Brilliant and foreboding analysis. As Douglas Murray has so thoughtfully said, Israel is never permitted to win a war and the Arabs are never permitted to lose one. Iran is not Arab but the same analysis applies. The failure of the useless UN to enforce Security Coucil Res. 1701,calling for Hezbollah to cease its attacks on Northern Israel and to move North of the Litani River was blatantly violated under the noses of UNIFIL troops. Fast forward, Hezbollah has violated the 2024 ceasefire to support Iran and continues to fire missiles/rockets into Israel leaving Israel to renew its bombing campaign bkz the Lebanese Army is too weak to disarm Iran’s Shite terror proxy.
In the South, Hamas is regrouping, recruiting young fighters, and rearming. The ceasefire
Continuing a comment prematurely posted. The Hamas ceasefire and the whole Board of Peace, no matter how well-intentioned, is a sham and a trap. Hamas is in control of 47% of Gaza, torturing and murdering the residents at will. Meanwhile, the 53% Israel maintains has stuck the IDF behind the self-designated “yellow line,” suffering fatal attacks by Hamas terrorists emerging from tunnels, while killing them in return. It is an untenable situation and leaves Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas unachieved for the time being with Israel joining the US in the Iran war while fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The article makes a strong point. But the real question isn’t Israel — it’s the United States.
I don’t believe Israel wants to stop the fight against Iran. Israel understands the threat very clearly. The uncertainty is Washington: will the U.S. fully stand behind Israel, or try to reach another agreement with Iran?
Trump has been one of Israel’s strongest supporters, but even now he seems willing to give Iran opportunities to avoid a final confrontation. I doubt Netanyahu would offer the regime those same chances.
Could Israel act alone? Possibly — but the international backlash would be enormous, especially if oil prices spike. And if the U.S. had just reached a deal with Iran, Israel striking alone could seriously damage that relationship.
So the real question isn’t Israel’s resolve. It’s what the United States ultimately decides to do.
One of the lesson to learn is if as and when you go in to attacke an armed belligerent nation finish the jod. Dont dleay part of it to later. In June when they went in to attack the nuclear producing facilities they should have finished the job, same thing in Gaza and Lebanon. Cockroaches need to be annihilated or else they come back.
This essay makes an excellent point, but what was the alternative? Israel is a small country with a powerful military that punches above its weight class, but is far from a superpower capable of defeating an enormous country like Iran, on its own. Israel needed to devise some method of defending its small nation against missile attack. The best option is to totally defeat any nation or group capable of launching missiles and drones towards Israel, but short of that there needs to be a means of defense. Development of the Iron Beam to the point it can be as effective as the Iron Dome and maybe even moreso, by downing drones too, would greatly increase Israel's military posture. When total defeat of an implacable and determined enemy cannot be obtained, it is victory enough to survive their attacks and cause great harm and damage to them when they do.
The technology is miraculous and important, the alternative was to commit to fighting wars to the win and not to a truce where “some rockets in some cities some times” becomes acceptable.
It was the complete reconquest of Gaza, it should now be taking the territory south of the litani and not apologizing for defining borders that keep Israelis safe from the people who murder them.
When you have defensible borders you need far fewer miracles.
Yes! All along Israel should never have conceded any land to people who we know were never going to honor any agreements. And second, every time Israel wins a war of self-defense, every single time, she needs to claim territory as part of that victory. There has to be appropriate consequences that these relentless enemies are going to truly regret. They are a death cult and don’t care about losing lives. But if they know that every time they attack Israel they are going to lose territory, literally forever, that will be more of a deterrent. And true justice.
An excellent analysis of the "two states delusion" and the "peace process" that allowed the left in Israel and the West to dance according to the Islamic flute 🪈 at a huge economic loss paved with death and destruction.
The strategy needs an urgent revision and it definitely requires the US to understand the consequences of these follies.
The safety and survival of Israel and the West surpasses the present endurance of economic interests.
@Guy … a great article. When Hamas started launching rockets at Israel over 10 years ago, any other country would have used their military to deal with the matter. The Israelis, in their brilliance, have created a rod for their own back .. Iron Dome as you rightly point out, is brilliant, but it only perpetuates the problem.
This war needs Trump to follow through, together with the Gulf States and Europe to join .. in eliminating Iran’s regime, Hamas and Hezbollah. Syria is dealing with its own problems. And in the background, Turkey and Qatar fester away as possible problem states.
