Israel feels like a different country one week after the barbaric Hamas attack. From profound, existential grief, the country has moved to unity and an intense desire to wipe Hamas off the Earth's face.
During Israel’s 50th birthday, Ehud Barak spoke to the country twenty-five years ago. At the time, he was chief of staff, and everyone knew that he was on his way to becoming prime minister. Barak described the horrors Jews suffered during the Holocaust and promised that they would never return. Israel has a powerful army, and the wanton murder of Jews would never happen again. If one takes a very cold look at the Nazi’s murder of six million Jews (a number well-documented at Yad Vashem and elsewhere) over a six-year period, they killed on average over 2,700 Jews per day. Rudolph Hoss, the commandant of Auschwitz, said at his trial that one million Jews were exterminated there. If one looks at the numbers from last week’s attack, they rival those of the Nazi massacre. Over 1,300 dead, 3,300 wounded, and 120 captive in Gaza. Wounded can mean many things—sometimes it might be shock, but in most cases, it involves serious bullet or shrapnel wounds. Israel claims 2,600 people came over from Gaza to participate in the murder and destruction. All of the major terror groups, including those associated with Mahmud Abbas, were represented as well as unaffiliated citizens. Israel has 1,500 bodies and promises death for anyone who comes over; they use facial recognition software to identify who they are. They stole as well as killed and already, on the same day, used credit cards they had taken. Many of the terrorists had GoPro cameras, so expect more videos of murder and barbaric destruction to come out over the next few weeks.
Israel last Saturday night was completely lost. There were no buses, stores were closed, and people were shocked. It took several days, but a new Israel was outside our door. There is resolve to wipe Hamas off the face of the Earth. Israelis are not in the mood for nuance. Destroy the Gaza Strip if need be. They are in no mood for lectures on proportionality or humanitarian crises of Hamas’ creation. The people will not accept any final outcome that does not give Israel quiet for the next fifty years.
Some of the changes in the past week:
*After 32 straight weeks of protesting the proposed judicial reforms on Saturday nights, the protests are off. We have to win this together, and now is not the time for political division.
*Benny Gantz joined the government and is part of the war cabinet. His presence will give decisions broader national support. It also sidelines the more right-leaning ministers in Bibi’s cabinet.
*There are five-hour lines in Jerusalem to donate blood.
*In New York, a man stood at the JFK El-Al counter and paid the tickets of all returning soldiers. He paid for 300 flights. Apparently, someone in Philadelphia did the same.
*El-Al and Israeli railways worked on the Sabbath for the first time in decades to get soldiers home and move them where they needed to go.
*People are donating to soldiers at an extraordinary pace. Officials have asked that people stop sending. Word went out that food was needed for the Sabbath, and everyone started cooking. My sister-in-law organized family and neighbors, and delicacies went out Friday afternoon. We sent clothes as well as food.
*Non-kosher Michelin-quality restaurants were told that they could not give food to the army if it were not kosher. They koshered their kitchens in order to send food to the soldiers in the south.
*Prayers are added in all synagogues. People are offering whatever services they can to families of soldiers and those affected by the attack. Hotels and bed & breakfasts offered Israelis from the south free rooms further north.
The people are united from wall to wall. There is no more religious division or political division, as we need to be together to finish off Hamas. The level of destruction was so immense that there was no room for anything less than total annihilation of Hamas—wherever they were, including in the West Bank. Their millionaire leaders in Qatar can retire to a life of plenty and leisure. Hamas planned the attack for two years; they did not think much of the day after. Israel was reluctant to go into Gaza in the past because of potential losses. When starting with 1,300 people already dead, those calculations are gone. Same with being held hostage to the fate of the hostages. The national goal is the end of Hamas and their supporters. Other factors are mute.
I am still disappointed—but not surprised—that the US government (my government) did not demand the release of American hostages and did not say that they would avenge one of the largest recent attacks against American citizens. Our leaders do not know how to lead, only to react. May G-d release all of the captives, with all of them safe and sound.
What Israel does in the next few weeks will have reverberations with Hizbollah and Iran. There can be no place for weakness or mercy. Israel dropped 6,000 precise munitions in the first six days of the war. That was the number the US dropped over Afghanistan during that war's first year. Wipe Hamas from the world, and Israel’s other enemies will take notice. Show mercy, let in humanitarian goods, and the like, and Israel’s enemies will conclude that she is weak.
The first promise of Israel was not start ups or first-class restaurants or top universities but rather to prevent Jews from being butchered again. That promise has been violated. After the war, Israel will have to do some soul-searching to think about its purpose and how it will protect its citizens from attacks like last week.
If you wish to help the families harmed by the attacks or contribute to the IDF, please make sure that you donate to a recognized charity or organization.