Amen to all you've written here, Joshua. There's this constant angst and horrible anxiety in my chest since this war started, mainly because I worry that it'll end the way that hamas - and the world- wants. Boy, I hope the war doesn't stop, not this way. I hate Biden more and more each day.
It’s a Nazi tactic to try to get Israelis to blame each other for what happened instead of the savage barbarians who murdered defenseless women and children, who kidnap human beings and hold them hostage, who care zero about their own people’s suffering.
Hamas is to blame. Iran is to blame.
Otherwise, perhaps there are better ways of dealing with things, but these are impossible situations, always have been.
I agree with much of what you wrote, however opposition to Netanyahu has plenty to do with his incompetence with securing the country leading up to the war. A man who talks like Churchill but appeases Hamas like Chamberlain cannot be trusted again. Everyone saw how Netanyahu shit his pants in fear on October 7. He had no idea what to do for many days following the attacks. The country insisted on this war - if it was up to him there would be another ‘air campaign’ dropping some bombs on empty building after Hamas was warned to flee. Thank god for Gantz and Eisenkot strengthening Gallant in the war cabinet, because Netanyahu is a fearful blabbermouth. Hamas had exposed his inability to lead - being a first class Knesset manipulator isn’t war leadership.
Beyond this, Netanyahu’s coalition has failed to run the country after the attack. The pathetic nature of failing to assist evacuees for days, the need of civil society to take over governmental functions during the conflict. Israel has many better potential leaders. Netanyahu has proven himself unfit to govern.
What merit did Netanyahu have, other than an urge to protect himself from prosecution (AKA "holding on to his seat") so strong that he was willing to forge a coalition with extreme people no Likud leader was ever willing to consider before? The man was a master at polarizing the country, casting anyone who didn't vote for him as a traitor, when in reality we saw how well such 'traitors' fought to save Israelis from Hamas. The protest campaign was the one getting equipment and assistance to the evacuees and reservists, not Netanyahu's government. I'm not going to even start on how Netanyahu has single-handedly demolished Israeli diplomacy and outreach by centralizing it in his own incompetent hands.
War is the great revealer of fortitude. Nobody thought Zelensky would be a good wartime leader. Churchill wasn't considered a leader until the skies had darkened completely. FDR and Lincoln showed their merit during real existential danger. Netanyahu is no wartime leader. The man couldn't face the public, show calming leadership. He couldn't make up his mind militarily and his government's handling of the crisis was a fiasco.
As for a qualified candidate, Gantz was one before October 7th, albeit inexperienced with Knesset infighting and got stabbed in the back by Netanyahu. But after his voluntary bolstering of a unity government during war, his ability to focus on the war and not politics and laying blame (all Netanyahu seems capable of), he looks far more appealing. On the Likud side Gallant is a better leader than Netanyahu, which is why the latter is not cooperating with him. Netanyahu is a weak leader, an appeaser of Hamas, and he needs to go or get thrown out. Unity is still the ultimate value and goal here, but Netanyahu isn't the country, and the country isn't Netanyahu. Gantz, Eizenkot, Gallant, Tropper are all better candidates for PM than the person who failed the country worse than any previous PM in Israeli history.
I agree though I would like to see some skeleton for what a Palestinian state would look like proposed. I agree that the pressure has been great and with America fighting the other terrorists it is time to consider that any release of hostages has to be 100% Israeli and zero Palestinians. If they want a cease fire, that’s their gift for giving back the hostages. Israel can’t take the chance of releasing the kind of prisoners who will one day continue the same kind of terrorist activity that occurred on October 7.
Painful words to read and to believe, although I do believe them. Thinking out loud here . . . We in Vancouver are still rallying every weekend with, among our other slogans, “Bring them home”. I do not want my presence there to signify any wish for a bad agreement. We are all holding opposing emotions and beliefs in our hearts these days. There must be times when our local leaders, including my daughter, have to think like politicians as they fight the battle on several fronts. They want our institutions to survive and thrive. Two Jews/three opinions is a factor in deciding the path that will keep our community unified in support of Israel, a painful example of being between a rock and a hard place. Thank you for having the courage to take a stand and for explaining your reasons so succinctly.
