The Prophet Isaiah's Vision Coming True – Let's Do It!

by Ziv Maor, Editor-in-Chief of the news broadcasts at Galei Israel radio station, translated by Hillel Fendel.

A cursory glance at the new residents in the palaces of our Syrian neighbors, currently known as "the rebels," leads more to feelings of concern than of optimism. This is because of our long-standing acquaintance with the Arab enemy, and our general perception that the Arabs continue to be the same Arabs and the sea that they wish to push us into is the same sea…

To this is added the knowledge that our new neighbors have frightening associations with ISIS and Al-Qaeda. And even more worrisome is the fact that Julani and Shar'a, the two new sheriffs in the neighborhoods, are long arms of the Turkish enemy octopus.

If we look at Syria as a square on the checkerboard of the Middle East, we can note that there is a Qatari-Jordanian-Syrian-Turkish contiguity. This is a critical route for the entire region that can provide oil from Qatar to Europe. In the developing Middle East, the diplomatic engine will no longer be the "Palestinian problem," but rather, who will control the European gas market. For while on the one hand, there is this pipeline that can open in the wake of the fall of Assad, but there is also a developing and competing maritime axis of Israel-Cyprus-Greece.

Despite all, many experts are expressing very non-cautious optimism in light of the events. Shar'a himself declared that he does not see Israel as an enemy country, and Israeli expert Dr. Mordechai Kedar speaks of key Sunni figures in the rebellion who say they plan to open a Syrian embassy in Israel's capital of Jerusalem. Ziv Jenisov, an independent journalist who spent much time in the areas of the battles in Syria in 2018, has related that when he whispered to some Sunni rebels that he was Israeli, their admiration was palpable. And demographer Prof. Yaakov Feitelson has been speaking about Syria's return to the days before the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement [which defined the respective spheres of control of Great Britain and France following the expected downfall of the Ottoman Empire]. In those days, each ethnic group in what was to become modern-day Syria lived securely in its own area: the Alawites along the coast, the Druze south of Damascus, the Kurds in the northeast, and the Sunnis everywhere else.

Two important ethnic groups in Syria, the Druze and the Kurds, are supporters of Israel. The Kurds have expressed pro-Israeli sentiments for many years. The Druze indeed remained loyal to Assad, despite his oppression of them, but the spontaneous joyous reactions to his overthrow in the Druze villages in the Golan leave room for optimism that the Syrian Druze will join their brethren in Israel.

Time for a New Conception

The events that have so suddenly overtaken us are an opportunity to take a hard new look at a certain long-running Western, left-wing approach – and throw it out the window. This approach, or conception, holds that sovereignty is a binary situation: Either there is sovereignty, or there isn't. It has been a fundamental element of the twisted Israeli policies towards Judea and Samaria since the first intifada. That is, it is commonly held that either there will be two states between the Jordan and the sea, or one state, which will either be binational, or a Jewish-run apartheid. Any middle ground is not even considered, but rather denounced as an unstable temporary solution that will perpetuate the conflict forever.

The revolution in Syria invites us to introduce a new word into our vocabulary, which can not only help us formulate a new solution to the problems of the Arabs of the Land of Israel, but can also serve as a key to a reorganization of the entire Middle East. The word is: suzerainty. It generally refers to the partial control of an area, or even a country, by another country. There are many regions in the world that enjoy a certain measure of independence, but at the same time entrust certain important functions associated with sovereignty in the hands of a different country (usually a stronger one). The classic example of such is the state of relations between Puerto Rico (and also Guam) and the United States. There is also suzerainty between Montana and the U.S., between Belgium and the European Union, and between Flanders and Belgium.

The Left, and anti-Semites around the world, define Israel's position in Judea and Samaria as a "conqueror" or "occupier," thus distorting the meaning of "occupation" in international law. In practice, the more accurate term for Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria is "suzerainty." A deep understanding of the concept of suzerainty, and of the ways in which it is implemented in various areas of the world, opens before Israel a wealth of possibilities in the new Middle East that is currently taking shape. Internalizing Israel's suzerainty means understanding that Israel is a regional power and can use its power unapologetically to fortify its status and interests.

This is how it can look: Judea and Samaria will be recognized immediately as an integral part of the State of Israel; its Arab residents who remain here will receive Israeli citizenship; and Arab Palestinian nationalism will be outlawed. The Arab cities will have the status of local autonomies, run by the families that already run many of their affairs. The Gaza Strip will retain, for now, the status that the Palestinian Authority currently enjoys, with Israel overseeing its education network (to prevent anti-Israel incitement and the like). Perhaps in a few decades from now, Gaza will be ready to join Israel.

The Druze and the Kurds in the new Syria will exist as autonomies, with their own armies and with military guarantees from Israel. Southern Lebanon will be governed by Druze and Maronites (Christians), who will also enjoy Israeli military protection. Israel will open a gas pipeline to Europe, thus subordinating the economies of Lebanon and Egypt. Israel will also be able to leverage, without compunction, its control over the drinking water that it supplies to the Kingdom of Jordan, and will be free to enforce Israel's political interests over King Abdullah.

Who doesn't know the Prophet Isaiah's famous prophecy: "Nation will not lift a sword against another nation, and they will never again wage war." But when it is understood as a simple vision of peace and serenity, it is being taken out of context. Just a few verses before it, which are somewhat less well-known, the true and complete prophetic vision is laid out:

"And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it. And many peoples shall go and say, "Come, let us go up to the Lord's mount, to the house of the God of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths" – for from Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge between the nations and reprove many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks…"

Thus we see that even the Prophet says that the condition for regional peace is suzerainty of the Holy Temple mountain over the neighboring peoples. G-d has opened the way for us – let us go forth and ascend it.