Since October 7 wake up call, I’ve been commenting that Israel should change the name of IDF to IWF (Israel War Forces) just like US did. It would change the strategy of the country.
This is excellent, but there is one issue with your thesis that Iron Dome as taught the world to ignore missles fired at Israel. The issue is that they ignored missles when there was no Iron Dome, and there is no reason to think they would pay attention if Israel was flattened by Iranian missles.
Great article. One thing: "You showed them you were unbreakable, and they concluded you did not need their sympathy. You boasted about how strong you were, and they stopped seeing you as people under attack. The strength that Israelis wore as a badge of honor became the world’s permission slip to look away." I just don't think it matters at all what the rest of the world thinks. If they didn't see Israel as super strong, they would find a different reason not to care or to hate. We have to stop giving a d*mn about that.
Quite true and not surprising. The methods of war are always evolving. Treating the Iron Dome as permanent and constant was an unfortunate case of magical thinking. Victory is the good cure. The defeated must internalise their shameful defeat or else they will bounce for another round of war. The EU and American left hate the idea that negotiations are fatally flawed and beget more war.
Thank you for this. A bizarre result that seems strange to say or think is people are not seeing enough dead Jews. It doesn't occur to them that Hamas is not protecting their own. Just that more Palestinians, and always especially children, are dying. They don't even think of it as a war between two countries, just a war by Israel on Palestinians. I am eternally grateful that Israel has done so much to protect their/our/my people. This just seems to be the reality.
Brilliant and provocative. Best defense is a good offense. Gaza needs to be absorbed and also the land up to the Litani. Hamas is still there and Hezbollah never left. They have no existential purpose other than destruction of Israel. For all of Trump's supprt, he is not to be counted on precisely because his enterprises are at stake with the oil economy. Money beats friends every time. Same for the rest of America where antisemitism has just woken up after WWII slumber.
Brilliant and foreboding analysis. As Douglas Murray has so thoughtfully said, Israel is never permitted to win a war and the Arabs are never permitted to lose one. Iran is not Arab but the same analysis applies. The failure of the useless UN to enforce Security Coucil Res. 1701,calling for Hezbollah to cease its attacks on Northern Israel and to move North of the Litani River was blatantly violated under the noses of UNIFIL troops. Fast forward, Hezbollah has violated the 2024 ceasefire to support Iran and continues to fire missiles/rockets into Israel leaving Israel to renew its bombing campaign bkz the Lebanese Army is too weak to disarm Iran’s Shite terror proxy.
In the South, Hamas is regrouping, recruiting young fighters, and rearming. The ceasefire
Just to clarify in response of a reader
Continuing a comment prematurely posted. The Hamas ceasefire and the whole Board of Peace, no matter how well-intentioned, is a sham and a trap. Hamas is in control of 47% of Gaza, torturing and murdering the residents at will. Meanwhile, the 53% Israel maintains has stuck the IDF behind the self-designated “yellow line,” suffering fatal attacks by Hamas terrorists emerging from tunnels, while killing them in return. It is an untenable situation and leaves Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas unachieved for the time being with Israel joining the US in the Iran war while fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Very well stated (except for the outlier “bkz”). Also, you can go back to a posted comment and edit it.
Thank you. I use bkz for because. I’ll see if I can edit it.
The article makes a strong point. But the real question isn’t Israel — it’s the United States.
I don’t believe Israel wants to stop the fight against Iran. Israel understands the threat very clearly. The uncertainty is Washington: will the U.S. fully stand behind Israel, or try to reach another agreement with Iran?
Trump has been one of Israel’s strongest supporters, but even now he seems willing to give Iran opportunities to avoid a final confrontation. I doubt Netanyahu would offer the regime those same chances.
Could Israel act alone? Possibly — but the international backlash would be enormous, especially if oil prices spike. And if the U.S. had just reached a deal with Iran, Israel striking alone could seriously damage that relationship.
So the real question isn’t Israel’s resolve. It’s what the United States ultimately decides to do.
Leon, enjoy Miami and ignore the DTS people. Be well my friend and stay safe
One of the lesson to learn is if as and when you go in to attacke an armed belligerent nation finish the jod. Dont dleay part of it to later. In June when they went in to attack the nuclear producing facilities they should have finished the job, same thing in Gaza and Lebanon. Cockroaches need to be annihilated or else they come back.
