Total Victory

Demonstrating tolerance to

all contradictions isn’t contradictory;

all good things come at least in two

conflicting ways you can’t resolve by victory.

Total victory, for Bibi Netanyahu

not just an idealistic goal,

is one I also don’t eschew

with either my heart or my soul,

and though my mind finds to regard

this goal as realistic, it is unfortunately

improbable, but won’t be hard

if God will help us, as I pray importunately.

In “Netanyahu Decides, and Haniyeh Is Gone: Israel has wavered between ‘total victory’ over Hamas and pursuit of a deal. The strike in Iran may end that argument,” WSJ, 7/31/24,  Daniel Pipes writes:

Israel followed two opposite policies toward Hamas since Oct. 7: destroy the organization and make a deal with it. This unfortunate two-track approach resulted in many costs to Israel. The killing of Ismail Haniyeh Wednesday perhaps marks the end of this protracted indecision.

The former policy, victory over Hamas, has wide appeal and is articulated often by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I count 182 mentions by him of “victory” in 63 discrete statements. “Our victory is your victory,” he said June 6 on French television. “Our victory is the victory of Israel against antisemitism. It is the victory of Judeo-Christian civilization against barbarism. It is the victory of France.”

Mr. Netanyahu speaks of “complete victory,” “total victory,” “clear victory,” “absolute victory,” “decisive victory” and “full victory.” He wore a “Total Victory” baseball cap on his flight to the US last week and at his visit with Donald Trump.