Should Israel Back Down?
In An Overwhelming Response - Not According to Israelis
I have read many misconceptions of the “Israeli mentality” here in Substack, in social networks, and on the web. Some are infused with the attitude that was prevalent 20+ years ago, when many Israelis thought it was possible to come to a peace agreement with the Palestinians, Hamas, Hizbollah, and all the rest. I have even seen mention of the defunct “Peace Now” movement and quotations, articles, and announcements going back 20-40 years to prove this point.
Many have decided to dredge old forgotten books out of the dust bins and quote from them as if they are relevant to the situation today. It is like buying an apple and getting an orange instead. The comparison is impossible. The quotes are long forgotten and dead.
There is something I need to stress. Something that is genuinely not getting through to many individuals who consider themselves enlightened, intellectual, and wordsmiths out there.
The Israel you knew and thought you understood until 6:29 AM on October 7 no longer exists. It is hard for me even to write the above sentence. Yet that is reality. That Israel is gone.
Is that good? Is that worse? I honestly cannot tell you and probably will never be able to decide, as it will take 20 to 30 years to determine the answer.
Do not judge Israel today by a trip you made to some Kibbutz, on a visit, or a pilgrimage in the 80s, 90s, or even in 2023 before 6:29 AM on October 7 with the same glasses you look at Israel today.
I have written this over and over again.
There is a Before & After. This defines our measure of time. This defines our measure of events unfolding. This defines who we are, how we think, and how we react.
I wrote the following in my newsletter on November 16th, 2023.
The left-wing, though internationally renowned paper in Israel is known as Haaretz. This means, in English, “the land.” Over the years, it has become highly left-wing, though everyone still reads it in one form or another.
Just to put this in perspective.
In 2022, a TGI survey indicated that Israel Hayom, distributed for free, is Israel's most read newspaper, with a 31% weekday readership exposure, followed by Yedioth Ahronoth, with 23.9%, Haaretz with 4.7%, and Maariv with 3.5%.1
So you can see it does not have much of the market. But despite all that, it is still a respected newspaper, in and out of Israel.
So when Haaretz delivers the following headline,2 one takes notice.
75% of Jewish Israelis Reject U.S. Demand to Shift Gaza War to New Phase, Poll Finds
56% of Arab respondents said Israel should accede to U.S. pressure, with a majority of Jews on the left also agreeing that the war should be shifted toward precise targeting of Hamas leaders
A bit from the article:
Israelis reject U.S. pressure to shift the war in Gaza to a phase with less heavy bombing in populated areas by a ratio of 2-1, according to an Israel Democracy Institute poll whose results were published on Tuesday.
Sixty-six percent of the respondents opposed following Washington's advice, with a significant split between Jews and Arabs and between Jews on the left and the right.
Only 23 percent answered that Israel should agree to the U.S. demand "that Israel shifts to a different phase of the war in Gaza, with an emphasis on reducing the heavy bombing of densely populated areas."
A full 75 percent of Jewish respondents said Israel should ignore the U.S. pressure, while 56 percent of Arabs said Israel should do as the U.S. asks. A majority of Jews on the left supported shifting to a new phase, while only a minority agreed in the center and right.
The Israel Democracy Institute is also a well-respected organization. However, without trying to be cynical, if they published a poll reporting 75% as the figure who supports Israel’s war, I would automatically add to that. This is just based on my experience. Many reports have the numbers at above 90%. But, for the sake of argument here, I will accept the 75% range.
So, on the 89th day of the war, a war like no other Isrwel has fought, and after so many deaths, still, an overwhelming majority of Israelis are behind Israel’s response. Let me just put that in perspective for you.
Since October 7th:
826 Civilians have been killed
485 Soldiers have been killed
59 Police have been killed
13 Emergency Services Personnel have been killed
These numbers are all taken from official figures printed in Haaretz, so one cannot fault me for bloating them.3
And still, the overwhelming majority says, “Do Not Stop!”
Now, I need to lead you on a journey. Please follow the pieces, as they all have occurred in the past 24-48 hours.
Something else happened yesterday that I am not sure the meaning of the action has actually gotten across.
Saleh al-Arouri, the number one target on Israel’s hit list for years, was finally slain. This is not something to put on a checklist from the war. This is an event whose ramifications will be felt in the coming weeks. As the Jerusalem Post reported today:4
'Number one target': Shin Bet's growing role against al-Arouri, Hamas leaders
Hamas’s slain deputy leader outside of Gaza, Saleh al-Arouri, was the number one target of a special Shin Bet unit established to target the terrorist organization's operatives abroad, Walla military correspondent Amir Bohbot reported Wednesday morning.
Writing on the social media platform X, Bohbot said that the Israel security agency has become more active in Israel's general operation against the Hamas terrorist organization, be it in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, or abroad.
"Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar recently spoke on the issue of expanding the responsibilities" of the agency and its "intent to reach all Hamas leaders anywhere in the world, including in Lebanon."
But who is Saleh al-Arouri, and why is his death so earth-shattering? He was the brains behind the brawn. He was the architect of all of Hamas.5
The killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut is a game changing event and represents the end of an era for his Hamas organization.
For decades Hamas has enjoyed growing impunity for its crimes.
For instance, its leaders became increasingly active abroad, moving between Doha, Beirut and Ankara. After October 7, Hamas was also successful in getting many countries not to condemn their crimes against humanity. For instance, Russia, China, Turkey and other key countries did not condemn the Hamas attack.
Hamas has also enjoyed impunity from international organizations. It was able to built up a terror tunnel empire in Gaza in part because it got funding from abroad and because a plethora of organizations were willing to deal with health care and essential services.