This essay makes an excellent point, but what was the alternative? Israel is a small country with a powerful military that punches above its weight class, but is far from a superpower capable of defeating an enormous country like Iran, on its own. Israel needed to devise some method of defending its small nation against missile attack. The best option is to totally defeat any nation or group capable of launching missiles and drones towards Israel, but short of that there needs to be a means of defense. Development of the Iron Beam to the point it can be as effective as the Iron Dome and maybe even moreso, by downing drones too, would greatly increase Israel's military posture. When total defeat of an implacable and determined enemy cannot be obtained, it is victory enough to survive their attacks and cause great harm and damage to them when they do.
The technology is miraculous and important, the alternative was to commit to fighting wars to the win and not to a truce where “some rockets in some cities some times” becomes acceptable.
It was the complete reconquest of Gaza, it should now be taking the territory south of the litani and not apologizing for defining borders that keep Israelis safe from the people who murder them.
When you have defensible borders you need far fewer miracles.
Yes! All along Israel should never have conceded any land to people who we know were never going to honor any agreements. And second, every time Israel wins a war of self-defense, every single time, she needs to claim territory as part of that victory. There has to be appropriate consequences that these relentless enemies are going to truly regret. They are a death cult and don’t care about losing lives. But if they know that every time they attack Israel they are going to lose territory, literally forever, that will be more of a deterrent. And true justice.
Once again, can one ever negotiate with evil? Or must the evil be eradicated , especially as technological violence increases?
An excellent analysis of the "two states delusion" and the "peace process" that allowed the left in Israel and the West to dance according to the Islamic flute 🪈 at a huge economic loss paved with death and destruction.
The strategy needs an urgent revision and it definitely requires the US to understand the consequences of these follies.
The safety and survival of Israel and the West surpasses the present endurance of economic interests.
@HLN .. in today’s war against Iran, most of Europe has gone to sleep .. they need to wake up TODAY and realise that it is probably NOW or NEVER.
@Guy … a great article. When Hamas started launching rockets at Israel over 10 years ago, any other country would have used their military to deal with the matter. The Israelis, in their brilliance, have created a rod for their own back .. Iron Dome as you rightly point out, is brilliant, but it only perpetuates the problem.
This war needs Trump to follow through, together with the Gulf States and Europe to join .. in eliminating Iran’s regime, Hamas and Hezbollah. Syria is dealing with its own problems. And in the background, Turkey and Qatar fester away as possible problem states.
Since October 7 wake up call, I’ve been commenting that Israel should change the name of IDF to IWF (Israel War Forces) just like US did. It would change the strategy of the country.
This is excellent, but there is one issue with your thesis that Iron Dome as taught the world to ignore missles fired at Israel. The issue is that they ignored missles when there was no Iron Dome, and there is no reason to think they would pay attention if Israel was flattened by Iranian missles.
Good point
I think there are many who would even celebrate
Great article. One thing: "You showed them you were unbreakable, and they concluded you did not need their sympathy. You boasted about how strong you were, and they stopped seeing you as people under attack. The strength that Israelis wore as a badge of honor became the world’s permission slip to look away." I just don't think it matters at all what the rest of the world thinks. If they didn't see Israel as super strong, they would find a different reason not to care or to hate. We have to stop giving a d*mn about that.
Quite true and not surprising. The methods of war are always evolving. Treating the Iron Dome as permanent and constant was an unfortunate case of magical thinking. Victory is the good cure. The defeated must internalise their shameful defeat or else they will bounce for another round of war. The EU and American left hate the idea that negotiations are fatally flawed and beget more war.
This is a very important article making a point that is both profound and counterintuitive.
Thank you for this. A bizarre result that seems strange to say or think is people are not seeing enough dead Jews. It doesn't occur to them that Hamas is not protecting their own. Just that more Palestinians, and always especially children, are dying. They don't even think of it as a war between two countries, just a war by Israel on Palestinians. I am eternally grateful that Israel has done so much to protect their/our/my people. This just seems to be the reality.
Another
Brilliant and provocative. Best defense is a good offense. Gaza needs to be absorbed and also the land up to the Litani. Hamas is still there and Hezbollah never left. They have no existential purpose other than destruction of Israel. For all of Trump's supprt, he is not to be counted on precisely because his enterprises are at stake with the oil economy. Money beats friends every time. Same for the rest of America where antisemitism has just woken up after WWII slumber.