Let's Keep On Winning – and Not Stop!

by Emmanuel Shilo, editor of the Besheva weekly, translated by Hillel Fendel.

1. We hadn't even quite digested the wondrous miracle of our successes against the cruel Hezbollah terrorist organization, when suddenly, we merited to see another amazing series of events: the collapse of the evil regime of our bitter Syrian enemy and the destruction of nearly its entire army.

The work of toppling the Assad dictatorship was done for us by others, leaving us with the job of making the courageous decisions to reap the fruits thereof. Thus, the humongous and costly war machine that Assad's Alawites built, with the help of Russia and Iran, was liquidated in a matter of days with no opposition, in an unprecedented blitz carried out by our air and naval forces.  

These are amazingly great days, in which we are privileged to see the fulfillment of the verse, "Gladden us in accordance with the days You afflicted us" (Psalms 90,15). After the calamitous strike we suffered on Simchat Torah over a year ago, when our rejoicing turned into such grief, we now see that G-d has given our enemies into the hands of our armed forces in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.

Our joy is far from complete, however. The formidable missions before us have not yet been completed. On all fronts the situation is quite sensitive, and the war rages on as we continue to pay high prices with the loss of additional holy and pure soldiers. But there is no doubt that our situation on Oct. 7th has turned around most concretely. No longer are we beaten and bruised, but are rather carrying out that which King David prayed for: "I will pursue my enemies and overtake them, never turning back until they are consumed" (18,38). We began the year 5785 with the unbelievable beeper attack, continued with the liquidation of the evil Nasrallah, and from there have climbed from one success to the next, from the lowly tunnels of Gaza to the summit of what has long been the Syrian Mt. Hermon – and which is now ours. If until now the Hermon has been "the eyes of Israel," now, with the capture of the higher, Syrian summit, these eyes can see much further.

2. Now that Syria and Hezbollah have fallen and will apparently not be threatening us any time soon, the three remaining great challenges that face us are these: putting an end to Iran's nuclear program, defeating Hamas decisively, and freeing our 100 captives, about a third of whom are known to be dead, from Hamas captivity.

These challenges are not at all simple. But now is not the time to tire, nor may we allow ourselves to suffice with less than the achievement of all three. The major changes that have already happened, and those that can be expected in the near future, enable and obligate us to think big and carry them out.

In less than five weeks, Joe Biden and his administration will finally leave the world stage, and Donald Trump – a friend of Israel in deed, not just in heart – will replace him. Though Biden has long supported Israel, it must be emphasized that his stubborn insistence on more and more humanitarian aid to Gaza – well beyond that which was needed for the Gazan population to survive – was that which allowed Hamas to survive throughout these 14 months of war.

Our own government also failed in this area, in enabling Hamas to take control of the humanitarian supplies, providing for themselves in greater quantities than what they left over for the populace.

The objective of the IDF's continued fighting in the Gaza Strip has been to create a sterile zone clean of Hamas terrorists, in which only those who have been carefully examined will be allowed to enter and receive the necessary supplies directly from our hands without Hamas intervention. This will greatly weaken Hamas, and is thus important for Israel.

Hamas is willing to make a deal now to release our hostages because it knows that when Trump becomes President again, the terms for any deal will be much worse for the terrorists than they are now. Still, we are far from guaranteed that Hamas will agree to release all the hostages, for it wishes to continue to torture at least some of them and the entire Israeli society. But even if Hamas does agree, it will be at a terribly high price for Israel, including the release of hundreds of dangerous terrorists from Israeli prison who will try to carry out the next wave of kidnappings. Israel may also be forced to end the war now, which itself will be a victory for Hamas. If this is the endnote of our 14 months of war and casualties, our accomplishments on the other fronts are likely to be endangered, as it will provide encouragement to the Shiites in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and our other enemies to continue their war against us.

3. We must therefore try to hold on and hold out until Trump takes over, when we will be able to see our hostages come home without suffering the defeat described above. If there are those who see the current weakening of Hamas as an "opportunity" to reach a terrible agreement with Hamas, they would be advised to remember those who saw the weakening of the PLO as a reason to sign the Oslo Accords – which brought us tens of thousands of uniformed terrorists and the establishment of the Palestinian Terrorist Authority.

True, it is hard to continue to stand strong in the face of the suffering of the hostages, the anguish of their families, and the pressure of the media, who are once again emotionally and shortsightedly trying to push us into a disastrous deal like that which freed Gilad Shalit. But now is the time for the government to show leadership, exercise reason, think about the nation and not just individuals, and focus on the long term beyond today and tomorrow.

We, the religious-Zionist public, must also behave responsibly. The left-wingers who have always wanted "Peace Now" and now want "Hostages Now," are looking to us to help them swing the pendulum. We must remember our commitment to true victory, and not lend our voices to capitulation. Similarly, we must not be tempted to fight for Hareidi recruitment, which is liable to lead – as the left-wingers’ hope – to the downfall of the only government that is striving for Israel's true victory.

Another challenge that we must overcome is the judicial establishment, ensconced in its ivory tower and unable to rise to the greatness and importance of the occasion. We know that there is no one else in the Israeli political establishment who can wage the war as well as Netanyahu – and yet they insist that he spend hours every day testifying about champagne and cigars. It is truly too bad that even those who hate him cannot realize that we need him to run our multi-front war for the entire country much more than we need him trying to defend himself from trivial accusations. 