The Palestinian Authority even paid salaries in Gaza, despite the fact that Hamas had forced it out of the Strip in 2007. The entire situation was strange. Hamas, a terrorist group, ran Gaza as if it was a government. Its leadership was hosted in Doha, the capital of Qatar, which is a major non-NATO ally of the US. By hosting Hamas, Doha actually got increased status as a Western ally. Turkey, a member of NATO, has also hosted Hamas leaders over the years for meetings.
But now Arouri is gone. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has said that Hamas “will never be defeated," after the assassination of its deputy leader in Lebanon by Israel. "A movement whose leaders and founders fall as martyrs for the dignity of our people and our nation will never be defeated," Haniyeh said on Tuesday evening.
Let us go to Haaretz as well.6
Coordinated With Sinwar, Tied to Hezbollah: Who Was Top Hamas Leader Saleh al-Arouri?
Saleh al-Arouri, who was killed in Lebanon on Tuesday in what is thought to be an Israeli assassination, was the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau as well as the man in charge of the organization's military wing in the West Bank.
He was considered very influential within Hamas, due mainly to his efforts to develop a military network in the West Bank and his residence in Lebanon, where he was in close contact with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. He and Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in the Gaza Strip, were thought to share the same strategic worldview.
But he was in Israels’ sights all along. We do not forget. One by one, Israel will remove these monsters from the land of the living.
Once he was announced killed in Lebanon, Israel went from a stance of slowly letting out some units from Gaza to code red. Everyone is waiting for the reaction of Hizbollah and Iran. And tonight, when Nasrallah speaks, we may hear what he thinks. But no one knows. That is the truth. No one knows if he will escalate or just keep on lobbing 10 missiles into Israel a day and killing us.
As the head of Shin-Bet announced:7
The head of the Mossad spy agency David Barnea declared Wednesday that anyone involved in carrying out Hamas’s October 7 onslaught “signed his own death warrant,” a day after the terror group’s deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an alleged Israeli strike in Beirut.
Barnea made the comment at the funeral of former Mossad chief Zvi Zamir, likening Israel’s ongoing declared mission to eliminate Hamas’s leaders to the decades-long operation — launched by the late spy chief — to hunt down the Palestinian terrorists responsible for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Then what happens? The obvious, of course. It was predictable.
This is the headline from the Jerusalem Post.8
Iranian media vows retaliation to Israeli killing of Saleh al-Arouri
That was definitely predictable. And just a few hours ago, a bomb went off in a cemetery in Iran at a memorial for another terrorist. As the email for the NYT states:
Dozens Reported Killed in Iran in Blasts Near Spymaster’s Tomb
The explosions, according to Iranian state media, took place at a ceremony commemorating Qassim Suleimani, the top commander killed by a U.S. drone strike four years ago.
Have you followed the pieces? Are you getting the connections?
And still, the overwhelming majority says, “Do Not Stop!”
Can anyone not sitting in Israel at this very moment possibly understand this mindset? Do you not yet get it?
If the Yom Kippur war was our December 7th, then October 7th was our 9/11. But the difference, the slight, itty-bitty difference, is that our enemies are sitting on our borders or inside of our border. At least those that can do damage to us.
I have written article following article about what happened here. Tens of thousands have done so on social networks, Substack, and websites. No, we cannot compete with the Hamas propaganda engine. At least not yet. We will get there as well.
October 7 is beyond your imagination. Even if you have the permission, stomach, and nerve to watch that famous 43-minute video, it will still be beyond your imagination. It is beyond your thought process.
We cannot ignore it as yesterday’s news. We cannot defend it. We cannot intellectualize it. We cannot do anything but fight it. Any other option is suicide for Israel.
Now, I am sure many would love that solution. You would love to see Zionism disappear into the dustbin of history. And many would love to see Israel pushed into the sea.
But guess what? We are here to stay. And we do not forget. Nor will we forgive this time. Nor will we remain silent. Nor will we do something counterintuitive to our continued existence.
Do you want peace? Get Hamas to give up—all of them. Simple as all that.
And beware. What happened to Saleh al-Arouri will happen, without a shadow of a doubt, to every Hamas leader. That is not a threat. It is a solemn promise.
You see, 89 days have gone by.
And still, the overwhelming majority says, “Do Not Stop!”
Newspapers in Israel. (2023, May 9). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspapers_in_Israel
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01-02/ty-article/75-of-jewish-israelis-reject-u-s-demand-to-shift-gaza-war-to-new-phase-poll-finds/0000018c-caa4-d4e1-ad8f-feb5bdda0000
https://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-explains/2023-10-19/ty-article-magazine/israels-dead-the-names-of-those-killed-in-hamas-massacres-and-the-israel-hamas-war/0000018b-325c-d450-a3af-7b5cf0210000
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-780550
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-780537
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01-02/ty-article/.premium/coordinated-with-sinwar-tied-to-hezbollah-who-was-hamas-official-saleh-al-arouri/0000018c-cbb3-d4e1-ad8f-ffb31c580000
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mossad-chief-those-who-took-part-in-oct-7-massacre-signed-their-own-death-warrant/
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-780532
Evil must be answered wherever it rears its ugly head. I will continue to listen to Israel’s answers, and take some small comfort from the fact that there will be some justice in this world.
Do not stop. First comes Saturday then comes Sunday. Their pining for their grand push yo return requires getting rid of all non believers. At this point, it is clear they will stop at nothing. The USA is do infiltrated and our young people so ignorant (lacking knowledge - acts) it's madness yo even consider stopping now. Anyone who values and treasures life needs to understand they are warring for keeps. Prayer and fasting shape history. Without the one true God western civilization is doomed.