Devastating Attack, Day Fourteen

Wrapping up the 2nd week: the world responds and Biden steps up

First, thanks all for tuning in and welcome to all the new subscribers that have joined. I appreciate the support and feedback, you can really help by ‘liking’, sharing and as some of you have already done: take out a paid subscription. On the personal side some updates as well: we were gearing up for a three week trip to Morocco in the next week, but have decided to cancel it. It is no longer a safe option and there is just too much else going on to focus on a vacation.

Now, today is Friday. We can learn many things from Jewish culture, one of the key things is the Shabbat which lasts from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. Turn off your devices, stop working, unplug and focus on other things completely. Like family and good food. It is incredibly hard to do, I know, but give it a try. I try to do it too but mostly fail. Anyway, before we go, a few key things to mention:

Two Weeks

It is hard to believe, but tonight it is exactly two weeks ago that many Israeli families celebrated Shabbat for the very last time and that the rave in the desert was going full force with no one realizing what would come to visit them at sunrise. In Tel Aviv tonight a long table was set for the 203 hostages that will not be having dinner at home tonight. And honestly, we do not even know how many of them are still alive as of today.

It was not my plan to bring so many regular updates, but as events unfolded it became clear that we were rapidly moving from a regional to a global conflict. And with it came the dark re-emergence of anti-Semitism with a force that even took me by surprise. Many political parties in western countries are divided and even refuse to adopt motions to protect Jews. In The Netherlands today some 200 civil servants signed a letter in opposition to the cabinet’s pro-Israel policies, directly challenging the political consensus that rests on a parliamentary majority. All of this has deep repercussions for Jews anywhere in the world and they are no longer safe anywhere as a result.

And finally, the comparisons to what Nazis perpetrated during World War II today got another grim piece of evidence. Hamas terrorists were under the influence of drugs when committing the murder, rape and torture, much like the Einsatzgruppen did when they wiped entire Jewish villages and neighbourhoods off the earth during the war. Killing is so much easier when your senses are numbed by dope.

Thank You, Joe

One of the most bewildering things is to see how many look at the war in an inverted way and compare Gaza to Ukraine. And consider Israel as a Putin type force intent on destroying a nation. Thank God we have a US President who gets it right and gave a rallying speech yesterday. Key quote:

Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common. They both want to completely annihilate a neighbouring democracy — completely annihilate it.

And in explaining that so clearly Biden laid out why support for these countries is in everyone’s interest and how the US will not falter in its commitments to support both Kyiv and Jerusalem. The cost of this is staggering, $110 billion was floated today, and Biden is not really helped by the chaos in the House of Representatives in order to get all of this approved.

But the timing of his visit to Israel, the speech and the deployment of US forces in both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea (the latter one engaging with missiles fired at Israel from Yemen) are making it clear that we may slide into a global war. Biden has given Nethanyahu room to operate in Gaza while arguing for restraint at the same time, so the margin for error for Israel is consequently a very narrow one. It is almost non-existent: the slightest mistake and the region will explode. Iran (together with Hezbollah and Syria) are ready to accelerate at any time.

So Joe Biden is stepping up and uniting the US while bringing all his diplomatic skills to bear in the Middle East. We have disparaged the old man maybe a bit too often. His moment may be here. He has the experience and gravitas to identify the danger and define the unique role America must and can play to defend liberty and freedom globally.

What Now?

The military piece has been a bit underserved here. So far Israel has limited itself to aerial bombardments and missile attacks, but all indicators are that a ground offensive is now indeed imminent. It will be a gruelling fight, door-to-door, house-to-house and it may turn many neighbourhoods to rubble with potentially lots of civilian casualties.

Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Galant, today indicated for the first time that Israel does not seek to govern Gaza after the battle. It may turn the enclave over to the UN or to the Palestinian Authority, even Egypt may be forced to play some sort of role. The goal is the total destruction of Hamas. That is an objective that still stands. We must hope that after the smoke clears there are still hostages alive so that they can join that empty table waiting for them in Tel Aviv.

Anything Else?

No, I will see you again next week when I hope to offer you a longer piece about the diversity in Israel’s society and the differences between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews. More context, more background. In the meantime, Matti Friedman is always a good read.