Fifty-five years ago, I was a carefree 14-year-old. That changed when I was hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and held hostage in the Jordanian desert with my family. Those experiences shaped my understanding of terrorism and the global response to Israel’s struggle for survival.

The Three Laws of Thermodynamics describe how energy moves and how physical systems behave. With a doctoral degree in the sciences, I approach policy analytically and apply fundamental scientific laws. Over 55 years of observation, I developed the laws of ZionDynamics based on empirical evidence. Applying these laws explains why Israel and the United States face continuous attack.

Like the Laws of Thermodynamics, the laws of ZionDynamics explain the past and predict the future. Unlike the Laws of Thermodynamics, which no one can breach and which hold true under all circumstances, the Laws of ZionDynamics are artificial and leaders can breach them. They must be breached!

These are the laws and examples of their application:

Zeroth Law: Israel is not allowed to win.

Whenever Israel fights its enemies—whether a battle, war, or skirmish—the international community moves to block a decisive Israeli victory.

In 1948, Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria signed the Armistice Agreements, and international actors did not force the countries that attacked Israel to surrender. That set the stage for further aggression.

In 1967, 1973, 2005, 2014, and again now, international actors forced a cease-fire on Israel just as she approached decisive victory.

In 1967, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 236, which demanded an immediate halt to hostilities.

In 1973, the Israel Defense Forces encircled Egypt’s Third Army—stranded east of the Suez Canal about 100 km from Cairo—and stood a mere 35 km from Damascus. The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 338, calling for a cease-fire within 12 hours and direct negotiations, which prevented Israel from achieving decisive victory.

In 2005 and 2014, international actors imposed cease-fires that prevented Israel from destroying Hamas once and for all. That pressure produced the policy of “mowing the grass”. That is: respond, temporarily reduce Hamas’s capabilities, withdraw, and wait for the next attack.

The October 7 attack capped years of neglect. As Israel advanced toward victory, President Trump’s 20-point plan called for ending active combat and establishing a framework for a cease-fire and peace-building efforts.

Despite public declarations that Israel has the “right to defend herself,” simultaneous demands for restraint or a limited response effectively instruct Israel to block attacks but not strike back. The maxim “the best defense is a good offense” apparently does not apply to Israel.

Israel publicly reported that it thwarted a recent Hamas attempt to raid Israeli towns near the Lebanese border and kidnap Israelis into Lebanon. Hamas has stated since October 8 that it intends to repeat the October 7 massacre and kidnappings until it prevails.

By preventing decisive victory, the international community does not allow Israel to destroy Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis or Iran, which grants Israel’s attackers time to regroup, rebuild, and strike again. Her enemies avoid a devastating price and try again—not only against Israel but also against American forces in the region.

First Law: Israel is at fault.

When harm befalls Palestinians in Judea, Samaria, Gaza, Lebanon, or nearby areas, observers and officials immediately accuse and blame Israel.

Over the past 50 years, critics have accused Israel of racism, genocide, starvation, colonialism, attacks on civilians and war crimes, apartheid, pedophilia, and crimes against humanity, among others.

Advocates use these accusations to justify Hamas’s murder, rape, beheadings, burning alive, torture, and hostage taking of Israelis. Hamas exploited the generosity and goodwill of the murdered Israelis. Gazans whom Israelis welcomed into the area used that access to map attacks on specific locations and individuals.

Politicians, academics, students, UN officials, and employees cite these false accusations as justification for Hamas’s attacks; therefore, they insist the attacks are Israel’s fault.

Ten days into the war, an explosion occurred in the courtyard of al-Ahli Hospital. Commentators immediately accused Israel of a missile strike. Investigators later found that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad missile caused the blast, but few outlets issued corrections. Many still blame Israel for the incident.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reports approximately 69,169 deaths as of early November 2025. Even if one accepts that number—and despite its suspect source—and applies the generally acknowledged 1:1 ratio to estimate civilian deaths in this war, fewer than 35,000 civilians tragically died in the recent conflict. If Israel intended genocide, and given Israel’s demonstrated military capability in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Gaza itself, one would expect far higher civilian casualties.

If Israel intends genocide, why does she allow humanitarian aid, food, medicines, inoculations, water, and fuel to flow into Gaza?

South Africa canceled visa exemptions for Palestinian passport holders, alleging abuse by Israel. What abuse? Officials report that Palestinians arrived from Israel not for tourism or short stays but to relocate as refugees and then blame Israel for allowing relocation consistent with President Trump’s 20-point peace plan. South Africa’s hypocrisy about asylum for refugees pales in comparison to its eagerness to blame Israel.

Under the current cease-fire in Lebanon, the Lebanese army must disarm Hezbollah, and Israel may respond to violations by Hezbollah. Recently, Israel responded to a serious violation and fired at Hezbollah terrorists. UNIFIL accused Israel of firing at terrorists near UNIFIL, even though Israel did not target UNIFIL.

Blaming Israel—with the backing of other countries and UN agencies—encourages Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hezbollah, and others to murder Jews and harm their own people with impunity.

Second Law: Israel can never do enough.

Even during battle, Israel goes above and beyond accepted norms to prevent death and injury to innocent civilians. Yet critics rarely commend these efforts and often accuse Israel of failing to do enough.

