Yesterday, Jews around the world commemorated Tisha B’Av (the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar). For thousands of years, tragedy has befallen the Jewish people on this day.
It was on the 9th of Av that the first and second Temples were destroyed. Likewise, the Jewish rebellion against the Romans was defeated (135), the Jewish people were expelled from England (1290), and were expelled from Spain (1492) all on the 9th of Av.
As Jews gather to mourn on this day, they read the Book of Lamentations and recite elegies that focus on the losses they have suffered at the hands of their enemies. The last in this list of elegies discusses the tragedy of the Holocaust - until this year.
The Jewish community does not take lightly additions to their traditional liturgy, but yesterday, as Jews around the world commemorated the horrors that have befallen them, many added yet another elegy for this day of Jewish mourning: An elegy lamenting the 10/7 Massacre and its associated death and destruction.
Survive, Praise God, Remember, Repeat
Despite all that has befallen the Jewish people over thousands of years, there are no great Jewish celebrations associated with conquering adversaries. Even Israeli Independence Day celebrates freedom, not the enemy’s defeat.
For Israel, victory is the survival of the Jewish people, not the destruction of another. For Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, victory is Israel’s destruction, with no regard for the survival of innocent Israelis, Arabs or Iranians.
Since Operation Iron Swords commenced, at least 330 Israeli soldiers have been killed and another 2,199 wounded in such a manner as to require hospitalization. Well over a hundred hostages remain in captivity.
Hamas has lost an estimated 12,000 terrorists, including numerous top leaders – among them Mohamed Deif. Deif had been among Israel’s most wanted terrorists for three decades. The blood of hundreds of Israelis was on his hands, even before October 7th.
In addition to Deif, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah's top military strategist Fuad Shukr were eliminated in recent weeks (Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s assassination, which took place in Tehran).
Israel does not take such actions lightly, and Jerusalem is not interested in a wider regional conflict, but they cannot sit idly by as Iran and its proxies wage an unrelenting war against the Israeli population.
For Israel, victory means survival, and, tragically, at times, survival requires eliminating evil men.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
The U.S. government has historically understood the need to defeat terrorists and their backers.
In recent days, Secretary of Defense Loyd Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, and its strike group, to hasten their arrival to the region. Likewise, the Defense Department announced that the U.S. is also sending a nuclear guided missile submarine to the area. All of this comes on the heels of America having sent a strategically significant number of warships, top-tier aircraft such as the F-22, and other assets to the region last week.
This most recent U.S. military posture likely reflects a begrudging acknowledgment that the Iranians, Hamas and Hezbollah are never driven by the substance of a negotiation, but rather by fear of Western military might.
Moreover, one of the biggest advantages to having the world’s most capable military is the ability to project power and thereby (hopefully) deter bad actors from doing bad things, thus avoiding the need to use that military.
In our view, this (literal) gunboat diplomacy is the right move by the Biden Administration; however, until the Biden Administration commits to drastically increasing the pressure on the regime in Tehran across the spectrum of American power, we will only be reacting to events which the Iranians are dictating.
Last week, four American military personnel and one American contractor were wounded in an attack on the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq. The attack was conducted by Iran-backed terrorists in Iraq. The U.S. is far past the point where it can afford to show any weakness.
U.S. military assets are deployed to protect American interests – in this case, it is in America’s interest to prevent an attack on Israel that leads to a regional war. If the West fails in this endeavor, and Israel (or any other Western nation) is attacked in a significant manner, Washington must respond forcefully, or full-scale war will become inevitable.
It is true that might does not make right, but in the Middle East, it is also true that weakness invites war.
Triumph Over Evil
In the wake of Haniyeh’s death, Yahya Sinwar – the Gaza-based chief mastermind of 10/7 – has been named leader of Hamas. Reportedly Sinwar has opposed any deal with Israel that does not ensure Hamas can reconstitute itself as a significant terror organization. According to experts, Sinwar knows his demands would never be accepted – and that’s the point.
In recent days, news reports have oscillated between hope for a (reasonable) cease-fire agreement that returns the hostages home, and Hamas announcing it has no intention of negotiating further.
For its part, Iran, which has promised to attack Israel in the wake of the aforementioned terrorists’ elimination, has likewise oscillated between threatening Israel, and claiming they may not attack if Israel reaches a deal with Hamas. The Iranians and Hamas are using this situation to further pressure Israel, and the Biden administration has unfortunately played right into their hands.
What the Iranians, their allies, and many of Israel’s allies do not seem to understand is that there will be no return to the status quo in Israel. Gone are the days when rocket fire was as common as rainfall. Under no circumstances will Israel face a looming strategic threat on any of its borders. And never again will Israeli citizens be slaughtered at their neighbors’ whim.
The world changed on October 7th. Israel and her true allies understand that. Conversely, those who think these events are irrelevant or that this is just another war to be concluded in a stalemate, only prolong the conflict.
The word of God shows us time and again that there is no victory without a fight. And just as the Holy One has delivered the children of Israel from their enemies time and again, so too will the Jewish people triumph over evil in our time.
As such, this war ends when all Israelis are secure, including those held by Hamas, and not a moment before.
Sincerely,
The CUFI Action Fund Team
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