Could’ve Should’ve Would’ve: It’s now a matter of must

We often only appreciate the nature of historical events long after they have occurred. Such is the reality regarding the 7th October 2023 when an onslaught like no other befell the people of Israel by Hamas terrorists. Looking back, while the trauma and loss still linger and the ongoing war with Gaza seems to find no end in sight, we now need solutions. A judicial state board of enquiry is clearly the way of moving beyond the trauma: ultimately I believe it will happen despite every effort by Netanyahu’s government to avoid, delay and dismiss this process.

We also need closure.

To start with, the view of Netanyahu and his government was that Hamas was contained. In hindsight the revealing evidence that stacks of money in cash were handed over to Hamas, partly by Israel itself and later by a roundabout method routing the cash via fuel distribution in Sinai, is, today, both unbelievable and bizarre. Not even a fool would think that the millions going into Gaza were merely for keeping the leadership there and the population, content, fed and complacent. Yet such was the concept from top leadership down to the lower echelons of government. Whether this complacency, nay malfeasance, bothered neither the minds, conscience and insight of those in power and in the defense establishment at large remains a question yet unanswered. However it seems that the understanding of the critical issues as large were either put aside in favor of constrained logical thinking in the multiple echelons of leadership and power. The brutal threat of some form of attack from Gaza was clearly understood. Yet the vast network of tunnels dug by Hamas was perceived as some plan whereby terrorists would burrow through to Israel underground. A wall below ground surface was, we have heard, thus installed to prevent this. Yet the weak fencing and low level military presence on the ground were somehow seen as minor. And then of course there was the bizarre disabuse of facts handed to senior intelligence by the military sentries who saw the build-up of an invasion. It seems as though a “concept” and kind of dogma, spread both from the intelligence community and political leadership, thus seeping into the military –  that no major crisis of defense could emerge from Gaza. Netanyahu as prime minister had one prioritized job above all the others. To keep our country and our people safe. The military had one prioritized job above all: to ensure the safety and defense of the citizens of Israel and to fight, prevent and ward off invasion. Both failed. 

We citizens today are all older, wiser, and wounded in spirit. We need both healing and empowerment. The cost of this war, over and above the financial burden is vast: soldiers wounded and dying for what seems to be a war without an end; reserve duty’s heavy cost in absence from the work and home environment; the economic strain on business, homes and industry and more…

It must be brought to an end. Not out of desperation. We are strong people. But we need closure here…which of course brings us to the deep wound in Israeli society: the remaining hostages. What could have taken place days after October the 7th – a full and complete hostages – prisoners swap and which may well have prevented this long war, may also have lessened our condemnation abroad – the sweeping antisemitism in what we all believed to be western temples of freedom and liberty. All this is a festering wound: solutions and healing are urgently required. 

With the return of the hostages, clearly a state judicial commission of enquiry is really the only solution to opening this wound, exposing the hard issues and bringing some form of resolve. We cannot have the very officers of government, who bear responsibility for this crisis judging themselves. Nor can military commissions, no matter how thorough, take the place of a civilian investigation by a judicial non-prejudiced team of experts.

And what better time is there now that the conflict with Iran – the very perpetrators of Middle East fanaticism and the chief financiers of terror – are at least now weakened and held to judgment by the world at large?

There are just a few steps needed to reach this goal: 

And an end to the war in Gaza: that will require a complete cessation of hostilities, a full exchange of prisoners and hostages, and a “hudna” (an armistice for a long period of several years) during which a joint Middle East force (possibly together with an international force) that polices and controls civilian life in Gaza devoid of Hamas rule. The latter is a challenging issue: the politics of Palestinian leadership and the influence of Middle Eastern neighbors is clearly required but Israel itself is limited in this reach yet there are subjects and leaders who have a vision for Gaza and can take this role. 

With the matter of Iran, now weakened, behind us we need to look forward with creative solutions.