The Deal with Lebanon is Disappointing, but Not Bad

by Hillel Fendel.

With varying degrees of praise for the deal, some observers had unrestrained praise for Netanyahu's strength in resisting international pressure for so long. 

"It's a tactical move, designed to serve our strategic and security interests." So summed up Cabinet Minister Orit Strook of the Religious Zionism party, referring to the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon/Hizbullah that went into effect this morning (Wednesday). This party's representative in the Security Cabinet, party leader Betzalel Smotrich, voted for the agreement, after it was reported that his proposals for extra-strict conditions be inserted.

Other observers were also measuredly optimistic. Though there are problems with the ceasefire, wrote Jonathan S. Tobin, editor-in-chief of Jewish News Syndicate, he added that this deal is "probably the best Israel can get under the circumstances… The Jewish state has not come away from the negotiations empty-handed but has achieved some real gains."

Minister Strook said that the American letter of assurance attached to the agreement guarantees that Israel can respond militarily to various expected Hizbullah infractions without being considered in violation of the ceasefire. 

She also noted that the agreement preserves our military achievements. It does not "return us to October `23, and not even to July `24 [when senior Hizbullah commander Fuad Shukr was killed by an Israeli airstrike] – but to the 'status quo' created this very month."

'Quiet for Quiet' is Out 

Strook also said: "No more are we following the 'quiet will be met with quiet' formula – because 'quiet' simply enables the terrorists to strengthen themselves. Our objective is not 'quiet,' but prevention of the rehabilitation of Hizbullah. And it is our sense that the IDF and all the security organs perceive the situation as we do, and are determined to enforce the agreement [and respond to violations] seriously and significantly." 

What she left unsaid, of course, was the tremendous American pressure brought to bear upon Israel by the outgoing Biden Administration. It has been widely reported that the Americans threatened not to veto anti-Israel resolutions in the UN Security Council, to apply sanctions, and to withdraw other support, if Israel did not agree to stop destroying Hizbullah terrorist infrastructures. 

Resisting the Pressures

The fact that this pressure was resisted for so long is attributed by many to one man: Prime Minister Netanyahu. Tobin, for instance, writes that the very significant setbacks dealt Hizbullah, Iran, and Hamas over the past year "were only made possible by the determination and the ability of one man to stand up to U.S. pressure to abandon the fight for Israel’s security many months ago. It’s difficult to imagine anyone other than Netanyahu could have stood his ground against Washington’s pleadings and threats, and have gone on to achieve an outcome that leaves Israel’s enemies far weaker than they were when the current conflict began almost 14 months ago."

Interestingly enough, even when the largely left-wing media in Israel, traditionally very anti-Netanyahu, offered up its automatic criticism of the prime minister for the deal, it seemed to trip over itself in seeking to find the problems. A negative article on the Walla site, for instance, harped at great length on the fact that Netanyahu's video speech explaining the deal to the Israeli public was edited and spliced together.

The Walla article, by one Nadav Menuhin, tried hard to keep track of whether it was more pro-ceasefire no matter what the cost, or more anti-Netanyahu. "More Israelis support the ceasefire than object to it," Menuhin wrote. "This is understandable, because the home-front is exhausted after more than a year of getting hit by rockets, deaths, and chaos… But whoever watched the news reports on the three main networks saw a different picture, in which the TV lined up totally with the deal's opponents, referring to Israel's 'surrender' and 'abandonment of the northern residents'…  Even Netanyahu, who practically apologized for the ceasefire, at least explained why it was necessary."

In short, the media is either against the agreement because it was brought by Netanyahu, or else serves the ceasefire back-handed compliments while denigrating its "author," Binyamin Netanyahu. 

Israel's Achievements

We thus return to Tobin, who elaborated on Israel's achievements in this agreement and in the military campaigns leading up to it: "[The past] two months of Israeli attacks on Hizbullah have significantly degraded [the terrorists'] capacity to inflict harm on the region. That’s a defeat for Iran, which had hoped that the seven-front war on Israel it had incited could go on indefinitely, weakening the country and its citizens’ resolve. Instead, they [Hizbullah] are the ones who have been diminished by military setbacks and vast losses inflicted on a group whose main purpose is to serve as a deterrent to attacks on Iran…"

And regarding Netanyahu, Tobin writes that his "leadership has been indispensable." He adds that what Netanyahu "has done in the year since [Oct. 7th] is truly remarkable. Only someone with his steely determination and savvy understanding of the tricky dynamics of the U.S.-Israel relationship could have navigated the long months of war so skillfully. No possible successor in his own Likud Party or among his opponents in the Knesset could have stuck to his goals - and do so much harm to Hamas and Hizbullah in the face of the [American] desire to force Jerusalem to accept the continued rule of Hamas in Gaza and avoid direct conflict with Iran’s Lebanese auxiliaries."

Outsmarting Biden

Similarly, analyst Avi Abelow of "Pulse of Israel" stated that Netanyahu is actually outsmarting Biden with this deal. With Biden having withheld much-needed weapons from Israel's war against Islamic terrorism, Netanyahu now calms the waters in anticipation of the second Trump Administration. 

"While I totally oppose this ceasefire," Abelow said, "I totally understand Netanyahu's calculations. [He] is trying to avoid Biden's dangerous threats… and is buying time to rest IDF forces and refresh critical armaments… His approach appears to be one of 'survival' until Jan. 20th when Trump is inaugurated again."

