Shalom all,

The IDF suffered the loss of 14 soldiers and officers, who were killed in action over the weekend (Friday afternoon through Saturday until evening), Three of them were from Haifa. One of the families is known to me. This evening yet another soldier was K.I.A., bringing the total IDF deaths since the beginning of the ground offensive to 154. This is heart-breaking news.

Shalom all,

“Construction over destruction”? Every once in a while, in the midst of a multitude of media babble, one well-written article, expressed clearly and with understanding, stands out. And, when that article appears in a leftist newspaper, but advocates pursuing “an absolute military victory”, we should take a few moments to read and consider what is being proposed. Such is the case with the Opinion – Let the Israeli Army Win the Hamas War Decisively, written by Israel Harel, that appeared in today”s Haaretz . The author cogently points out that even if we accomplish our goal of eliminating the military might of Hamas, the likelihood is that we will still be facing future wars by those have the same “murderous ideologies”. 

However, he further notes: “But it is entirely possible that if the Israel Defense Forces is permitted this time to achieve a decisive, absolute military victory (and not only to obtain “successes,” as in the 2014 Gaza war), as the prime minister, defense minister and IDF chief of staff have established as among the goals of the war, decades of quiet could be reached. In the absence of the Hamas army – and with an IDF that controls the Gaza Strip and moves aggressively to prevent this army’s reconstitution – Gazans are likely to choose construction over destruction.” (my emphasis)

The positive aspects of a Gaza Strip without Hamas are numerous. But, in order for those aspects to become a reality, “the goals of the war must be adhered to strictly”. Harel further points out that while an additional “humanitarian pause in exchange for the release of hostages” may be favored by politicians and even by some senior military commanders, it is not favored by the families of fallen soldiers, nor by the combat soldiers in the IDF. The momentum of the military should not be stopped, nor should we “create new bereaved families through capitulation to foreign interests”. Harel urges that now is the time to “Take advantage of the soldiers’ endless willingness to fight a decisive war, despite the dangers it holds for them…Israeli soldiers of all stripes and tribes have come together for this campaign, knowing that they are liable to die in a war whose goal is to prevent further wars.” Another “humanitarian pause” in the war could prove disastrous for the morale and motivation of our troops.

The Dry Bones Blog – 8 December, 2023

Our government needs to understand that we can’t placate the enemy, whose ultimate goal is the removal of Israel from the map of the Middle East, and from the world itself. We can’t go back to our old way of thinking that we can successfully negotiate with the devil. We can’t. It’s time to stop trying to negotiate with a blood-thirsty, totally immoral terrorist band, that exalts death the way that we exalt life. We will end up freeing all the “Palestinian” prisoners in Israeli jails, many with blood on their hands, who will immediately join the rank and file of Hamas and “Palestinian Islamic Jihad” and other terrorist organizations. We will not get all of the hostages back through negotiation – even today, the terrorists expressed a potential willingness to release up to 40 hostages. What about the rest? The hostages are their leverage and they need to hold on to some of them in order to keep the terrorist leadership alive. If another hostage/prisoner release deal is concluded, it will also necessitate the end of the war and leave the terrorist leadership alive, to plan and attempt execute another October 7th. The end will be disastrous for Israel. It will demonstrate our weakness – kidnap an Israeli and we will yield to whatever demands are made of us. The world wants Israel and the Jewish people to be  perpetual victims and it will treat us as such, if we fail to defend ourselves and do what is necessary to remove the evil from our midst and from our neighborhood.

Two thousand years of persecution and wandering. Now, we are home and the enemy of our souls wants to remove us from here. We are like a tree firmly planted by streams of water. Our roots go deep. Winds and storms may cause us to bend here and there, but they can’t uproot us. May God grant us wisdom, strength, boldness, skill and determination, to press on to a decisive, absolute victory over our enemies. It CAN be done. This IS still a land of miracles.

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.
Marvin