The War’s Third Front: How We Can Win In Posterity

As I write this, a cease fire between Israel and Hamas has been announced, and the world waits for the remaining hostages to finally return home. After two long years, the fighting may, at last, be coming to an end.

The war, however, is not over.

When Israel is forced by its hostile neighbors to fight a war, there is always more to contend with than the physical battlefield. Rather, Israel must operate on three fronts: the military front, the publicity front, and the posterity front.

We have seen this play out on a micro scale many times. For example, when Israel bombed Iraq’s nuclear facility in 1981, it clearly prevailed on the military front, as it destroyed the facility. On the publicity front, however, Israel was widely condemned, most notably by the United States. In time, though, on the posterity front, however, Israel prevailed as the world ultimately realized that its actions were just, necessary and likely prevented Iraq from becoming a nuclear-powered terror state.

Historically, on the military front, Israel has always prevailed. Israel’s continued existence proves, and is a testament of, this fact. And, make no mistake, Israel has won the Gaza war on the military front. Hamas has been decimated and now faces an international coalition seeking its disarmament and removal from power. Iran has been exposed and greatly wounded, and its proxies in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, have suffered great losses. The perpetrators of October 7 have faced justice, and its last victims – the hostages – will (G-d willing) soon be home.

On the publicity front, however, Israel has always been defeated. Israel, like no other nation on Earth, draws the attention of the world each time it is forced to engage its military. Wars of far greater magnitude, in both contested territory and casualties, receive only a fraction of the attention that Israel receives each time it enters into active conflict. Moreover, no nation is forced to justify itself, and none are inevitably condemned, in a comparable manner. Israel is always painted as an aggressor, an inflictor of disproportionate harm, or worse.

Israel’s losses on the publicity front are not surprising. While we can look at our own failings, spawned in part by internal conflict and dissent, the reality is that Israel never stands a chance in this arena. There are simply too many actors working against us, from those who overtly seek Israel’s destruction, to those who are inclined to label anyone possessing power as an oppressor, to the indoctrinated and willfully ignorant. No amount of righteous hasbara can overcome the cacophony of opposition these actors create in our sound bite and slogan driven world. Nuanced truth, spoken by a small number of voices, cannot overcome the lies repeated by so many.

In time, though, Israel can win on the posterity front. With the fog of war lifted, many will start to see the truth. There was never a genocide in Gaza. Israel never imposed starvation. Hamas, was, unquestionably and unapologetically, using its people as human shields. Israel, as its supporters always insisted, did everything it could to minimize civilian losses on an impossible battlefront.

In posterity, the world will see an Israel that is more cautious, more vigilant, and safer. Moreover, if the people of Gaza embrace the opportunity to reject Hamas and reform, perhaps the world will understand how this war, though tragic, placed them on a better path as well. We must continue to present the facts, tell the real story, and fight the false narratives. Some, in time, will understand the truth.

Many, however, will continue to believe the falsehoods.

While we cannot change the minds of the entire world, we can nonetheless ensure victory in posterity by refusing to let our enemies define us. We cannot allow our enemies achieve their goals of imposing shame upon us, or causing us to fear demonstrating our pride openly. We must embrace our identities, stand together as Jews and Zionists, and show the world that our belief in our traditions, our commitment to our values, and our acceptance of the challenge of being among nations, remain as strong as ever.

Our slogan is “Am Yisrael Chai. It is a not a nostalgic phrase of the past, or an aspiration for the future. We say it in the present tense, and we will continue to do so. We are still here. We are not afraid. We are strong and proud. By continuing to live these words, we ensure that we will regard theses tragic two years of conflict as another test passed, another obstacle overcome, and another story of triumph in our history.