Time is Running Out for Israel to Attack Iran

by Kobi Eliraz, former Settlement Affairs advisor to various Israeli defense ministers, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Only just over six weeks remain for Israel to make a brave strategic decision.

[Translator's note: This past April, Iran attacked Israel with hundreds of missiles and drones, and Israel retaliated a week later. On October 1, Iran missile-attacked Israel once again, followed on Oct. 19 by a drone fired by Iran's proxies in Lebanon at Netanyahu's home in Caesaria. Israel's retaliation later that month included the destruction of an active nuclear weapons research facility – but security officials said then that this did not include Israel's response to the drone strike against Netanyahu's home. Though they indicated that further action could be expected, this has not yet happened.]

This week, explaining why he agreed to the ceasefire arrangement in Lebanon, Netanyahu said that one of the reasons was that it "enables us to focus on Iran - and I won't elaborate on that." 

The window of opportunity for Israel to mortally, or at least very painfully, strike Iran is beginning to close. The clock is ticking, and our option for a significant blow will disappear even faster the more the international situation changes and a new United States president takes office. 

Israel stands before a critical moment in which it must make a brave strategic decision, in spite of American and international reservations about - and pressures against - this course of action. 

Even with the ongoing messaging back and forth between Jerusalem and Washington, it appears that Israel currently has a rare opportunity to act in Iran, precisely now during the changing of the guard of the U.S. Administration. 

Iran, which well understands the greatness of the hour and the "complex" situation in which it finds itself, has refrained from responding with power to Israel's latest actions, even though it has often boasted to do so. This is the hour of Israel's test; it must realize that the time has come to change the rules of the game, Churchill-style. 

Great leaders are measured during times of crisis, when a single decision can change the course of history. Winston Churchill was forced to make fateful decisions during the course of World War II – and he sometimes did so against the advice of his own advisors and international allies. He understood that the future of the British nation, and the entire free world, was dependent on his leadership.

So, too, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu now faces a historic test of leadership. The present situation can tolerate neither hesitation nor procrastination, and this is the precise hour for him to make a daring decision. What Israel does now will affect the strategy of the Islamic-fundamentalist terrorist countries and organizations, and thus Israel's security, for many years going forward.

History does not remember kindly, if at all, the leaders who waited. It reserves an honored place only for those who took action, initiated, and led. 

Iran activates regional proxies such as Hamas, Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad, and others in Syria and Iraq. It represents a constant active threat to Israel and the stability of the entire Middle East. The Iranian proxies wait for instructions from Tehran, and Israel knows that if it precisely strikes the "head of the snake," those proxies will receive an equally precise message: "Israel is not playing just for its defense, but rather knows how to initiate and act whenever and wherever necessary."

It is likely that a unilateral Israeli strike of this nature will anger the U.S., but we must remember that there are those in the outgoing Biden Administration, and certainly in the incoming Trump Administration, who would actually support such a move. The appointees of Trump, in particular, who is known for his strong anti-Iran stance, could very well view this action as an opportunity to entrench his future policy vis-à-vis Iran. That is, an Israeli offensive will better position him regarding Iran, and against the Axis of Evil altogether. 

Strategically speaking, a successful Israeli strike will present Israel as a leading power and as an independent force in the regional arena. This will of course strengthen Israel's stature in future negotiations, and will further fortify its status as a military and diplomatic powerhouse. 

History teaches us that military initiatives, such as Operation Opera against Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981, and Operation Outside the Box against a nuclear reactor in Syria in 2007, can effectively neutralize strategic threats. On the other hand, they also prove that refraining from such activity can be catastrophic. At the current time, a well-timed, precise, and successful strike against Iran will strengthen Israel in every possible arena, from north to south. It will even influence future moves by other countries in the region.

This is the moment when true leadership is measured. Israel must take advantage of the current Iranian sensitivity, and act with determination and wisdom. Any further delay reduces Israel's field of operations and strengthens our enemies. 

Mr. Prime Minister, you have successfully passed historic tests over the past year – and now you face perhaps the most acute one of all. Just as Churchill acted with unwavering steadfastness during the crisis moments of the Second World War, so too you must lead the State of Israel today. If you perform correctly, you will be remembered not only as a leader on the local stage, but as one who changed the balance of power in the Middle East and safeguarded Israel's security for generations to come. Iran well understands its own weaknesses at this time, and precisely for that reason, Israel must strike now while the iron is hot – and relevant.

A Chance for Real Change in the South

by Elad Kalimi, Deputy Mayor of Sderot, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Motivation in Sderot is high, but the IDF must continue to press in northern Gaza and clean it out of terrorists in order to restore security to the residents of Sderot and environs.

With the re-election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, we find ourselves in an awkward position, to say the least. Precisely when a real opportunity is finally about to open up for Israel to act more freely against Hamas, and even vanquish it, the political pressure from the lame-duck Democratic administration against our government is intensifying. The Democrats are clearly seeking to register a political "achievement" in the name of the Trump-Harris administration before it fades limply away into history this coming January 20^th.

This past year of our relations with the United States have been very difficult. In the midst of our very costly war with ruthless Hamas and Hizbullah, the Biden Administration threatened to emplace an embargo and sanctions against Israel if it did not follow its advice to run the war the way the President and his staff wanted. Biden representatives constantly intervened in Israel's security cabinet meetings, and the Administration forced Israel to allow huge quantities of "humanitarian aid" into Gaza with the clear knowledge that Hamas was either selling it for astronomical profits or store-housing it for years to come.

