Anyone who wants to really understand (or criticize) Israel should sit in a mamad or a miklat for a month while Iran, Hezbollah, and Houthis lob missiles. Everyone else is just offering BS opinions and pretense.
There is no Peace which is not used to prepare for the next War, whether Economic or Military or Demographic. This guiding maxim is fully understood here in The West too. The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. This is as true here in The West as much as in The East, in Asia as much as in Europe or America. Thus, as Prisoners of both History (and in the Jewish case, of necessary Jewish Statehood to protect us from Nazism), and with Peoples to be kept in the Living Standards we have become used to, the issues Israel faces are fully understood. Am Israel Chai.
Comes across as a wink and a nod to all those who claim these are really Palestinian Territory, and not just Palestinian Territory, but Occupied Palestinian Territory, because obviously Jews have nothing to do with the area.
Never mind that Jordan renamed Judea and Samaria as the "West Bank" in 1950 to eradicate any connection of Jews to that area.
Never mind that according to International Law, Customary International Law, the UN Charter, and international case law applied to all other countries retrieving their lands taken in war, Israel recovered its sovereign territory that was seized by another state, Jordan.
Never mind that the UN and world governments recognized that liberated territory reverts to the sovereignty of the country from which it was taken.
Never mind that the UN, NGOs, Diplomats, and Politicos ignore the rule of international law when it comes to Jews and their sovereign state.
Never mind that governments and the UN are eager to hand over to a hostile, non-state territory they do not posses and over which they have no claim. And the ultimate goal of this third party entity? To elimination a sovereign state and completely annihilation its people. How do you spell Genocide?
"The. . . United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 [on conclusion of the Six Day War] . . . resolution called for every state in the region to possess the right to live within “secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.”
The word “secure” was not decorative."
Neither was the word "state." "Palestine" was never a state but a manufactured political entity the world now eagerly embraces as the model of victimhood by white, colonial, settler, apartheid, conquering monsters, bloodthirsty Jews.
In fact, if we were to be brutally honest and totally un-PC, we would have to acknowledge that "Palestinians" were a minority Arab Judean and Samarian residents within Israel in 1948. They accepted Jordanian citizenship in 1950. And now they form an insurrectionist force whose declared objective is to take over not Judea and Samaria but the entire country. And the world nods in agreement because these Arabs are victims of those nasty Jews.
"Small states must place an extraordinary emphasis on intelligence, mobilization, air superiority, technological advantage, early warning, and rapid offensive action.
This approach is sometimes presented as evidence of Israeli aggression"
Sometimes? Read the newspapers, listen to politicians' righteous denunciations, hear the slogans incessantly hurled in the streets and on campuses, follow the vitriol of Social Media!
"it also makes peace more dangerous because the territorial concessions required for peace may reduce already limited strategic depth."
The fatal assumption here is that Israel must give away even more of its already very limited territory if it wants peace. When is the obvious other approach entertained that those declaring war can renounce their genocidal war goals, lay down their arms, accept the existence of Israel, and teach their children peaceful co-existence rather than holy martyrdom for Allah and his messenger.
Yes, Israel has little or no strategic depth but in my mind the reason for all the diplomatic folderol is plain and simple Jew-hatred from those who demand that this State take risks because the critics don't have such a small country in which THEY live and therefore see Israeli actions as non-peaceful in their geographic amnesia.
Israel should move its border up to the Litani river in Lebanon. Israel made a mistake giving the Sinai to Egypt. The current aim should be to move the arabs from Gaza into Libya. Arabs from West Bank into Syria and Iraq. These are long range objectives and will take time but must be done. The Jewish people are the hope of the world.
I think your converaion to sqmi was too big, you only multiplied by 0.6 km/mil but that number should be squared since we are taking about area. I thought the entire former Mandate was about 10,000 sqmi, so Israel within the Green Line is quite a bit less. Helps your point even more though!
