‘We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.’
So said Winston Churchill. When Churchill uttered these
words upon the evacuation of Dunkirk, he captured the spirit of resilience and
determination that is integral to great leadership. This statement is just one of many that cemented Churchill’s
legacy at a time when the world was on fire. He was resolute
in ensuring that the forces of good prevailed over the forces of evil. Whatever
it took. That is how a great leader acts: with determination, resolved to do
what is necessary to achieve his nation’s objectives. For England during World
War II, those objectives were existential.
I believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views
Israel’s war against Islamic Jihadists in the same way and is just as
determined to achieve his objectives as Churchill was.
I realize that many of Netanyahu’s critics are shaking their
heads right now, unsure whether to laugh or cry at such a comparison. Some
might even call it an "odious" comparison. "Netanyahu is no
Churchill," they would deridingly say. And they would argue
that the situations are not at all comparable.
I would not be so quick, however, to dismiss the parallels. The aims of Nazi
Germany and the religious extremists of Islam - such as Iran and their proxies,
beginning with Hamas - are all genocidal. There is not the slightest doubt in
my mind. Both sought, and continue to seek, the destruction of the Jewish
people.
With the US bombing the Houthis, and warning Iran not to back them, there was no better time for Israel to do the following than right now. Last night, Netanyahu resumed bombing Gaza after nearly a two-month ceasefire.
Why? Because Israel had the audacity to demand
that Hamas release the remaining innocent hostages they kidnapped almost 18
months ago in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Some of whom were
convicted of terrorism or murder. Hamas refused and instead demanded that
Israel proceed to the next phase of the agreement, which meant the IDF leaving
Gaza altogether.
It sickens me that the world sees this as some sort of fair negotiation between two equal parties, as though releasing innocent kidnapped hostages for convicted murderers from prison is a fair exchange. Israel should not be negotiating with Hamas. They should be obliterating them from the face of the earth. Right along with the rest of the Islamist extremists in the world.
Hundreds of people were killed by those Israeli airstrikes, all
of them terrorist targets, according to Israel. Good riddance. If there were
any innocent civilians among them, they have only their own leaders to blame.
Israel cannot be faulted for these casualties when Hamas ensures they happen for their own propaganda purposes. Hamas will of course claim
them all as innocent civilian casualties. It’s high time for the media to
acknowledge that reality instead of simply repeating what Hamas tells them.
This morning, I heard one news report stating that Hamas
will now kill all the remaining hostages in retaliation for Israel’s air strike. If
that, God forbid, happens, then the ‘hell’ both the President and Prime
Minister promised should break loose in Gaza and commence immediately.
This time, there should be no impediment to Israel’s
actions. The Trump administration has already said they will support whatever
Israel decides to do. No more crying about ‘too many civilians’ being killed.
If Palestinians want the killing to stop, they should appeal to Hamas to
release the hostages instead of helping them - in some cases keeping them hidden in
their own homes.
I am so tired of seeing Palestinians in Gaza portrayed as
victims while Israel is to blame. From the UN, the progressive left in Congress, the
European Union, the UN, and by students brainwashed by antisemitic teachers.. let
them all squawk. I could not care less. And if Palestinians in Judea and
Samaria don’t like it, they can join their brothers in Gaza for all I care.
Israel does not need Hamas sympathizers within its jurisdiction.
So what might ‘hell’ look like? Flattening what remains of
Gaza comes to mind. First forcibly transferring all civilians out of Gaza and
then destroying every remaining building. Homes, hospitals, schools, mosques,
you name it. Nothing should remain standing.
Then, once that mission is complete, the IDF should set up a
perimeter and not allow anyone back in until Gaza is restored by benevolent Arab
countries. (Or even Trump’s development of Gaza as a playground for the rich for
all I care.) Gaza refugees can resettle
anywhere they, if their Muslim brothers in the larger Arab countries don’t abandon
them. In any case it is not Israel’s problem.
Will the world scream bloody murder? Of course they will.
Every liberal Democrat in Congress will demand severing ties with Israel. The
ICJ will issue more arrest warrants against Netanyahu (whom they’ve already labeled
a war criminal), and of course the UN
will condemn Israel. Again. (What else is new.) But as long as Trump is president and Republicans
control both houses of congress, none of that matters.
Unless the hostages come home - and soon - I see no better alternative. When
an entire people wants you dead, it is not cruelty to strike them first.
Expelling them from Gaza would then be an act of mercy. If Palestinians in
Judea and Samaria don’t like it, they can join them. It is from their ranks
that terrorists emerge. It is their leaders who reward their families for
committing terrorist acts. The vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza and the
West Bank support Hamas and its genocidal aims of erasing Israel and restoring
Palestine from ‘the river to the sea’. Palestinian civilians cheered Hamas’s
savagery on October 7th. Some of them helped house hostages. They
want to see us dead no less than their leaders do. I have no pity for them
whatsoever. That the rest of the world is fooled by their feigned innocence is
not my problem.
I used to believe you could make peace with these people. No
more. You cannot make peace with religious extremists who commit savage acts or
with the people who support them. Simple as that.
What about the truly innocent Palestinians who do not agree
with Hamas and would love to make peace with Israel? There are not enough of
them to matter. And Hamas better not find out about them, or they are dead.
If Israel has learned anything from this, it is that military might - and the resolve to use it - is the only thing that works. And that diplomacy with Islamist Nazis will only beget tragedy.