ISRAEL AT WAR: “YOU DON’T NEGOTIATE WITH THE DEVIL”

Philip C. Johnson

October 8, 2023 

The devastating shock of yesterday’s terror attack in Israel has begun to wear off and is beginning to be replaced by anger. Anger at the Hamas terrorists. Anger and questions about Israel’s own intelligence agencies that failed spectacularly. Israel’s media is reporting 700 killed in the attack, more than 2000 wounded and at least 150 kidnapped. The kidnapped Israelis pose a particular challenge to Israel’s response, as any hostage situation would. Even as I type this, these numbers are likely to rise.

Major Doron, an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) spokesman, in speaking to the media today, said that there would be time enough later for reflection on the failures of Israeli intelligence services and that lessons would be learned.  Now, he said is the time to focus on destroying the enemy and ending all of Hamas’s capabilities to wage conflict. He explicitly stated that Israel’s war is not against the Palestinian people, but against the terrorist Hamas government. 

Today, Benoit Faucon reported in the Wall Street Journal that Iran helped plan the attack against Israel and gave the “green light” for the assault in Beirut last Monday. This is unsurprising. There isn’t much that happens with Hamas or their other terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, that Iran isn’t behind.  In the past, the cycle between Israel and Hamas has always been conflict, escalation and then international pressure for a truce. Never peace, just a truce. Hamas would use that time, with the help of Iran to reorganize, restock weapons and build more infiltration tunnels into Israel.  But this time is different. Everyone I have communicated with in Israel admits that this time is unlike any other in the last 50 years. It is their own “Pearl Harbor” or “9/11.” According to Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, you cannot “negotiate with the devil, you don’t negotiate with evil, you fight evil.” 

As I mentioned in my previous article, Hamas is a terrorists organization. They are in no way “freedom fighters.” Whatever their grievances in a complex world, their actions are the actions of terrorists who make no distinction between soldier and civilian, woman or child. Years ago, I had a meeting in Damascus, Syria with Talal Nasser, one of the founders of Hamas’s military wing. He told me that there was a fundamental weakness in the mentality of the Israelis. His view is that Israel is destined to lose because they actually cared about their children. “When Palestinians send their children off to battle, they say goodbye. The Israelis cry for their children. Therefore, they are doomed.” This tells you a lot about the mentality of Hamas and their radical ideology.

The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for Israel. Their objective seems to be clear. The general global narrative is currently on the side of Israel. But it won’t stay there. It will be impossible for Israel to destroy Hamas without significant Palestinian civilian casualties – even though Israel makes precision strikes and warns civilians to vacate areas prior to military action.  This will bring cries for a ceasefire and protests against Israel’s “atrocities.” History has never been sympathetic to Israel. Since 2015, the UN General Assembly has adopted 140 resolutions criticizing Israel over their treatment of Palestinians. According to the Times of Israel, over the same period, the UN has passed 68 resolutions against ALL other countries combined. That includes China, Russia, North Korea, Venezuela and Iran. 

Today I received a bit of inspiration from Jerusalem. I have a friend, Udi, who is an artist in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Some of his artwork hangs in my house. He was the first Jewish boy to enter the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967, after the 6-Day War that liberated the city for Israelis. And he hasn’t left since. Today, as the Jewish Quarter is empty and silent, he sits and paints. Over the years that I have know Udi, I’ve noticed that a lot of his painting have Messianic themes. He and I have talked about that. We’ve talked about the Messiah who has already come and who promises to come again. He’s not sure he’s ready to accept that. I pray that he will.