And all this was taking place while the Israeli hostages remained starving in Hamas dungeons, on a diet of a slice of bread a day. Ever since the war started, the Americans have hindered our efforts and steps, reducing the chances for a strong blow against Hamas and exerting most of their pressure against us.

Dare we hope that in two months' time, the above will all be just a bad dream, and that we will finally get our hands around the terrorists' necks and bring about a real change in the military picture between Israel and those who wish to destroy us?

And this brings us to the city of Sderot, where I live. The need for a fundamental change in the way our military forces work in Gaza is directly connected to the fate of Sderot and the populace of the entire western Negev. The military maneuvers in northern Gaza, pushing myriads of Gazans southward in order to sift out the terrorists, are a welcome move – but hardly enough. Northern Gaza must be totally cleaned out so that Israel will be able to take full control of the region and thus restore a sense of genuine security to the Jewish residents. The scenes of hundreds of northern Gazans scouting out our homes from the windows of their homes just across the border is simply intolerable, and will greatly harm the process of rehabilitation that we are trying to undergo.

Sderot and environs lost 30 residents on or after Oct. 7, and a host of others were killed here since then in various battles and attacks. We are dealing with the fragments of the painful reality that this war has left us, working to rebuild our lives with strength and hope. But even in the midst of the rebuilding, we are suffering from delays and impediments in our daily lives. For one example, the Sderot-Tel Aviv train line is still not in operation, for fear of sniper fire from nearby Gaza. Only in the merit of the ongoing pressure of the mayors and local council heads, of the residents in general, and of the wise decision by Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich to refuse to allocate 800 million shekels to protect the railway tracks – did the IDF finally realize that the responsibility for safeguarding the area is not on the government's shoulders, but rather on theirs – and that this requires total military control of northern Gaza. Once they acted on this strategy, the number of shootings and attempted terrorist attacks dropped significantly. This proves, of course, that targeted action achieves its objectives, and that we must continue to press. There can be no compromise at the expense of the security of the residents of the south.

The catastrophic events of Oct. 7^th left deep scars upon every resident of Sderot. I personally lost close friends, such as Kobi Prienta and Shilo Cohen, as did many others, and the pain accompanies us every moment of the day. But it is precisely the difficulties, and the searing memories, that bring out from us the strengths to march this city forward. Our vision is to turn Sderot into the pearl of the country, a city that will produce a new generation of resilient residents, with personal and communal vitality, who strive and work for high-quality lives of vision, education, and community life. Thus we will turn Sderot into a city that not only survives, but flourishes.

But the most important thing is to continue forward militarily, without removing our foot from the gas. We must continue to fight firmly and confidently against both Hamas and Hizbullah. This is not only a military struggle, but one for the hopes of all of us – one that is based on our strong stances and desire to return to normal life. With all the challenges we face, I believe that it is possible, and imperative, to counter the threats that face us, and guarantee our residents that which they deserve: long-range security and quiet.

Needed: Israeli Strategic and Military Independence

by Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The Patriarch Abraham had the right idea in purchasing the Machpelah Cave and not accepting it as a gift. This is an important lesson for the State of Israel to relearn today. 

Strategic alliances with other countries are an important component of any nation's overall national security. They are very necessary especially in today's era of globalization, with the frequent formation and collapse of international coalitions, and when even distant enemies must be faced and dealt with.

In the current war, Israel's alliances have certainly proved themselves. Our friendship with the United States saved us from the mistakes we made in allowing our supplies of armaments, weapons and combat equipment to dwindle. We were also helped by quiet arrangements with our neighbors, such as Jordan, to intercept the ballistic missiles and UAV aircraft/drones fired at Israel from Iran.

On the other hand, as is known, the U.S. embrace of Israel was actually a type of bear hug. It created a measure of Israeli dependency on the U.S. that actually left us vulnerable to demands that we not fulfill our military and strategic objectives along the way to defeating Hamas and returning our hostages.

There is a well-known principle that "countries don't have friends, only interests." Of late, there was most definitely a conflict of some of these interests between Israel and the U.S., particularly the then-upcoming elections. As a result, America threatened, more than once, to withhold arms shipments to Israel critical for the continuation of its campaign [to destroy, or at least subdue, terrorism in the Middle East]. This was a repeat of what happened 50 years earlier during the Yom Kippur War, when the Americans prevented us from preemptively attacking the Syrians and Egyptians; the ensuing war ultimately cost us over 2,650 soldiers' lives.

We must always remember the great difference between an alliance of friendship and goodwill, on the one hand, and a relationship that leads to one party's dependence on the other, rendering it a type of protectorate. For Israel, this is of course undesirable and undermines our sovereignty.

One of the fundamental principles in the security philosophy outlined by Ben-Gurion in the early days of the State was that Israel must always retain its independence in everything having to do with military strategy and armaments. "It is incumbent upon us to know and recognize," he said in 1951, "that when it comes to our security, we must always rely only on ourselves." We must ensure that given the tremendous threats upon us, we will always have the wherewithal to respond effectively and sufficiently without the need to resort to others' help.

We must always be able to make sure that the IDF has the weapons it needs, with production lines that can increase their output in times of emergency. The IDF must always have sufficient manpower for a number of highly-trained and battle-ready attack-force divisions that are prepared for every eventuality. It must also maintain supplies and spare parts that will last it for the duration of whatever battles are on the horizon, and beyond.

