I am 100% positive that the prime minister, defense minister and IDF chief of staff are completely aware of the public sentiment regarding incendiary balloons landing in kindergartens, rocket sirens and our scorched fields in the south at the hands of evildoers. Many citizens harbor the natural, understandable expectation that the army will use force and put an end to the cross-border arson terror.
Rather extraordinarily, there is surprising consensus across various leftist circles and the familiar right-wing circles over the need for a comprehensive military campaign in Gaza to topple the Hamas regime – which directs and encourages the balloon launchers, tunnel rats and fence bombers.
A large majority in Israel has already sobered up. The longing for a delusional peace doesn't drive us anymore. These days, the words of Moshe Dayan echo to us from the past; from 1956, when as chief of staff he eulogized Roi Rotberg, murdered by terrorists near the border with Gaza:
"We are a generation that settles the land and without the steel helmet and the cannon's maw, we will not be able to plant a tree and build a home. Let us not fear to look squarely at the hatred that consumes and fills the lives of hundreds of Arabs who live around us. Let us not drop our gaze, lest our arms weaken. That is the fate of our generation. That is our choice – to be ready and armed, tough and hard – or else the sword shall fall from our hands and our lives will be cut short."
A nation's leadership is put to the test when the winds of outrage and anger shake the country's very foundations. A leader's North Star is history, not hysteria. Level-headedness, an ability to withstand pressure, and mainly a sense of responsibility and sound judgment are vital in such times. Anyone can take the helm in calm waters; few can navigate the ship through a storm. A real leader doesn't barter in hope and doesn't set a course based on the latest public opinion poll. A leader is ready to decisively tackle the fears and demands of the people.
Making the decision to go to war isn't easy; it's seven times more difficult to look a bereaved mother in the eye. As a veteran of the Yom Kippur War who lost many friends in battle, as someone who saw his dear nephew wounded in the alleyways of Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, while losing many of the soldiers under his command, I am convinced that going to war has to be the very last option. Being familiar with those demanding an all-out war right now, they are the first to attack the "government of bereavement and failure" immediately after the first soldiers are killed.
All of Israel knows the IDF can dissect and conquer Gaza; bomb Al-Shifa Hospital, whose basement doubles as a shelter for the terrorist leaders; and go house to house cleaning the city of weapons. However, those champions of war have to prepare in advance their justification for the inevitable human cost that comes with controlling Gaza, when terrorists begin popping up at any moment around any corner.
I am sure the prime minister will spearhead every effort to resolve the current terror wave, and that the decision to send Israeli soldiers into Gaza will only be made after exhausting all other leverage points. The voice of the masses cannot be allowed to quell the voice of national responsibility and wisdom.
