, the terrorists are using this time to reorganize and recover, while rockets still continue being launched. So what did our brief fighting in Gaza do?  Not enough.”

Bashan said he does not envy the responsibility that the next Israeli prime minister will have to shoulder.  

“Whoever sits in the prime minister’s chair, I want to believe will do the right thing for the Israeli people. We need stability, security, better laws, education, and combating of crime. We must fight terror again and again. The price tag for launching missiles should be more severe, and the lives and safety of Israeli citizens should be the main priority.”

Recalling times when Israelis and Palestinians were living side-by-side in peace, Bashan said, “I remember working and living together with Palestinians.  But now simple innocents on both sides suffer greatly.”

Bashan said he wants those living out of Israel, supporting the state, to know “they’re doing a lot for us in hospitals, emergency services, or daycares.”

Describing Israel today as both a “beautiful” and “dangerous place,” Bashan emphasized, “it’s a Jewish state, and our home.  We can’t just give up, even if it’s difficult.”

International coverage of Israel is unbalanced, said Bashan.

“They show that 100s of Palestinians were killed during the Gaza fighting, while only 10 children in Sderot were killed. They don’t tell you how Hamas uses Palestinian kids as human shields, with their most popular time to launch rockets being 7:30 a.m., when kids are starting school.”

Around the world, there are some voices calling Israel an apartheid state. Bashan’s message to them is “they don’t understand what the real situation is. The Israeli side isn’t clearly shown on the news.  They show Israel as strong and powerful, and the Palestinians as living in refugee camps.  They don’t show how terrorists hurt the Palestinian people.”

What is most needed right now, said Bashan, is “a new Palestinian leadership – more people like Abbas, not like Hamas. Meanwhile, some months from now, if things remain the same or worse, we’ll likely have to go into Gaza again, because the rocket firing is not stopping.”