To our great sorrow, this was not at all the picture when the current war started. For many years, we enabled ourselves to develop a dependency on American defense aid money [which must, by the terms of the agreement with the Americans, be spent in the U.S.], leading to a degeneration of some of our own local defense industries. This of course creates the harmful dependency of which we are speaking. According to various reports, we permitted ourselves to reduce our supplies of equipment essential for an extended war, relying on our American friends to supply us when needed, as indeed they finally did – almost too late – in the Yom Kippur War.

Reports are that immediate steps are being taken to change our thinking in this regard and ensure that we will not be caught short-handed again. Still and all, if we ever again need weapons and armaments, we must know that it is better to purchase them than to receive them as "gifts."

It has been reported that on Trump's "Day One," right after his inauguration on Jan. 20, he has promised to remove all restrictions on the supply of military equipment and ammunition to Israel. This is certainly good news, but it must not cause us to revert to our dependency on the United States in areas of military goals and weapons. The Trump Administration will be a good test case to see if we have truly internalized the lessons of the current war in terms of relying on the goodwill of others.

Let us note that our Patriarch Abraham was a great strategist, with long-term vision. He forged a strategic alliance in Be'er Sheva with King Avimelekh for generations to come (see Genesis 21, 22-31), with the goal of ensuring their secure and lasting stronghold in the Land of Israel.

It was for this reason that Abraham, as we read in this week's Torah portion, refused to accept the Machpelah Cave and the field of Hebron as a gift from Ephron the Hittite. He insisted on paying full price, for various reasons according to the Medrash – and one of them was that when one receives a favor or gift from another, the former becomes a form of debtor to his benefactor.

"How much more so is this true," explained a venerable sage of the previous generation known as the Steipler Rov, "that one must not allow himself to enter into an unlimited agreement of subservience… and especially if the other is a wicked person…"

King Solomon writes in Proverbs, "One who hates gifts will live" (15,27). This is because he has not allowed himself to develop a dependency upon others. "There are no free lunches," the popular saying goes. 

Hebron and the Machpelah Cave were Avraham's first acquisitions in the Land to which G-d instructed him to go. Thus, these places ,are strategically critical for Jewish sovereignty here forever. Not for naught did all three Patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – establish their residence in Hebron, which was also the first destination of the Twelve Spies dispatched by Moses to the Land. It was also in Hebron that King David founded the Dynasty of Israel. All of this explains why Abraham made sure to buy it and not receive it as a gift. Only in this way would it belong exclusively to the People of Israel, with no chance for the Hittites, or anyone else, to retain any claims to it in the future. 

Mr. Trump: Let's Start with Canceling the Personal Sanctions, and Continue From There

by Shai Alon, Beit El Mayor, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Donald Trump's historic victory in the US elections opens the door for immediate and welcome changes for the half-million-plus Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria (Yesha). Israel must utilize the circumstances and work for complete Israeli sovereignty in Yesha – and for the removal of the baseless personal sanctions the State Department has imposed upon individual Jews there.

Trump's win received two extra underscores with the Republican victory in the Senate, and what appears to be the same in the House of Representatives. For at least the next two years, therefore, until the mid-term House elections, the situation appears very promising.

In his first term, as is known, Trump displayed very strong support for Israel and its interests. He took a series of measures that greatly upgraded Israel's status in its own land and around the world. His recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, changed the very ground rules. And the historic Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain opened the gates for a promising and stable future in the Middle East.

These were not merely symbolic gestures, but full-throated shows of practical support for Israel, in deeds and not only words, that until then had been practically unthinkable.

Unfortunately, Trump was replaced by an outwardly friendly Biden Administration, but which continued, even after Oct. 7^th, to work tirelessly for a two-state solution with our neighbors, Hamas/Fatah, as if nothing had happened.

Now, with Trump's return to the White House for his last four years as President, it is incumbent upon us to know how to open this window of opportunity, for the benefit of the settlement enterprise in Yesha and to strengthen Israel's hold over the entire Land of Israel.

As mentioned, the recent months and years under Biden were not at all simple for Israel. His administration's approach was close to a direct continuation of the confrontational line taken by the Obama regime before Trump's first victory. It will be recalled that Biden was Obama's VP then, and it is a fairly open secret that Obama played a large, behind-the-scenes role in the Biden-Harris administration as well.

The now-outgoing US government's conception of what the Middle East must look like stood many times in stark contrast to Israel's view, interests, and core values – and even many times to the United States' core values. We found ourselves having to deal with foreign pressures not only preventing us from decisively defeating Hamas, but also forcing us to restrict Jewish construction – enacting almost a de facto freeze – in Judea and Samaria.

Sanctions
The Biden Administration even went so far as to impose personal sanctions against individuals and organizations active in Yesha on behalf of the Jewish People. This is a disrespectful and even dictatorial move that represents a blatantly brazen intervention in Israel's internal policies. The sanctions were not even only economic. Their objective was rather to restrict the growth of the Jewish communities and signal the essential American opposition to the existence of more than a half-million Jews in these areas.

The severity of these sanctions is such that the routine lives of the affected Jews became intolerable. The incoming Administration must nullify these sanctions on Day One, in order to assure Israel's sovereignty as an independent country, and to enable the residents of Yesha to continue to build their lives in freedom.

We recall Trump's “Middle East Peace Plan,” also known as the “peace plan of the century,” which was unveiled in early 2020 (just around when the Coronavirus was beginning to make its infamous mark around the world). Now, after what happened outside Gaza on Simchat Torah last year, its vision of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is no longer relevant. Between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea there must be only one sovereign state: the State of Israel!

