by Michael Sparber, member of the Judea & Samaria forum, translated by Hillel Fendel.
"Bnayahu Melet, father of two and a member of his local military response team, was a man of truth, a fighter and a visionary. He was guided by truth, and was busy reclaiming for the Jewish People dunam after dunam of the Land of Israel. Bnayahu was a 'warrior of David' of our generation – a man forged of concrete [melet, in Hebrew], in whose merit, among others, we are all able to live here. Every conversation with him was a lesson that filled one with optimism and strength. For me, he always represented Trumpeldor and his comrades. How sorrowful is your passing, my beloved brother and teacher."
I wrote those words immediately upon learning that this great man, among the sons and builders (bane'ha ubone'ha, in Hebrew) of Eretz Yisrael, may G-d avenge his blood, had been murdered by ruthless Palestinians on his way to save lives. I did not write them by rote to console his family, or myself, but rather out of deep conviction of their utter truth. He was of that very rare type that combined vision and responsibility, faith and action, humbleness and strength. He was a walking lesson in love of the Land, in true comprehension of the security situation, and in deep faith that Israel will defeat its enemies if it simply believes in itself and stops seeking to merely "contain" them.
This is precisely why Bnayahu's death is not just a personal tragedy for his family and friends. It is of national proportions, and essentially presents a national test: Will we get stuck on trying to ascertain on how exactly he was murdered, or rather on whether the State of Israel will learn the lesson for which he lived and acted?
Bnayahu did not believe in "managing" the terrorism that engulfs us, but rather in vanquishing it. He did not accept the army's usual post-attack announcements that "we will pursue the murderers and bring them to justice," but insisted that the army must totally wipe out the ability of the entire terrorist mechanism to carry out further attacks.
Bnayahu's
Blood Cries Out Not for Vengeance, but for Victory
Here precisely begins the responsibility of the Government of
Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu's response to the two terrorist murders and
other terrorist victims of that dark day was strong, but quite familiar:
Destruction of the terrorists' houses, reinforcement of military forces,
checkpoints, cancellation of work permits, collection of enemy weapons, and approvals
for more Jewish farms. These are steps that are certainly important,
operationally, but they still rely on that same old "conception" of
responding to what is done to us. They do not initiate victory and the destruction
of the enemy's infrastructure and ability to fight and kill us.
The recent chain of terrorist attacks demands a fundamental shift
in perception. We can no longer rely on chasing each individual attacker. We
must launch a continuous offensive against the entire terrorism-manufacturing
system, until it breaks. Mr. Prime Minister, members of the Cabinet – you who
are entrusted with the security of Israel's citizens - this is exactly the
conception that we thought and hoped was shattered back on October 7th, nearly
three years ago!
For years we told ourselves that we could contain Hamas, manage
it, and control the "height of the flames" – and the price we ended
up paying was the most terrible in the nation's history. How can we even
consider repeating that same mistake in Judea and Samaria!?
As long as it is the terrorists who choose the time and place,
manipulating Israel into responding according to the terms they have set, they
retain the initiative. When we simply react, we are not striving for victory;
at most, for attrition. The equation must be reversed. Israel must once again
be the side that takes the lead and forces the other side to figure out how to
respond. The terrorists must no longer be those who surprise the State of
Israel, but those who wake up each morning with fear as to what Israel has in
store for them today.
Mr. Prime Minister, the list of operations you announced following
the recent murders is not a recipe for victory, but rather a routine inventory of
actions that have been tried already thousands of times. If this is the
response even after four terrorist attacks in just one day, it clearly means
that nothing has changed - other than the amount of murdered Jews.
This is precisely the moment at which a country is tested. We know
that we are good at responding, but now we have to see if we can free ourselves
from the conception that has brought us to where we are.
Oct. 7th was not just an intelligence failure. It was a
collapse of an entire worldview that falsely held that we can manage a
murderous enemy and keep it at bay according to our dictates. We learned that
we cannot – and if this mistake continues to guide us today in Judea and
Samaria, Heaven forbid, we will simply be reenacting the conditions that
enabled the Gaza massacre. This would mean that we are not only desecrating the
memory of those who fell, but also preparing the way for the next victims.
Bnayahu Melet's blood is crying out not for another checkpoint or
house demolition, but rather to change the equation, regain the initiative, and
win!