Rekindling the Vision

The appalling news that the IDF have recovered the bodies of six hostages, murdered by Hamas days before their discovery, once again underlines the nature of the terrorist opponents of Israel. However much one wants to believe dialogue is possible with people who do not share any semblance of the Judaea-Christian moral code, the facts speak for themselves: you cannot expect a meeting of minds when one side is totally committed to the genocide of the Jewish People. Netanyahu, with all his faults accepted, is a realist and just as the West acknowledged ISIL had to be destroyed because negotiations were impossible, so the war has to go on until the threat to Israel’s security is neutralized. The West, as Colonel Richard Kemp has repeatedly said, should wake up to the realization that Israel’s enemies are its enemies. Israel is used to taking flak from those countries that have sacrificed their moral compass for political expediency. She cannot allow herself to be bamboozled into agreeing terms with her enemies that will undermine her ability to defend her citizens. So the unfair criticism of Israel’s war aims will continue, and she will act in her own interest, as, indeed, all nations do; that is if you apply equity when discussing international issues.

One cannot imagine the torment and distress of the families of those held hostage. Yes, it is right they express their heartfelt hopes that all remaining captives will be released, but how to achieve this end is down to the judgement of the military and its political masters. It would be madness for any Israeli politician to accede to the demands of those campaigning for a ceasefire, in the misguided belief that Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran would then play by a rule book they cannot understand. Demonstrations against Netanyahu are not helpful; they encourage the enemy to exploit disunity within Israeli society. In war, political divisions have to be put to one side, otherwise the effort in trying to defeat opponents is wasted on infighting. However painful it is this is the time for all Israelis to unite behind their government in a concerted effort to defeat Hamas and its allies. The IDF have rescued a number of hostages and using intelligence it will, no doubt, discover others, hopefully still alive. But, sadly, however hard it is to accept there will be other hostages that have been and will be murdered by Hamas. The more disagreement there is in Israel the greater the risk of losing the war, and the consequences of doing that are unimaginable. 

What of post-war Israel? The schism in Israeli society, just like in western democracies, is the biggest challenge for the survival of the Jewish state. The cohesion that was the backbone of the fledgling Zionist state has given way to individualism. Collective responsibility has evaporated and the “me, me” society is paramount. The divide between secular and religious Jews has become the focus of many commentators; in many ways Israel is four countries: non-religious, religious, settlers and Palestinians. All citizens should have a vested interest in maintaining the health of the state, and those wishing to put attendance at Yeshivot above fighting in support of their country should be shamed. These divisions, societal and political, have created more problems than solutions; there has to be a rethink about Israel’s future. As things stand right now, the seeds of self-destruction are of more concern than terrorism. How to bridge the gap between those who want to live in a pluralist democracy with those who yearn for some kind of theocracy is not easy to resolve. In some respects, these divisions have been allowed to go unchecked for too long, and it is only recently that the fault lines in Israeli society have become evident to those living outside the country. Whether the politicians have the will to reshape Israel to offset the internal strife is debatable.

In the aftermath of this terrible war Israel has to mend bridges, reigniting the Abraham Accords of 2020, and work toward bringing Saudi Arabia into the family of friendly nations. The more that is achieved on the diplomatic front and through military alliance with those Arab states that genuinely want peace, then the less potent Iran will become. If there is ever to be a solution to the Palestinian issue, then Israel, in concert with her Arab neighbors will have to work together; rather than wasting time with the United Nations and other international bodies that have proved themselves, time and again, as unreliable and patently biased. If a  sustainable plan to accommodate the Palestinians in what they can legitimately call a sovereign state is to be achieved, then it has to be somewhere other than the West Bank or Gaza. Those advocating the creation of a demonstrably hostile entity on Israel’s border need to take a rain check on the declared aims of the various terrorists groups sponsored by Iran; then, perhaps, they would acknowledged that such an agreement is suicidal!