What we must do now, therefore, is to push full steam ahead to promote and advance the establishment of Israel's sovereignty over every Jewish-populated area in Yesha. After 57 years of living here, it is inconceivable that the Jews are still subservient to military orders issued by the official governor, namely, the IDF Central Command. The IDF's civil administration over Yesha must be abolished, and the Jewish populace here must be a totally integral part of the State of Israel under the law.

With President Trump in office, the matter of security in Yesha can also face historical changes. We cannot overlook the fact of the PA military mechanisms that possess huge amounts of armored vehicles and weapons, which in an instant can turn into a threatening scenario against Israel, as happened in the second intifada - and as we are witnessing these very days in the shooting incidents by PA police officers.

The sense of security here, and the very lives of the residents of Yesha, are in constant danger, and this situation cannot continue. The military bodies of Fatah and of the other terrorist organizations must be disarmed, and the area must be completely cleansed of the many illegal weapons that abound. Only Israeli forces may possess weapons and have security authority in the area.

These are absolutely necessary moves that can only be implemented when President Trump assumes his old-new office. We wish him the best of success!

The Mission: To Avoid the Lebanese Swamp – and Bring Peace

by Maj. (res.) Gilad Ach, Chairman of "Reservists of the Victory Generation" and Director of the Ad Kan organization, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The recipe to do so is straightforward, but requires courage.

After more than a month since the beginning of the IDF's campaign against Hizbullah in Lebanon, anyone who took part in the ground offensive can agree on the following facts:

1.    The enemy was significantly weaker than what we expected. In fact, in most of the villages there was hardly any resistance, and whatever military opposition we encountered was overcome fairly quickly.

2.     Our offensive was east-to-west, not deep into more northern Lebanese territory. We sought to "visit" all the villages that are relatively close to Israel, without going to the second-tier villages.

3.     Actually, these weren't exactly villages. The amount of weapons, tunnels, and anti-tank missiles that we found in every house in the Shiite towns and villages, as well as rocket launching pads directed at Israel from every corner, giving them total control over our northern communities, rendered these "villages" genuine military camps, camouflaged by a "combat supporting" civilian populace.

If the Hizbullah leaders – especially the now-deceased Sheikh Nasrallah – had had the time or the notion to order this tremendous military array to attack Israel, the amount of dead and kidnapped Israelis we could have suffered would likely have been much greater than the numbers we experienced on Simchat Torah a year ago.

4.    Lebanon is, indeed, a poor country – but the plethora of large houses, luxury cars, and private swimming pools that we saw, as well as other indications, attest to the unusual wealth of the Shiite population in southern Lebanon.

5.    The UNIFIL peace-keeping forces and the Lebanese Army are an intrinsic part of the game being played there by Iran. They most certainly saw with their own eyes, or otherwise knew of, the tunnel openings, the tunnel excavations, the launch pads, the mining of the roads, the trucks carrying long-range rockets, the explosive drones, and more and more. They saw and were silent. They saw and cooperated with our enemy.

6.    What Israel owes its Mossad and intelligence community people cannot be expressed in words. The reason why Hizbullah is suffering such great losses now is because of the total state of bedlam and confusion it entered as a result of our ingenious beeper-and-pager attacks, as well as the liquidation of Nasrallah shortly afterwards. Basically, the once-arrogant Hizbullah has turned into a mouse running for its life ever since. It is not even able to arm the charges it itself hid in the fields because it is so busy retreating.

All of these facts lead us to the following simple conclusions:

We must not allow a recurrence of that which we experienced with Hizbullah in the past! We have neither the privilege nor the right to enable Hizbullah to rebuild itself and its monstrous array of threats to northern Israel right over our border!

Yes, there is a national fear of sinking into the "Lebanese swamp." Much of the country is still traumatized by the frequent losses we suffered in the years after the Second Lebanese War.

But in order that we not betray the trust that history has granted us, it is my understanding that we actually have no choice but to quickly execute the following four operations:

1.    We must deepen our ground offensive and take it further north, all the way up to the Litani River. Though it flows mostly north to south, its east-west section flows 10 kilometers north of Tyre, about 30 kilometers north of the border with Israel. We must define the entire area of southern Lebanon from Israel to this section of the Litani as a closed military zone, and as a buffer zone with no residents. It will be enclosed by a fence, which already exists on the existing Israeli-Lebanese border, and IDF outposts will populate the area. This will prevent a ground invasion from Lebanon into Israel, of the catastrophic type we experienced last October 7^th, for many years to come.

2.    We can reach a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon – in exchange for the exile of the entire political echelon of Hizbullah, as well as whatever is left of its military leadership. In addition, all still-living terrorists who engaged in firing long-range rockets at us must be extradited to Israel.

3.    The Christian and Druze leaders in Lebanon must be invited and brought to Israel to speak in the Knesset, and we must help bolster their standing in Lebanon.

4.    With American backing, and as part of the ceasefire agreement, the Lebanese unwritten National Pact that mandates the selection of national leaders according to ethnicity must be abolished. There must also be democratic elections for the Parliament, which will release Lebanon from its Shi'ite-Iranian bear hug. For decades, this system has made Lebanon into a country lacking basic governmental stability. [The present situation is that the president must be a Maronite Christian, the speaker of the Parliament - a Shi'ite Muslim, and the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim. According to Wikipedia, efforts to alter or abolish this system have been at the center of Lebanese politics for decades. - HF]

These actions are the only ones that can save us from the mistakes we made after the First and Second Lebanese Wars. They can also help save Lebanon from its Iranian captors, and bring quiet to our northern border for many years forward.

We can only hope for, and demand, the necessary courage and maneuverings in the political sphere of the type that have served us so well on the battlefield.

