An effective buffer between Gaza and Egypt to prevent smuggling will serve not only Israel's security needs but will also contribute to Egypt's national security interest by denying the Muslim Brotherhood-linked movement access to Sinai. Israel must ensure Hamas is no longer viewed by the public as the main player in strip.
Oct. 7 taught us that this conflict is existential, and that exacting a price from our enemy is not just about killing terrorists • Those in Gaza who want to emigrate and leave behind the culture of death should get help in doing so • And – a visit to a south yearning for its residents to come back.
Hamas' number two took the threats from Israel seriously but did not want to spend the rest of his life in a bunker. It did not suit his personality or self-esteem.
While the goals – eliminating Hamas and its military and civilian infrastructure, alongside releasing the captives – enjoy consensus, the day-after scenarios stir debate and controversy, weaken the fighters and may delay the achievement of the goals of the war itself.
A former IDF chief already declared that Israel lost. Why make such irresponsible statements, when our soldiers are giving their lives in Gaza – statements like that can hurt their fighting spirit and engender doubts that their sacrifice is in vain. Ben-Gurion, Rabbi Kook, and Deborah the Prophetess answer him.
It is clear that an Israeli military move against Hezbollah could entangle the American naval forces in the area. But Israel faces an intolerable situation in the north, and a threat that no sovereign state in the world would tolerate.
Through the tunnel system under the Philadelphi Route separating the strip from Egypt, massive amounts of arms have been delivered to Hamas. The extent of Egypt’s knowing what was going on there may be revealed in the future. One thing is certain – the Israeli intelligence did not know the severity of the smuggling situation before the war.
Even as our war of existence rages on, we have seen people play the blame game by pinning responsibility on one another for the situation we are in. Our seminal book speaks to the here and now, teaching us that there is a way out.
Israel cannot afford to let the war become a stalemate or a war of attrition. The actions in the diplomatic, economic and civilian arenas, just like those on the battlefield, must serve the strategy of reaching our goals in the shortest amount of time and at the lowest cost.
Changes in leadership in the Palestinian Authority or a renewed Palestinian Authority are irrelevant. What do we care if it’s Mahmoud Abbas or Salam Fayyad, if in the streets of Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarm, the crowds want to hand over their weapons to Hamas? Why should we care if there is an old or “renewed” Palestinian Authority, if with every slaughter and killing and shooting in our streets, they dance and celebrate on the roofs and hand out sweets?