Amir Tsarfati: What’s Next for Israel?

Shalom from a grieving Israel. I finally was able to make it home yesterday after days of trying to catch earlier flights. What I found here was a nation that is brokenhearted, yet full of resolve. We have put up with the terrorists surrounding us and picking off our people one-by-one. When we would respond, it would be with a method of retaliation commensurate to the murderous action taken against us. But then a terrorist army invaded from Gaza and horrifically slaughtered more than 1200 of our innocent babies, children, elderly, women, and men. They shot them, burned them, stabbed them, and decapitated them. At that point, it was no longer about retaliation against terrorists. We were at war.

As I write this to you today, please understand that my emotions, along with those of all my fellow Israelis, are still raw. For those of you in America, think of how you felt five days after 9/11. So, while I will seek to communicate matter-of-factly, you will hopefully understand when there is steel in my words. I recognize that there are those in Gaza who do not agree with what was done by their leaders and fellow countrymen. I am sorry for what you must endure because of their evil actions. But, once again, this is war. You are not victims of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). You are victims of your own leadership.

I’ll begin this newsletter with a brief look at the current situation. I will not focus on what initially took place in the attacks, because I have already covered that in the Special Edition: The War in Israel newsletter that I published on Sunday. If you haven’t read it already, I would encourage you to do so. This newsletter will center on developments since that last newsletter. Then, I will look at the major players involved – who are showing themselves as Israel’s friends and who are making it clear that they are our enemies. Finally, I will lay out the three levels of Israel’s response to this attack as we look to the future.

The Current Situation
Israel is fighting a three-front war. In the northeast, mortar shells have been fired across the border from Syria. The IDF is closely watching activity from that region, because it is a hotbed of activity by Iranian-supported proxy militias. Russia also continues to have a strong presence there, although it is decreasing as they siphon off troops from Syria to fight in Ukraine.

The second front is Lebanon in the north. Hezbollah is sending commando raids into Israel, while firing rockets over the border. Leaders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as from Iranian proxy militias like Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, are in Lebanon orchestrating the terrorist actions. Hezbollah leadership is being very vocal against both Israel and the United States. I expect this front to explode soon due to the pressure being put on it by the IRGC.

The primary front is in Gaza to the south. This is where the attack against Israel originated, and this is where Hamas has its stronghold. Gaza looks like a warzone because that is exactly what it is. The IDF is on a mission to destroy Israel’s southern enemies – the terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad. To find them, they must root them out. That is why you are seeing building after building coming down in Gaza. This is not a police operation. We will not risk our people going door to door to find criminals. This is war, which means destroying the weapons, resources, safehouses, and personnel of your enemy. Those who understand war recognize the need for leveling buildings and cutting services like electricity and water. Those who don’t, cry out, “Unfair! Overkill!” If any of those naysayers actually looked at the pictures of decapitated babies and of families who were burned alive, I wonder whether they would have the same reaction. Expect the strength of Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza to be what begins to turn the sentiment of the world, particularly in Europe, back against us.

In Israel, more than 400,000 reservists have been called to service. We are strong, and we are united as a nation. Once again, I hearken back to 9/11. As a population, we are where America was on that tragic day. All of our social and political differences have been set aside for another time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has created a special emergency wartime government consisting of himself, former Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, current Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizencot, and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. This unity government’s sole purpose is the successful prosecution of the war until peace and safety are once again achieved.

Israel’s Global Friends

The United States
It is in the difficult times that one learns who are true friends and who are enemies. The one nation that has shown itself above all others to be a friend of Israel is the United States. For all the areas in which I strongly disagree with this administration, it has stepped up strongly to support our efforts to protect ourselves. I must give credit where credit is due. What is taking place now is not politics; it is war. And the US is our closest wartime friend.

On Tuesday, the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea as a deterrent against any other nations, i.e., Lebanon, from getting involved in the war. Hezbollah immediately spoke out against America, saying they will not be intimidated by a carrier. They should be. The US is also replenishing Israel’s weapons and ammunition stores. Included in that is a request by four senators, two from each party, to transfer to Israeli control two Iron Dome batteries that are currently under US oversight. In Israel, we are truly blessed to have the United States of America by our side.

Europe
For all the United Nations votes that go against Israel because of perceived slights against the Palestinians, the support from Europe has been surprisingly strong. Maybe for the first time, many are seeing in the radical element in Gaza what we have been dealing with for decades. The number of landmarks and governmental buildings that were either lit up with Israel’s blue and white or flew an Israeli flag was quite moving. Words of support and encouragement poured in from governmental leaders throughout the continent. Just yesterday, the Bundestag in Germany – of all places – stood for a minute of silence for Israel’s victims. Amazing!

The support of Europe is not just of the visual encouragement kind. The governments of Great Britain, France, Italy, and Germany have joined the United States in a coalition committed to coming against any third country that looks to enter the war with Hamas. Many in Lebanon know that this partnership is directed primarily towards them. The leader of Lebanon’s Khataib Christian Party warned Hezbollah against dragging their country into a conflict in which they all will pay a heavy price.

