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| Hundreds of thousands protest in Hostage Square yesterday (JTA) |
First, let me reiterate. I want to be absolutely clear and
consistent. I completely reject the notion that the Prime Minister would
sacrifice many additional IDF casualties for the sole purpose of staying in
power.
I know this is a
popular view among his many detractors. But I do not believe his long record in
office supports that contention. He has never shown that kind of callous indifference toward Jewish lives. Especially those directly involved in the protection of
his people. Those who believe otherwise are blinded by their sheer hatred of the man, regardless of the many and varied reasons for that hatred. Some of
those reasons may even be justified, but I truly believe he is sincere in his stated
motive: the goal of destroying Hamas as the only means of protecting his people from another
I obviously agree with that goal. Which is why I have strong feelings in favor of the prime minister’s plan. Israel needs to do whatever it takes to succeed in protecting its people. If that plan is the way to do it, I am in favor of it.
There is of course no objective way of knowing whether it will
work at all, or whether it will even completely backfire. But to impugn his
motives as pure self-interest does not align with his many years of service to
his country, which included the loss of his brother in action and his own
wounds in action as an IDF soldier.
Whether the plan is wise or not is part of why I also have
strong feelings in opposition to it. It is not only the risk of failure that
troubles me, but also several other considerations that weigh just as heavily.
First, the remaining 50 hostages - of whom only about 20 are
believed to still be alive, and barely so. Logic would seem to dictate that a
group of people who see Jews as little more than vermin, to be abused at their
disposal in any way imaginable, would quickly murder them all as a final
gesture of defiance before being ‘martyred’ as Israel launches the final phase
of the war.
Then there is the toll on the citizen-soldiers who have
already gone far beyond the call of duty, serving lengthy tours of combat. The
physical and mental burden on them and their families is immeasurable, as is
the impact on their ability to provide for those families.
There is also the toll on Israel’s economy. Wars are
expensive, and when so many citizens are serving as soldiers, GDP falls and so
does government revenue.
The Israeli people were divided before the war, but the
divide seems far greater now. Exponentially so! Extremists on the right have
become more extreme, as have extremists on the left.
On top of that, animosity against the Charedim has never
been greater, due to their lack of participation in the IDF. Their absence has
only increased the burden on every other segment of Israeli society - both
secular and non-Charedi religious. This resentment will surely be exacerbated
by the massive call-ups of reservists, who are already more than fatigued after
carrying both their own share of the burden and that of the draft-dodgers - Charedi
or otherwise.
Then there is the world’s condemnation of Israel, which
rarely mentions Hamas’s openly declared genocidal mission against the Jewish
people. A mission they have acted upon many times and have promised to continue
until fulfilled.
The hypocritical leaders of the world see only Palestinian
suffering, for which they blame Israel entirely. If Netanyahu goes ahead with
his plan, their accusations of genocide against Israel will only increase,
while continuing to ignore Hamas’s
intentional genocide on October 7th and the starvation of the remaining
hostages.
And now, even more Democrats in Congress have joined that
chorus, including prominent Jewish members such as progressive Democrat Jamie
Raskin, who co-sponsored a bill severely restricting U.S. arms transfers to
Israel.
And finally, there is the uncertainty of the ‘day after’.
All of this explains the side of me that is opposed to
lengthening the war. We are all tired of fighting. The question is whether
fighting on - whatever the cost in blood and treasure - is necessary. Because if we
do not, we may have gained nothing other than the world’s condemnation.
Is the price of complete success worth it - if it’s even possible?
Or is the price too high? Is it possible to say that the victory we have
already achieved is enough to ensure safety of Israel for the foreseeable
future? That if we stop now, and bring all the hostages home through
negotiation, the price of not finishing off Hamas will still have been worth
it?
I can’t answer the question. But just yesterday, the largest
protest yet against Netanyahu was held in Tel Aviv. Hundreds of
thousands of Israelis joined with most of the hostage families, who fear their
loved ones will be killed if the new Gaza invasion proceeds. Their message was
clear: nearly two years of war is enough. They want their lives back, and they
want their loved ones back. Even if it means a deal with Hamas.
This is why I am conflicted. I honestly do not know who is
right. The arguments on both sides are compelling.
May God help us make the right decisions.
