America Unspun

“shem hitaskanu beanyanim harurim shlanu”  This is a Google translation into Hebrew of the saying, “There we were, minding our own damned business”.  Today is the eve of the anniversary of October 7, 2023, arguably Israel’s iteration of America’s own September 11^th.  In the early hours of that day, the military wing of the terrorist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.  They invaded homes and killed the occupants.  They attacked a music festival where they took hostages and killed whomever they could. 

Israel reacted very quickly and about 4 hours later began a counterattack in Gaza. The Israeli Air Force began bombing targets in Gaza, and the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), reserves included, was fully mobilized.  The Israelis began a full-scale effort to both kill as many members of Hamas as they could and to rescue the hostages.  To date, Israel has rescued 8 hostages and 119 have been released by Hamas.  Four (4) of these were simply released and 105 were released as part of an exchange deal.  Additionally, thirty-seven (37) bodies have been recovered, 3 of which were the victims of friendly fire from the IDF. 

A year later, the conflict continues.  The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin “BiBi” Netanyahu has remained steadfast in his pursuit of Hamas and has also branched out by targeting Hezbollah targets as well.  The Israelis have done a fantastic job of finding and killing as many terrorists as possible.  They have hunted them in Gaza, Iran, and now Lebanon.  Netanyahu has steadfastly pursued the decision-makers and leaders responsible for the attacks on Israel. 

Sadly many civilians have been killed, wounded, and displaced as a result of this ongoing conflict.  Many blame the Israelis for the wounding and death of Palestinian civilians – men, women, and children.  This is terrible and I wish it had not happened but I contend that the Israelis have no other choice.  They face an existential threat from terrorist groups that are woven into the fabric of the society in which they exist.  The Palestinian people are either involved with these terrorist groups or are so afraid of them that they dare not talk about them.  This is not random, it is by design.  Hamas and Hezbollah know that they cannot stand up against the IDF in a toe to toe fight.  They must hide amongst the populace to survive, and the IDF must strike them where they are to eliminate them.

I am not Israeli and I am not Jewish.  I am, however, a combat veteran and understand the stark reality that Israel faces in the fight for survival in a region where it is surrounded by people who wish to destroy it.  Israel must stay the course.  The IDF must continue to root out and kill every member of Hamas and Hezbollah they can find.  While they have killed many of them, they have not killed nearly enough.  They must continue to level Gaza block by block until not one brick is stacked upon another and every terrorist tunnel and hiding place is discovered, exposed, exploited, and destroyed.  They must either kill every member of Hezbollah and Hamas or they must make harboring them painfully untenable to the Palestinian people. 

This is harsh, I know.  Terrorism is also harsh, and to (mis)quote the popular phrase, “Everybody wants to be a gangster until it is time to do gangster stuff.”  I suspect Hamas, Hezbollah, and now Iran all wish they had left the Israelis alone.