We in Israel are now at war. We will be fighting the biggest war since Yom Kippur 1973. I wrote an article on Sukkah, Tabernacles, for our official Facebook Page, Justers, Restoration from Zion. I was looking forward to the 8th-day celebration, Shemini Atzeret, which in Israel is also the day of Rejoicing in the Torah, Simchat Torah. We were planning a great celebration in our congregation and a fellowship dinner afterward. Then the sirens sounded in our town, just West of Jerusalem. The service had to be canceled.
Our bomb room is very small. I don’t know how the inspectors approved a bomb shelter like this for a larger house that we share with my daughter’s family. There are 6 Moores, Patty and I, and my son Ben and his wife Lorena and youngest son Andrew (16) who are visiting. So we had 11 for our little bomb shelter. Some of us decided that the stairway area on the bottom floor is also good. So we eventually spread out and used both areas. One missile struck just up the block from our house and made a great hole in the street and damaged several cars with shrapnel.
I have a very different view than many friends about the wars since 1973. I think Israel’s leaders have been reckless or not acting with courage to really deal with the problem. I think Prime Minister Netanyahu has done many things well. He led us to a growing economy two decades ago. He has been a master diplomat. But his policy on the terrorist organizations that control Gaza and Lebanon has been to temporarily weaken and contain them but not to eliminate them. We call this giving them a periodic haircut but letting their rule continue. We do not want to rule the Palestinian areas but want them to have autonomy and self-rule. However, this often is a policy of appeasement, providing their funds, and allowing billions to be transferred to them for social services and aid. I call this the opposite of Theodore Roosevelt, we speak loudly but carry a little stick. It looks like we are allowing Iran to get the bomb though we speak loudly and say we won’t.
I have one big example. When Hezbollah and Israel fought the war some years ago, a U.N. Chapter 7 resolution for the cease-fire declared that Hezbollah would not be able to re-arm The U.N. was to enforce this resolution. Prime Minister Olmert signed it. But after Netanyahu came to power, Hezbollah took complete control not only of Southern Lebanon but control over the Lebanon government. The U.N. would not enforce its own resolution, a “robust resolution” in the word of Secretary of State Rice. At that point, there was a choice. I believe we should have said, “If the U.N. will not enforce its own resolution, we, Israel will enforce it.” Instead, we let them have 150K to 200K missiles now aimed at Israel. It is a feckless spirit that for the sake of peace now and avoiding casualties in the immediate, we prepare the way for a devastating war.
The situation in GAZA is similar. When P. M. Sharon withdrew from Gaza, at great cost to Israel, he gave their government to the Palestinian Authority who said they would live in peace with Israel. They were thrown out by a Hamas coup and many of the P. A. leaders were murdered. Hatred for Israel is so great that the P.A. leaders and Hamas cooperate against Israel anyway. However, at that time, P. M. Abbas would have been glad for Israel to take Hamas out. Some thought Israel would. Israel did not. So Hamas has been a terrible problem that we seek to contain and not remove. Again, in my view, this is a big mistake, and now the removal will be at a much higher cost.
Israel could have had a policy that Gaza and the West Bank could elect their own leaders but no parties or individuals that support terrorism against Israel would be allowed to run or come to power. This would have been enforced by military power. No Islamic Jihad, no Hamas and no Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. They are all terrorist parties. But again, we allowed them to govern Gaza and to be a political party in the West Bank. So for short-term avoidance of conflict and casualties and temporary times of peace, we prepare the way for what is much worse with much greater overall loss of life.
We are now in a big war, not as big as 1973 but the biggest in 50 years.
Another question is how this could start as it did. Why was the border so porous that dozens could invade and kill over 300 Israelis most civilians, including women and children? Why this big failure? Much will come out of this. There will be investigations after the war.
Also, we should understand that Hamas is Islamo Facist. They do not believe Jewish life is of worth since Jews are in the way of the future glorious Islamic world government. Therefore Jews are not worthy of life, and torturing and murdering is justified under this ideology. They see this as restoring the honor of Islam but they discredit Islam, making the face of Islam to be horrible and Hitler/Nazi-like.
Now we pray, God help Israel in spite of all our errors.