The Middle East
Jordan has allowed the United States to deploy the 101st Airborne Division on its bases in support of Israel. The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned the attack against Israel, and warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against joining in the war. After an initial issue with Egypt over an attempt to export supplies into Gaza, there has been calm between Israel and its southern neighbor. Cairo has even opened up its borders to Gazan refugees and is willing to receive Israeli hostages if and when they are freed by the terrorists.

Israel’s Global Enemies

Iran
The nation responsible for the attack from the north is Iran. They recruited the proxy militias. They funded them, trained them, positioned them, and now they have deployed them. Make no mistake, the religious tyrants in Tehran have escalated this conflict to the level for which they will pay a very heavy price.

Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin blames Israel for the conflict. Relations between Moscow and Jerusalem have soured over gas and the ongoing conflict with Syria. Some of the techniques used in the Gazan terrorist invasion smacked of Russian involvement, and it would not be surprising to hear that they were involved in training the attackers.

Radical Left
It amazes me that even after the reports of the murder of children, the decapitation of babies, the burning alive of families, and the raping and torture of hostages, thousands of people in cities around the world took to the streets in support of Hamas. Seriously. There are times I am just flabbergasted not just by evil, but the joyful support by the radical left of evil’s heinous actions. Sadly, as the prosecution of the war continues, more and more will listen to the mindless and heartless chanting of these people, and will be swayed to their side. Eventually, Israel will once again be viewed as villains for defending ourselves. How do I know this? Because I’ve seen this same movie far too many times before.

What’s Next?
Phase 1 – Cleanse Israel of Terrorists
This is easier said than done. Even up to today, terrorists are being found hiding out in the south. The bigger concern, though, is up north. If this region hasn’t blown up by the time this newsletter is released, I along with most Israelis believe it will sometime soon. Yesterday, my family and I escaped to the bomb shelter because we received notice of a drone and aircraft invasion from the north. It turned out that all the security alerts the country experienced were part of a cyber-attack. Still, we all expect that in the near future, the alerts we receive will be real.

Phase 2 – Destroy Hamas and Islamic Jihad
You can add Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, the Taliban in Afghanistan, ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and any other terrorist group that joins in this attack on Israel. We’ve played around with terrorism too long. The Gazan, West Bank, and northern border terrorists are emboldened, embedded, and well supplied. They play on our compassion and our scruples about commensurate retaliation. Those gloves are off. It is now a bare-knuckle brawl, and Israel will not stop punching until these terrorists are permanently off the threat list.

Phase 3 – Go After Nations That Helped
Ayatollah Khamenei, you cannot hide behind your proxy militias anymore. Everyone knows that it is you supplying them with weapons, training, and funds. We know that it is the voice of your leadership that is sending your ignorant fighting sheep out to be slaughtered. We’ve let it go for this long, but we will not anymore. That also goes for you, Vladimir, and you, Recep, and any other puppet masters who are pulling the strings of terrorism in the Middle East. Any of you who have read my novels know the old Talmudic saying, “If anyone is coming to kill you, rise up and kill them first.” We Israelis are tired of people coming to kill us. It’s time for us to rise up.

We are in the beginning stages of a long battle. I can’t say that it will get worse before it gets better, because I can’t imagine anything worse than what has already taken place in southern Israel. I’ve compared this event to a second 9/11, but as I’ve seen the pictures and heard the stories it is nothing less than a second Holocaust. Maybe not in numbers, but certainly in brutality and depth of evil. Still, the numbers are horrific. Proportionally to the population, it is like 26,000 Americans being viciously slaughtered in one day. And rather than it being one grand event that took everyone out, it was innocents being killed one by one. Children in front of their parents, and parents in front of their children. Gunned down at a party, shot in their beds, executed in the streets. Absolutely barbaric.

Yet, even in the worst of times, God shows His grace. I was reminded of that yesterday. Many people had been asking us how they could contribute to the victims of Saturday’s attack. I contacted a friend of mine, Yonatan Dubi, and he provided a list of groups that he personally vetted. We sent the list out, and the response was overwhelming. So many people gave to these groups that they were having a hard time keeping up with the donations. God is good, and He showed Himself through so many of you who made the sacrifice to bless the people of my nation.

Pray for Israel. Pray for our leaders, particularly those of the emergency government. Pray for our military. Hundreds of thousands have left their jobs and their homes to temporarily step back into uniform. Pray for the families of the dead. Pray for the recovery of the wounded. Pray for those who are hostages or who were hostages. So many have been brutalized in the most violent of ways. Most of all, pray that God will somehow be glorified in all of this. He is good. He is God. We trust His ways.

I will end this newsletter with a few important resources to better understand Israel and the motivations behind this attack:

“The Final Jihad” – this video takes a deep look at radical Islam, then processes it through the lens of Scripture.

“The Deception of the Nations” – this video looks at five lies the world has bought into about Israel.

“His People?” – this video premiering Friday, October 13, at 12:00 PM PDT, clearly answers the question, “Has God cast away His people?”

Awaiting His Return.

Photo credit: By Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada – Morning Prayers at the Western (Wailing) Wall – Old City – Jerusalem – Israel -01, CC BY-SA 2.0, link

Amir Tsarfati, a Jewish Christian, is the founder and president of Behold Israel, a news site to correct the scarcity in trustworthy reportage on issues and events impacting Israel, and to resolve the uncertainty about who or what to believe.