I agree; it would be useful, however, for Hamas to be perceived as the obstinate/inflexible party. TOI is reporting a split between Hamas's intransigent overseas leadership who oppose any agreement and Hamas's commanders in the tunnels under Khan Yunis who are surrounded by IDF forces and are willing to make a deal albeit on unacceptable terms.
The best written essay on this, Joshua. Release all the hostages Now. This American continues to be disappointed at our position and our machinations, although we are starting to fight, which I’m proud of. God bless all the hostages, soldiers, and all Israel.
I see a bifurcation in the society of Israel that looks similar to the bifurcation in my own society (the USA). The division between ordinary citizens and “the elites”. Ordinary Israeli citizens must stand up and loudly advocate for the security of the future State of Israel, rebuking the elite Israelis who are willing to swoon upon hearing the ideas of elite Americans. The elites of both countries do not have the interest of their “commoner” citizens at heart. Your “citizens”, Israel, must tell your elites (who are predominantly progressive and cosmopolitan in orientation) to STFU and let the citizens govern themselves. I think Netanyahu is the best leader of the “citizen” block against the “elite” block.
Corollary: you cannot “make a deal” with an organization that provided military instructions to its fighters, which led to the hacking off the head of an immobilized Thai farm worker with a garden hoe on October 7th. Hamas must be disappeared from Gaza, period!
From day one, the idea that any of Hamas' demands should be met by Israel has appeared to be madness to me. I completely understand the need to get as many hostages back, alive, as possible, but there's a reason that you do not ever negotiate with terrorists.
The prisoners released and the temporary ceasefire already granted have already emboldened Hamas and they've proven time and again that they're incapable of anything approaching good faith.
There should only have ever been one-deal on the table; release every single hostage and surrender unconditionally, or we will destroy you, even if it takes 50 years and we have to hunt you to the ends of the Earth. No prisoner releases, no ceasefire, no quarter. It's the only language Hamas might understand and anything else only prolongs the horror and increasingly endangers Israeli lives (as well as those of any Palestinians who aren't affiliated with a terror group).
Amen to all you've written here, Joshua. There's this constant angst and horrible anxiety in my chest since this war started, mainly because I worry that it'll end the way that hamas - and the world- wants. Boy, I hope the war doesn't stop, not this way. I hate Biden more and more each day.
Well done. I agree
It’s a Nazi tactic to try to get Israelis to blame each other for what happened instead of the savage barbarians who murdered defenseless women and children, who kidnap human beings and hold them hostage, who care zero about their own people’s suffering.
Hamas is to blame. Iran is to blame.
Otherwise, perhaps there are better ways of dealing with things, but these are impossible situations, always have been.
I agree with much of what you wrote, however opposition to Netanyahu has plenty to do with his incompetence with securing the country leading up to the war. A man who talks like Churchill but appeases Hamas like Chamberlain cannot be trusted again. Everyone saw how Netanyahu shit his pants in fear on October 7. He had no idea what to do for many days following the attacks. The country insisted on this war - if it was up to him there would be another ‘air campaign’ dropping some bombs on empty building after Hamas was warned to flee. Thank god for Gantz and Eisenkot strengthening Gallant in the war cabinet, because Netanyahu is a fearful blabbermouth. Hamas had exposed his inability to lead - being a first class Knesset manipulator isn’t war leadership.
Beyond this, Netanyahu’s coalition has failed to run the country after the attack. The pathetic nature of failing to assist evacuees for days, the need of civil society to take over governmental functions during the conflict. Israel has many better potential leaders. Netanyahu has proven himself unfit to govern.
How do you answer the fact that Israel had election after election and wasn’t able to find anyone other than Netanyahu?
Is there another qualified candidate that didn’t emerge?
I find it hard to believe.
But I am no expert on Israeli politics.
Just an amateur observation.
What merit did Netanyahu have, other than an urge to protect himself from prosecution (AKA "holding on to his seat") so strong that he was willing to forge a coalition with extreme people no Likud leader was ever willing to consider before? The man was a master at polarizing the country, casting anyone who didn't vote for him as a traitor, when in reality we saw how well such 'traitors' fought to save Israelis from Hamas. The protest campaign was the one getting equipment and assistance to the evacuees and reservists, not Netanyahu's government. I'm not going to even start on how Netanyahu has single-handedly demolished Israeli diplomacy and outreach by centralizing it in his own incompetent hands.
