Israel has been in a continuous fight for survival since even before it formally became a nation on May 14, 1948. Briefly, some of the highlights, (or lowlights):
1. It was at war with its Arab neighbors in Palestine who adamantly opposed any Jewish nation and wanted to annihilate all the Jews living in the region.
2. Various Fedayeen insurgencies during the 1950s and 1960s.
3. The Suez Canal crisis in 1956.
4. The Six Days’ War in June 1967.
5. The so-called “Wars of Attrition” from 1967 – 1970.
6. The terrorist attack at the Munich Olympics in 1972.
7. Insurgencies in Lebanon 1971 – 1982.
8. The Yom Kippur War in October 1973.
9. On and off wars/skirmishes in Gaza beginning in 2008.
10. Hamas War in October 2023.
Moreover, even during the periods in which it was not at war it was living under the constant threat of war. I know of no other nation past or present in that situation, no other nation whose neighbors have stated publicly that their goal is to annihilate them.
Fortunately, the Israelis are a resilient and hardy group. One might say that it is in their DNA. Many of them are the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Additionally, Jews have been fighting for their survival for some 5,000 years.
In my opinion, the current war with Hamas is one of the most dangerous. It has the potential to morph into a regional, or even worldwide, war. A nuclear war is not out of the question. Strong, sage leadership will be essential on all sides to avoid it. More on that later.
Like most of you, I have been observing developments since the advent of the war, and I am increasingly horrified at what I have seen. Some random thoughts, observations and opinions:
- The failure of both US and Israeli intelligence is surprising and most disturbing. Apparently, Hamas went “old school,” and we were caught flatfooted.
- I strongly object to describing these terrorists as “fighters,” gunmen,” or “militants” as some news outlets have done. They have no regard for human life. Their goal is to inflict maximum terror. They are terrorists, pure and simple. In fact, they are worse than terrorists. If I knew a stronger, more vile characterization I would use it.
- Some media outlets, like the NY Times couldn’t decide what to call them even though it should have been obvious. It labeled them as “terrorists” in the early editions. Then, it changed to “gunmen,” probably at the direction of some spineless “woker.” Other media outlets, such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, have instructed their employees to refrain from use of the word “terrorists.”
- Initially, the Chicago chapter of BLM posted an inflammatory, celebratory video of a terrorist paragliding to attack with a Palestinian flag attached to his parachute saying “I stand with Palestine.” Later, it took the video down.
- The clueless editor-in-chief of Harpers Bazaar characterized Israel’s cutting power to Gaza “the most inhuman thing” she’s ever seen. How about wanton murder, rape and beheading?
- As we know, anti-Israel sentiments and anti-Semitism have been on the rise, particularly on college campuses. What makes this especially scary is these are the leaders of tomorrow. In the last few days, some universities, notably Harvard and Penn, embarrassed themselves. A group of Harvard students published a letter that held Israel “entirely responsible” for the “unfolding violence.” (Later, another group of students issued a letter attacking the first letter as “completely wrong and deeply offensive.”) As a result of the foregoing several CEOs have demanded the names of those students and have stated they will not hire them upon graduation. If only.
- One of the masterminds of the attacks is reputed to be a shadowy, one-legged, wheelchair-bound bombmaker who has continually evaded the Israelis for years. His real name is unknown. He goes by the pseudonyms “Mohammed Deif” or “the cat.”
- Of course, Israel will fight back with a vengeance. It always does, and it will ultimately prevail as it always has. Aerial bombardment has already begun with a massive ground invasion to follow. Food, fuel, and other supplies to Gaza will be cut off. Netanyahu called Hamas “savages” and has vowed to unleash a retaliation that will “echo for generations.” Gaza residents were warned to “get out or die.” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said “we are fighting animals, and we will act accordingly.” The NY Post quoted a senior Israeli defense official as warning that Gaza will be “wiped out and reduced to a ‘city of tents.’ “
- There is a risk that Hezbollah, located off Israel’s northern border in Lebanon could open a second front, which would be a dangerous escalation. .
- It is obvious that Iran has been complicit. There is strong evidence that it has provided training, financing, expertise and perhaps encouragement to the terrorists. There may not be” proof” that would stand up in a court of law, but the inferences are pretty strong. Nevertheless, Biden and his staff have refused to admit it and address it.
- Biden’s actions have been lukewarm. First, he waited two days to speak out. It seemed he had a barbeque to host. When he finally surfaced, he got a failing grade. Yes, he did say “we stand with Israel” and “the US has Israel’s back.” But, he failed to go further and acknowledge Iran’s complicity. Also, he failed to resume sanctions and re-freeze the $6 billion. Finally, he failed to address and condemn the anti-Semitic sentiments recently expressed by many people, even some in his own party. Based on Biden’s past actions it is fair to wonder if he will back up those assurances of support should the time come.
- What will Biden do about the American hostages. Will he negotiate their return, or will he abandon them as he did the Americans left behind in Afghanistan? And, what will his response be regarding the Americans that were slain?
- After two days of silence former presidents Clinton and Obama finally condemned the terrorists’ attacks. Better late than never, I suppose.