Because of the distortion and obsession with Jews, most people believe that Israel is a large country in the Mideast and that Israel is a "land-grabbing colonizing state" intent on taking over the whole region. When they discover that Israel is so tiny and they see the map of all the Arab countries that are the REAL "colonizers," they are shocked. They are also shocked when they discover that there are only 15 million Jews in the entire world (most people think there are at least 100 million Jews in the world. Seriously, just ask people and hear their answers; I do it all the time. Even the famous podcaster, Joe Rogan, when asked live on air how many Jews there are in the world, he guessed 500 million! And when learning the truth from a Jewish guest on his show, he said, "That can't be right," and insisted on looking it up).
Mr Kaplan, very important article. Thank you. Please let me add that I have done the math. The Muslim territories (countries where it is the official religion, symbol is on the flag, 70% plus of population is Muslim) are 733 times the area of the State of Israel, including the Golan, Yehuda, and Shamron.
I live in Flathead County in Northwest Montana. Our county is 5,256 square miles
Israel is 8,700 square miles, but if you subtract the Arava and Negev deserts but include Be'ersheva district you get 3,533 square miles of populated area.
When I have argued with a Leftist about Israel not wanting Iran to have nuclear weapons, their perspective is that they live 2500 miles from NYC so if it is nuked, then so what at least as far as danger to them is concerned. Our 3,500,000 square mile country is theior perspective.
I then ask how many nuclear bombs would it take to destroy Flathead County. They always say just ONE. Then I say well the populated area of Israel is 60% the size of our county so do you see the probelm now that Israel faces????
I have a modest proposal. How about the IDF carpet bombing Gaza with chunks of pork, raw or cooked? Maybe even with General Tso's sauce. I suppose that would provoke Pakistan to nuke Tel Aviv but it might move Hamas further away from Israel
Anyone who wants to really understand (or criticize) Israel should sit in a mamad or a miklat for a month while Iran, Hezbollah, and Houthis lob missiles. Everyone else is just offering BS opinions and pretense.
Your piece only underlines how cognitively deficient and morally corrupt western leaders are.
There is no Peace which is not used to prepare for the next War, whether Economic or Military or Demographic. This guiding maxim is fully understood here in The West too. The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. This is as true here in The West as much as in The East, in Asia as much as in Europe or America. Thus, as Prisoners of both History (and in the Jewish case, of necessary Jewish Statehood to protect us from Nazism), and with Peoples to be kept in the Living Standards we have become used to, the issues Israel faces are fully understood. Am Israel Chai.
"Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank)"
Comes across as a wink and a nod to all those who claim these are really Palestinian Territory, and not just Palestinian Territory, but Occupied Palestinian Territory, because obviously Jews have nothing to do with the area.
Never mind that Jordan renamed Judea and Samaria as the "West Bank" in 1950 to eradicate any connection of Jews to that area.
Never mind that according to International Law, Customary International Law, the UN Charter, and international case law applied to all other countries retrieving their lands taken in war, Israel recovered its sovereign territory that was seized by another state, Jordan.
Never mind that the UN and world governments recognized that liberated territory reverts to the sovereignty of the country from which it was taken.
Never mind that the UN, NGOs, Diplomats, and Politicos ignore the rule of international law when it comes to Jews and their sovereign state.
Never mind that governments and the UN are eager to hand over to a hostile, non-state territory they do not posses and over which they have no claim. And the ultimate goal of this third party entity? To elimination a sovereign state and completely annihilation its people. How do you spell Genocide?
"The. . . United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 [on conclusion of the Six Day War] . . . resolution called for every state in the region to possess the right to live within “secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.”
The word “secure” was not decorative."
Neither was the word "state." "Palestine" was never a state but a manufactured political entity the world now eagerly embraces as the model of victimhood by white, colonial, settler, apartheid, conquering monsters, bloodthirsty Jews.
In fact, if we were to be brutally honest and totally un-PC, we would have to acknowledge that "Palestinians" were a minority Arab Judean and Samarian residents within Israel in 1948. They accepted Jordanian citizenship in 1950. And now they form an insurrectionist force whose declared objective is to take over not Judea and Samaria but the entire country. And the world nods in agreement because these Arabs are victims of those nasty Jews.