War is the great revealer of fortitude. Nobody thought Zelensky would be a good wartime leader. Churchill wasn't considered a leader until the skies had darkened completely. FDR and Lincoln showed their merit during real existential danger. Netanyahu is no wartime leader. The man couldn't face the public, show calming leadership. He couldn't make up his mind militarily and his government's handling of the crisis was a fiasco.
As for a qualified candidate, Gantz was one before October 7th, albeit inexperienced with Knesset infighting and got stabbed in the back by Netanyahu. But after his voluntary bolstering of a unity government during war, his ability to focus on the war and not politics and laying blame (all Netanyahu seems capable of), he looks far more appealing. On the Likud side Gallant is a better leader than Netanyahu, which is why the latter is not cooperating with him. Netanyahu is a weak leader, an appeaser of Hamas, and he needs to go or get thrown out. Unity is still the ultimate value and goal here, but Netanyahu isn't the country, and the country isn't Netanyahu. Gantz, Eizenkot, Gallant, Tropper are all better candidates for PM than the person who failed the country worse than any previous PM in Israeli history.
I agree though I would like to see some skeleton for what a Palestinian state would look like proposed. I agree that the pressure has been great and with America fighting the other terrorists it is time to consider that any release of hostages has to be 100% Israeli and zero Palestinians. If they want a cease fire, that’s their gift for giving back the hostages. Israel can’t take the chance of releasing the kind of prisoners who will one day continue the same kind of terrorist activity that occurred on October 7.
Painful words to read and to believe, although I do believe them. Thinking out loud here . . . We in Vancouver are still rallying every weekend with, among our other slogans, “Bring them home”. I do not want my presence there to signify any wish for a bad agreement. We are all holding opposing emotions and beliefs in our hearts these days. There must be times when our local leaders, including my daughter, have to think like politicians as they fight the battle on several fronts. They want our institutions to survive and thrive. Two Jews/three opinions is a factor in deciding the path that will keep our community unified in support of Israel, a painful example of being between a rock and a hard place. Thank you for having the courage to take a stand and for explaining your reasons so succinctly.
I agree; it would be useful, however, for Hamas to be perceived as the obstinate/inflexible party. TOI is reporting a split between Hamas's intransigent overseas leadership who oppose any agreement and Hamas's commanders in the tunnels under Khan Yunis who are surrounded by IDF forces and are willing to make a deal albeit on unacceptable terms.
The best written essay on this, Joshua. Release all the hostages Now. This American continues to be disappointed at our position and our machinations, although we are starting to fight, which I’m proud of. God bless all the hostages, soldiers, and all Israel.
I see a bifurcation in the society of Israel that looks similar to the bifurcation in my own society (the USA). The division between ordinary citizens and “the elites”. Ordinary Israeli citizens must stand up and loudly advocate for the security of the future State of Israel, rebuking the elite Israelis who are willing to swoon upon hearing the ideas of elite Americans. The elites of both countries do not have the interest of their “commoner” citizens at heart. Your “citizens”, Israel, must tell your elites (who are predominantly progressive and cosmopolitan in orientation) to STFU and let the citizens govern themselves. I think Netanyahu is the best leader of the “citizen” block against the “elite” block.
Corollary: you cannot “make a deal” with an organization that provided military instructions to its fighters, which led to the hacking off the head of an immobilized Thai farm worker with a garden hoe on October 7th. Hamas must be disappeared from Gaza, period!
From day one, the idea that any of Hamas' demands should be met by Israel has appeared to be madness to me. I completely understand the need to get as many hostages back, alive, as possible, but there's a reason that you do not ever negotiate with terrorists.
The prisoners released and the temporary ceasefire already granted have already emboldened Hamas and they've proven time and again that they're incapable of anything approaching good faith.
There should only have ever been one-deal on the table; release every single hostage and surrender unconditionally, or we will destroy you, even if it takes 50 years and we have to hunt you to the ends of the Earth. No prisoner releases, no ceasefire, no quarter. It's the only language Hamas might understand and anything else only prolongs the horror and increasingly endangers Israeli lives (as well as those of any Palestinians who aren't affiliated with a terror group).
Yes sir! Agreed.
You should do PR for the government 😉