An easy analogy to understand the Israel-Chamas War

Just imagine a crime family decides to invade a bank.

They kill guards and customers, take hostages, smuggle out money, refuse to surrender, and dream to do it again and again until no branch is left.

Meanwhile, people everywhere begin furious demonstrations. How dare a SWAT (special weapons and tactics) team terrorize bank robbers? They don’t have a bank of their own. They are the victims! They report their family goes through hell. (There’s no way to verify their claim objectively.)

In the meantime, less-hostile cities also want an end to the onslaught. Yes, they regret the violence, but, at least, let’s give them their own bank.

The National Confederation of Banks has long been infiltrated by crime families, and many are kind of robbers, too. They also blame the police.

Many rich but naïve people deeply sympathize with the robbers, though they themselves would be totally unsafe when close to them.

Other crime families express their solidarity and try to storm other banks. They are more amateurish and unprepared and are quickly beaten back.

Right-wing city council members want the crime family elders arrested to pressure them to order a halt to the robbery. Yet, left-wing city council members insist the head of the police is the cause of the stalemate.

Families of the killed and kidnapped start blaming the head of police. Why is he not more flexible in getting the people out? They only want to go free and have all their jailed family members released. Does he have no heart?

Rather than the thieves, they fault the lax security as if they caused this.

The head of the police refuses to give in to any sentimentality or short-term answer. We need quiet and safety in the streets, but based on justice, not on colluding with the criminals. Few comprehend it, but he persists.

However, other cities are slow to understand that if you give them any power, all the other banks will be next. When will they wake up?

Legend in order of appearance for those who still need it:

The crime family = Chamas
Invades a bank = invades Israel
The guards and customers = Israeli security and citizens
Takes hostages = takes hostages
Smuggle out money = target Israelis and use Gazans as human shields
Refuse to surrender = refuse to surrender
Dream to do it again and again = dream to do it again and again
Until no branch is left = until no Jews are left and they reign the world
The SWAT team = the IDF
Terrorize = declare war on
They have no bank of their own = they have no State of their own
They are the victims = they are the underdogs, the victims
Their family goes through hell = there are thousands of innocent dead
Less-hostile cities = Allied nations
An end to the onslaught = a ceasefire/an end to the war
The National Confederation of Banks = the UN
Kind of robbers too = ruthless dictators themselves
Rich but naïve people = Gay and Jewish Chamas supporters
Other crime families = Chezbollah, Fatach (the PA), the Chuthis, Islamic Jihad, ISIS, Iran, and other Anti-Zionist regimes
Storm other banks = Iran’s attack, Chezbollah’s attacks, the Chuthis’ attacks, Fatach’s attacks, ISIS attack attempts, Islamic Jihad attacks
City council members = politicians
Crime family elders arrested = attack Iran and Qatar
To go free = The war against them to stop
Have all their jailed family members released = prisoner ‘exchange’
Head of the police = PM Netanyahu
Families of the killed and kidnapped = families of soldiers and hostages
They fault the lax security as having caused this = calling Israelis guilty
Other cities = other countries
Other banks = the West Bank, Lebanon, Europe, the US

About the Author

MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. * Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. * Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. * He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. * He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. * His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. * To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. * His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1