To improve life in Gaza, Israel allowed billions of dollars from Qatar and other sources into the Strip. Authorities in Gaza did not use that money to improve ordinary Gazans’ lives. They did not build shelters or businesses. Instead, they built tunnels to attack Israel and hide hostages and funded forces to train for attacks that kill and kidnap Israeli civilians.

When Israel must strike areas where Hamas uses Gazans as human shields, Israel warns civilians in advance via phone calls, loudspeakers, and leaflets that an attack is imminent and urges them to seek shelter elsewhere. Israel even created safe zones and routes for relocation. Gazans report that Hamas prevents them from relocating to safe areas.

Israel announced it would allow Gazans to leave, but no country expressed a desire or even interest in accepting them. So much for worldwide humanitarianism!

Israel permitted thousands of trucks carrying food, vaccines, humanitarian aid, and fuel into Gaza and allowed water and electricity to flow. Although observers widely report that Hamas steals aid, critics still accuse Israel of denying aid and starving Gazans.

Israel encouraged and engaged the Gaza Humanitarian Fund to transfer aid directly to Gazans and bypass Hamas. Many governments criticized this approach.

A recent UNICEF report—no friend of Israel—found that obesity among Palestinian children and adults in Gaza exceeds levels in Israel. These findings indicate that Gazan children and adults have higher average body weight and obesity than Israelis. Yet the UN accuses Israel of causing starvation.

A former Gazan provided evidence that Hamas hoarded baby formula from humanitarian shipments that Israel enabled, preventing distribution to infants. Hamas intended to blame Israel for starving Gazan children, and many adopted that narrative. Critics still blame Israel.

Despite unprecedented efforts to permit thousands of trucks and tons of food, medicine, and other aid—something no other country has provided to its enemy during war—critics still insist Israel does not do enough. Also, see rule #1.

Third Law: Israel is not allowed to learn from history

The Jewish people—and Israel in particular—carry a long history both in Israel and in the diaspora. Leaders can learn many lessons, especially from the past century, but observers do not permit Israel to apply those lessons to prevent repetition.

Signed agreements with the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others, are not worth the paper they are written on. The Oslo agreement required the nascent Palestinian Authority to prevent attacks on Israelis. Instead, the PA tolerated, encouraged, and at times participated in those attacks.

President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority has promised many times to stop the “pay-for-slay” program that grants stipends to families of terrorists who are killed or imprisoned. But the PA still doles out these rewards. Some families became millionaires.

Time and again, Hamas and Hezbollah violate cease-fires that international actors impose on Israel (see the Zeroth law).

The cease-fire in Lebanon requires Hezbollah to disarm, but Hezbollah refuses.

The current cease-fire with Hamas requires the return of all hostages—alive and dead—within 72 hours, yet over a month has passed and Hamas still has not fulfilled that requirement. Daily, Hamas attacks Israeli forces on Israel’s side of the yellow line.

In 2014, Hamas murdered Hadar Goldin a few hours after the cease-fire went into effect. Israel negotiated for the return of his body while continuing to allow aid and cash to flow into Gaza. That situation persisted for eleven years. Israel again allows humanitarian aid, fuel, and medical supplies to flow into Gaza, yet she still has not received all the remains of the murdered hostages. Ran Gvilli’s remains may suffer the same fate as Hadar Goldin’s.

The agreement calls for dismantling Hamas, but Hamas declares no intention of doing so.

In short, cease-fires and commitments are meaningless.

The European Union, with contributions from member states such as France, plans to train around 3,000 Palestinian police officers from Gaza to help stabilize Gaza after the conflict. Israel should learn from history and remember that after the Oslo agreement in 1992, authorities trained Palestinian policemen to maintain the peace, and some of those officers turned their weapons on Israelis—including as recently as last week.

Hamas killed many of the policemen tasked with maintaining the peace in Gaza during its 2005 takeover and threw many from rooftops. That police force proves at best ineffective and at worst complicit in terror.

Why does UNRWA still operate in Gaza? UNRWA has mainly perpetuated misery. About 15% of UNRWA employees participate in Hamas and participated in the October 7 massacre. UNRWA’s education system teaches Gazan children to hate Jews and Israel and encourages them to become martyrs. Learn from history! Keep UNRWA out!

Israel has lived through these scenarios before. These solutions have not worked.

As mentioned above, Hamas and Hezbollah committed to cease-fires that oblige them to disarm, but both now disavow those agreements. They—and the Houthis, Iran, and others—have vowed to continue attacking Israel until they destroy it. They already rebuild and strengthen, as they have done in the past, while other countries do nothing to stop them. From experience, we know that, given the opportunity, they will try again.

So, what will change now? Why will this time be different? Why can’t Israel say “no”?

Does Jew-hatred shape the world’s one-sided view of Israel and contribute to these laws? The same countries that demand Israeli restraint and proportionality know how to build memorials for Jews murdered in the Holocaust yet never lifted a finger to save them. Israel should state clearly that she does not want more memorials and will do everything in her power to avoid the need for them.

The time has come for Israel to start violating the Laws of ZionDynamics to improve the security and safety of Israel, the United States and their citizens.