The Importance of Joy and Confidence in Wartime

by Rabbi Avraham Vasserman, prolific author and lecturer in Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, translated by Hillel Fendel.

I. The Yom Kippur War

Every year in commemoration of Israel's great victory in October 1973, the press chooses to treat us to a plethora of articles on the "failure" that accompanied it. This word is so frequently attached to the Yom Kippur War that it often seems as if the war was one big failure. 

Yes, there was a failure, in Israel's intelligence. The enemy's war preparations were very obvious, yet our "intelligence elements" either didn't see them or ignored them. Thus, Israel was caught by surprise, and enemy armies penetrated into our territory. Yet, only 11 days later, on the day before Simchat Torah, the IDF crossed the Suez Canal westward into Egypt. And after only a week more, our forces had practically erased the Egyptian army. In Syria, as well, Israeli forces managed to turn the enemy advance into a retreat, and marched to within 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the Syrian capital, Damascus. Were it not for American pressure, our victory could have been massive and Egypt would have signed a surrender agreement.

By both simple logic and natural instinct, our incredible comeback in the Yom Kippur War should be commemorated as the greatest achievement in the history of the State of Israel. Alongside the grief and sorrow at our heavy losses, it should be celebrated as a miracle of salvation and victory. On the contrary: the failure of the beginning of the war is precisely that which highlights the enormity of what we achieved. 

But the agenda-driven wailing of the media outlets took over the national ambience. A type of national trauma has developed, with the active maintenance of certain elements, to the effect that the army cannot be counted upon – even though the facts proved otherwise. This was a main reason for the signing of the scandalous peace agreements in 1979, in which we had to give away the Sinai Peninsula and its strategic depth, oil fields, airports, tourist attractions, and, certainly not least, its Jewish communities. 

The absurdity is that it's the defeated Egyptians who celebrate every year their success at surprising us and their early battlefield accomplishments. They thus raise their morale and strengthen their resolve to defeat us at the next opportunity. Of late we have seen the wide-ranging preparations of the Egyptian army, which they don't even seek to hide, in anticipation of the next war. [For instance, IsraelDefense reported that this past May, Egypt signed a contract to buy 30 advanced French Rafale fighter jets, even though it is under no significant security threat from any country. – HF]

II. Nothing New Here

A similar story happened in the Bible when King David defeated his rebellious son Avshalom. Despite his boastful and arrogant behavior, the latter was able to take his father by surprise when he actually sought to overthrow and kill him. David, crowned with victories in past wars, became in one moment a man running for his life, with several hundred of his fighters. However, he did not despair, and instead did the unbelievable: winning with his small force a decisive victory over Avshalom's much larger army. 

David's soldiers returned home as joyful victors from the battle they had waged and won against all odds. They expected the tambourines and drums of a victory parade, just as those that greeted David when he defeated the Philistines. But then – David stood at the gate and cried out in anguish, "Avshalom my son! Would I have died instead of you!" The victory celebrations ended abruptly, and the people left quietly, as if they had been defeated.

Yoav, David's Chief of Staff, blessed with sharp instincts, realized what was going on. He understood that under no circumstances should the joy of victory turn into mourning. He even threatened David - the only time he did so - that if David continued to mourn, the situation would become even worse for him.

David wiped away his tears, went out to the people and congratulated them on their victory, and thus restored their pride, joy and enthusiasm. Later, when David commanded his son and successor Shlomo to take vengeance on certain people who had committed unforgiveable offenses, one of them was Yoav. But David said that this was because he had killed Avner and Amasa, and mentioned nothing about Yoav's having killed Avshalom; apparently, David agreed with Yoav's approach. 

III. An Opportunity for National Repentance

Maimonides teaches us the definition of genuine and total repentance: "It is when a person has the opportunity to commit the same sin that he once committed, under the same circumstances, yet restrains himself and does not do so – not because of fear, and not because of lack of strength, but only because he has done teshuvah." (Laws of Teshuvah 2,1)

It is very rare that a person finds himself with the chance to commit the exact same sin under the same circumstances. But it appears that now, we have this precise opportunity, on the national plane. 

Just like during the Yom Kippur War, an intelligence failure on the part of our experts, who ignored the open preparations of the enemy, led to the massive tragedy of last year's Simchat Torah. 

The mass murders, kidnappings, abuse and humiliation were terrible beyond description. Our enemies are proud of what they did, and show off videos of their "achievements" to glorify their name to their countrymen who appreciate this type of cruelty. This, even though they have been defeated in a way that no one could have imagined. But most unfortunately, once again, elements among us – driven by their own agenda of toppling the government at any cost – seek to cast what happened only as a failure and a defeat, and to create a national spirit of doom - one that is liable to bring about an even greater disaster.

This, then, is our opportunity to rectify that which happened after Yom Kippur in 1973. Together with the mourning, pain and sorrow we are experiencing, we must remember that we have what to celebrate and rejoice: We are winning the war, on several fronts. We have shown the wondrous ability to arise from a terrible thrashing and recover to beat back the enemy and attack them wherever they are. 

We are in the midst of an amazing reversal in which the IDF's ground-forces army – which had been all but dried up for years by irresponsible elements who promoted the concept of a "small, smart army" – became within a short time a tremendous war machine filled with an optimistic and idealistic fighting spirit. Even more: We are witnesses to another national reversal of a renewed confidence in our path and general insistence that we not stop the battle until our enemy is vanquished.

This is thus the opportunity for our national repentance. Let us not squander it.