From Karma to Renewal in the Middle East

Iran’s proxy war is rebounding – and Israel now has an opportunity for renewal

It’s called Karma, baby
And it goes around
What goes around comes around
What goes up must come down

– Alicia Keys, Karma (2003)

If you thought Usain Bolt was fast, you’ve obviously never met my wife. She has no track & field training, but when that missile alert goes off, there is no way the Jamaican sprinter beats her into the mamad. She’d leave Usain in the dust on some desert road near Flagstaff, AZ, jaw on the floor: Roadrunner vs. Wile E. Coyote.

In our 4m² walk-in closet, which doubles as our mamad, everyone has carved out their place. My brother, visiting from Toronto and the eldest in the room, gets the chair. My niece inserts her earplugs and crawls into the nook, her dog Halo pressed against her. He’s lovable alright, but a heavy breather in a room with poor airflow. Two of my three boys, when they’re home, sprawl half-dressed across the floor. And me, frantically searching for the Wi-Fi signal, wedged between my wife and the dresser.

The first few minutes are the worst: a relentless hell-symphony of alerts, followed by a tense silence. Then come the booms. Some distant, but occasionally they come close…too close. As they recede, a sense of relief. In those minutes before the all-clear is received, I find myself thinking about what may be the strongest force in the social universe.

Not DiCaprio’s Law of Romantic Relativity – where time passes normally for everyone except Leo’s girlfriends, nor Tucker Carlson’s Law of Conspiratorial Conservation – where disproven theories reappear elsewhere, larger, angrier, and with more ominous music.

No, I’m thinking of the Karma Rebound Law:

Karma Rebound = Bad Deeds × Arrogance × Time

The longer someone behaves badly while feeling untouchable, the larger the eventual correction. In simpler terms: karma’s a bitch.

For 47 years, Iran methodically built a “ring of fire” around Israel, its own version of the 1972 hit single Stuck in the Middle With You by Stealers Wheel.

Sing it:
“Hamas to the south of us, Hezbollah to the north—here I am…”

Iran’s strategy rested on five pillars, the 5 “H’s”:

H1: Hamas
The events of 10/7, though unimaginable, set the Karma Rebound in motion. Even before that day, Hamas had fired over 25,000 rockets at Israel, all after Gaza went Judenrein in 2005, including the exhumation of Jewish graves. Dara Horn would know that Hamas doesn’t even Love Dead Jews. They built the world’s largest terror tunnel network with one goal: to destroy Israel from below.

After nearly two years of brutal urban warfare, Hamas has been largely dismantled as a fighting force. Tragically, Gaza lies in ruins, but the infrastructure of terror has been shattered.

H2: Hezbollah
Over three decades, Iran built Hezbollah into the largest non-state army in the world. Not wanting to be outdone, Hezbollah entered the fray on October 8 firing thousands of rockets at Israel. What resulted was a severe miscalculation. Their leadership has been decimated, their rocket arsenal degraded to the point where they are a shadow of their former self. Still dangerous, continued pressure may finally propel the Lebanese state, long too weak to assert control, to reclaim its sovereignty.

H3: Hafez Assad’s Descendants
Few predicted how quickly the Assad regime would collapse in the aftermath of Hezbollah’s weakening. For 55 years, the Assads ran their country into the ground – gassing their own people, fueling civil war, and aligning with Iran against Israel. That regime is now gone.

H4: Houthis
Let’s just say that any organization whose mantra includes “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews” is unlikely to produce a flourishing society. After launching ballistic missiles from 2,000 km away, the Houthis have somehow managed to sink themselves even further back in time.

H5: Head of the Snake
The circle has closed. For decades, Iran operated with near immunity, funding and directing proxies while avoiding direct consequences. That equation has broken and the fight has reached its source. Iran’s leadership has been hit, its air and naval capabilities under constant attack, and much of its missile infrastructure degraded. While the future remains uncertain, the illusion of untouchability is gone, and its threat to the region is now fully exposed.

But war, no matter how justified, leaves its mark on a country’s own karma.

Israel’s leadership has much to answer for. The failures leading to 10/7, the strategic doctrine that preceded it, and the internal divisions sown by the government before the attack have exacted a heavy price. Two and a half years of war have deepened that toll, physically and psychologically.

If we are to break this negative cycle and move toward a virtuous one, we will need to focus inward as much as outward. I would propose we invest in our own 5 “H’s”:

H1. Hachlamah (Recovery)
We need a comprehensive national recovery plan: physical, mental, and societal. It should begin with an independent investigation into 10/7 to ensure accountability and extract lessons. Beyond that, we must invest heavily, alongside global Jewish communities, in long-term trauma care for a population that will carry these scars for years. And finally, we must enact broad-consensus governance with clearer lines of legislative and judicial authority.

H2. Hitgaysut (Mobilization)
Service must be universal. Every citizen – mainstream Jewish, Arab, Haredi – should contribute through military or national service. No broad exemptions. This is not just about fairness; it’s about cohesion. Shared responsibility builds shared identity and the economic, civic, and social dividends will be enormous.

H3. Heskemei Shalom (Peace Agreements)
This war has unmasked Iran and we have the potential to build peaceful alliances that reshape the Middle East.  A strong, confident country is one that extends an olive branch to its neighbors – starting with Saudi Arabia and extending to Lebanon (defanged of Hezbollah) and Syria. Perhaps such momentum could push Palestinian leadership toward responsibility, away from maximalism and hateful indoctrination, toward building a future for their people.

H4. Haskalah (Education)
Our education system is broken. Standards must be created and a meritocratic culture built. Teacher training needs upgrading and they need to be paid properly, rewarded for excellence, and held accountable. All Jewish students should learn Arabic. Haredi students must study math, science, and English. And Arab Israelis should receive stronger civics education.

H5. Hi-Tech
Israel’s innovation engine ought to be accelerated through domestic and foreign investment. Hi-tech is not just an economic driver, it’s a societal unifier that creates opportunity across all sectors, exporting value throughout the region.

If we commit to these five pillars, perhaps we can break the negative karma cycle Iran spent decades constructing and begin building a virtuous one that reshapes Israeli society, strengthens the Jewish people, and stabilizes the Middle East.

And who knows, maybe I’ll even get my walk-in closet back with the window open.