Another day of infamy
The Hamas terror onslaught from its stronghold in Gaza into Israel, murdering hundreds, was a sneak attack, just like the sneak attack by Egypt and Syria on Israel on Yom Kippur exactly 50 years ago. Sept. 11, 2001, was a sneak attack, as were Pearl Harbor and Hitler’s surprise invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.
The targets—Israel or the United States or the Russians—are caught offguard by their enemies, stunned, suffering major psychological damage and loss of human life. Then comes the response and the counter-offensive.
Those earlier sneak attacks failed. Hopefully, this one will also. We pray it does.
Hamas claims that its fighters are soldiers, but soldiers don’t kidnap civilians from their homes to seize them as hostages. Both are acts of terrorism, which makes perfect sense, as Hamas is a terror group, fittingly on terror lists of the U.S. and European Union.
Hamas shows that it can make war but it refuses to make peace. The same for Hezbollah. On the West Bank, the head of the Palestinian National Authority, Abu Mazen, also refuses to make peace. It has been years since he has sat down for talks with the Israelis. Peace will come for the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank when they decide to join the negotiating table.
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, leading a jittery right-wing coalition that is wrongly trying to undermine the independence of the Israeli courts, will get a reprieve for his many domestic troubles due to this Hamas war. Even President Biden, who has been very cool to Netanyahu, has rallied to his side.
Hamas and Iran want Israel to strike back hard, thinking that a massive response will entrap Israel in the Gaza quicksand, sapping its political and military strength. Israel has the might to level Gaza, but Hamas hides among civilians, using them as human shields, which is a war crime. And Hamas now holds captured Israeli soldiers and civilians, complicating everything.
Netanyahu and his commanders have a tremendous challenge before them to destroy Hamas’ military assets while sparing Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Hamas struck first, but its wave of terror will not and cannot prevail. Israel has been hurt hard, but Israel will prevail.