- Few celebrities and no women’s groups that I am aware of have commented. Their silence is deafening.
- Biden has been placating Iran since he took office. For instance, he resurrected the ill-advised nuclear deal, relaxed sanctions which had been very effective in controlling Iran, and unfroze some $6 billion of its oil revenues. His actions have exuded weakness and indecisiveness, have emboldened Iran, made it rich and therefore have enabled the latest terrorist attacks. Everyone else, from the public, the media, and even politicians in his own party seem to realize this and have begged him to re-freeze the $6 billion (although five Dem senators who have done so are, coincidentally, up for re-election in 2024). So far, he has refused to do so. He and his advisors have insisted that the money will only be spent for “humanitarian” purposes. Apparently, they don’t realize, or think we don’t realize that money, is fungible. Moreover, in his wishy-washy comments the other day he failed to condemn Iran or even acknowledge its responsibility.
- Rob Malley, Biden’s special envoy to Iran, is under FBI investigation for various permissive actions and appeasements toward Iran.
- Another Biden legacy is that many of the weapons we abandoned in the botched Afghanistan pull-out have resurfaced with Hamas and other terrorist groups.
- CNN has reported that US intelligence has indicated that Iran’s leadership was “caught by surprise” by the attacks. Yeah, right.
- The barbaric and horrific nature of the attacks is unprecedented in modern warfare. Women, children, babies, the infirmed and the elderly were wantonly slaughtered and beheaded. The exact number is unknown. Hundreds of hostages were taken to endure God knows what. Even hardened soldiers and journalists, who have seen war’s brutality have been horrified beyond words. Some did not have the words to describe what they saw. Mor Radmi, an Israeli reality star, broke down into tears over a terrorist who murdered a man and sent a video of it to his mother. During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby got so emotional he was actually fighting back tears
- There have been some acts of kindness and compassion. For example, so far Israel has mobilized some 360,000 reservists with more likely to come. Some Israeli reservists domiciled in the US are voluntarily returning to Israel to fight. The airlines are charging $900 per ticket, which, by the way, I find unconscionable. In any event, it has been reported that one man went to JFK hung out near the ticket counter and purchased some 250 plane tickets for those reservists. That’s in excess of $200,000 folks.
- The NY Post reported that Israeli air strikes killed three senior members of Hamas.
- So far, the war has resulted in some 1,200 Israelis and eleven Americans dead.
- Hamas is holding some 150 hostages. Qatari mediators are trying to negotiate their release, perhaps in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons.
- Hospitals in the war zone have been overwhelmed. Most of the wounded were sent to the Soroka Medical Center, located some 25 miles west of Gaza. CEO Dr. Shlomi Codish has characterized the injuries he has seen as “unprecedented.” He added that in the first 18 hours they saw 700 people and treated them literally “under fire.” Workers have been working 36-hour shifts. Many of them have not received any news regarding their own families. Due to overcrowding some surgeries had to be performed right in the emergency room. Some wounded actually walked to the hospital on their own. With all that, out of 700 patients only 18 died. Those people are truly heroes.
- There have been several pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel rallies both in the US and abroad. In addition, several US politicians have come out in support of the Palestinians or have refrained from criticizing their actions. For example, Rep. Rashida Tlaib has found it necessary to display a large Palestinian flag outside her office. Rep. Ilhan Omar characterized Israel’s planned retaliation as a “war crime.” In response to those comments Rep. Mike Lawler retorted “you are out of your mind and unfit to serve in the House of Representatives.” Good for him. In Sydney protesters chanted offensive slogans such as “Allah Akbar” and “gas the Jews.”
- Amid all the horror there were some instances of heroism. For example, retired ex-IDF major general Noam Tibon travelled ten hours through the war zone to rescue his family, which was trapped in their home. He told them “trust me. I will come [to rescue you],” and he did. Inbal Lieberman, the security coordinator for Kibbutz Nir Am, organized resistance to repel some two dozen terrorists who were attacking.
CONCLUSION
So, where do we go from here? That is the $64,000 question to which I have no answer. I don’t think anyone does for certain. I see two issues. With respect to the war unless cooler heads prevail among world leaders there is a real risk of an expanded conflict either regionwide or worldwide. Also, some maniac may opt to use nuclear weapons.
The sticky point is the hostages. As I said, Israel will retaliate. They always have. Israel must retaliate to deter future attacks. In that event Hammas has vowed to murder the hostages. They always do in the most brutal manner. It will be very difficult to rescue the hostages. We don’t know their precise location or even if they are still in the tunnels. As I said, that is the sticky point.
Perhaps equally frightening is the rise of anti-Semitism both in the US and the world at large. Those who know history are aware that it has been extant for some 5,000 years. Most of the time it has been bubbling just below the surface only to break out into the open in times of crisis. This war has given “cover” for antisemites to express their hidden feelings. Make no mistake. Anti-Israel sentiments are code for anti-Semitism. Once again, bigots want to blame the Jews for events. I believe that issue may be impossible to resolve fully.
We Built It Blog by Larry Jacob 