"Small states must place an extraordinary emphasis on intelligence, mobilization, air superiority, technological advantage, early warning, and rapid offensive action.
This approach is sometimes presented as evidence of Israeli aggression"
Sometimes? Read the newspapers, listen to politicians' righteous denunciations, hear the slogans incessantly hurled in the streets and on campuses, follow the vitriol of Social Media!
"it also makes peace more dangerous because the territorial concessions required for peace may reduce already limited strategic depth."
The fatal assumption here is that Israel must give away even more of its already very limited territory if it wants peace. When is the obvious other approach entertained that those declaring war can renounce their genocidal war goals, lay down their arms, accept the existence of Israel, and teach their children peaceful co-existence rather than holy martyrdom for Allah and his messenger.
Yes, Israel has little or no strategic depth but in my mind the reason for all the diplomatic folderol is plain and simple Jew-hatred from those who demand that this State take risks because the critics don't have such a small country in which THEY live and therefore see Israeli actions as non-peaceful in their geographic amnesia.
Israel should move its border up to the Litani river in Lebanon. Israel made a mistake giving the Sinai to Egypt. The current aim should be to move the arabs from Gaza into Libya. Arabs from West Bank into Syria and Iraq. These are long range objectives and will take time but must be done. The Jewish people are the hope of the world.
I think your converaion to sqmi was too big, you only multiplied by 0.6 km/mil but that number should be squared since we are taking about area. I thought the entire former Mandate was about 10,000 sqmi, so Israel within the Green Line is quite a bit less. Helps your point even more though!
According to Israel: https://www.gov.il/en/pages/israel-size-and-dimension
Because of the distortion and obsession with Jews, most people believe that Israel is a large country in the Mideast and that Israel is a "land-grabbing colonizing state" intent on taking over the whole region. When they discover that Israel is so tiny and they see the map of all the Arab countries that are the REAL "colonizers," they are shocked. They are also shocked when they discover that there are only 15 million Jews in the entire world (most people think there are at least 100 million Jews in the world. Seriously, just ask people and hear their answers; I do it all the time. Even the famous podcaster, Joe Rogan, when asked live on air how many Jews there are in the world, he guessed 500 million! And when learning the truth from a Jewish guest on his show, he said, "That can't be right," and insisted on looking it up).
Mr Kaplan, very important article. Thank you. Please let me add that I have done the math. The Muslim territories (countries where it is the official religion, symbol is on the flag, 70% plus of population is Muslim) are 733 times the area of the State of Israel, including the Golan, Yehuda, and Shamron.
[https://therealdavidlevine.substack.com/p/this-is-what-they-pray-for-the-numbers]
And of course, geography like handwriting, is no longer taught in schools
I live in Flathead County in Northwest Montana. Our county is 5,256 square miles
Israel is 8,700 square miles, but if you subtract the Arava and Negev deserts but include Be'ersheva district you get 3,533 square miles of populated area.
When I have argued with a Leftist about Israel not wanting Iran to have nuclear weapons, their perspective is that they live 2500 miles from NYC so if it is nuked, then so what at least as far as danger to them is concerned. Our 3,500,000 square mile country is theior perspective.
I then ask how many nuclear bombs would it take to destroy Flathead County. They always say just ONE. Then I say well the populated area of Israel is 60% the size of our county so do you see the probelm now that Israel faces????
I have a modest proposal. How about the IDF carpet bombing Gaza with chunks of pork, raw or cooked? Maybe even with General Tso's sauce. I suppose that would provoke Pakistan to nuke Tel Aviv but it might move Hamas further away from Israel
Brilliant! Thank you for writing this. Maybe Israel should be handing out paper maps to policymakers with its tiny country circled?
I want to especially note this truism:
“… territorial withdrawal without reliable security arrangements can become irreversible geography combined with reversible promises.”