Judging by Israeli government statements since the brutal Hamas assault of October 7th last year, the real seat of power in Israel is not where most of us think it is.
The non-Israeli cabinet ministers
The Housing Minister of Israel is de facto a man by the name of Hassan Nasrallah. He lives in Lebanon, which is famous for NOT being in Israel. Nasrallah decides where Jews may or – crucially – may not live in the land of Israel. 80,000 residents of northern Israel stand witness to Nasrallah’s housing policy. The world community seems unwilling to stop Nasrallah from interfering in Israel’s affairs.
The Israeli Trade and Commerce Ministry is de facto run by Abdul Malik al-Houthi. He lives in Yemen, a country that is well-known for NOT being Israel. He determines Israel’s maritime trade with the East. The world community seems unwilling to stop al-Houthi from interfering in Israel’s affairs.
Israel’s National Security Ministry is de facto run by a man named Yahya Sinwar of Gaza. Gaza is renowned for NOT being in Israel. Sinwar also doubles as Israel’s Finance Minister, in which capacity he decides how much of the Jewish State’s national budget is to be spent on defence. Sinwar has shown a ghoulish aptitude for securing additional funding for his cause – whenever he wants, he takes away Jews to use as bartering chips. This is known as slave trade, human trafficking, hostage-taking, kidnapping. All are as immoral as they are illegal. The world community seems unwilling to stop Sinwar from interfering in Israel’s affairs.
Then there is Israel’s Defence Ministry, which is de facto run by a man named Ebrahim Raisi. He lives in Iran, which is infamous for absolutely, definitely NOT being in Israel. He decides where Israel’s hard-pressed military is to be deployed: in the north against his Hezbollah army, in the south against his Hamas army, in the north-east against his Syrian and Iraqi divisions, in the south-east against his Houthi missile battalions. The world community seems unwilling to stop Raisi from interfering in Israel’s affairs.
Israeli government policy seems to be dictated by Israel’s “friends”, “partners”, “allies” who come bearing gifts in one hand while tightening their stranglehold on Israeli government policy with the other
Israeli government policy seems to be dictated by Israel’s “friends”, “partners”, “allies” who come bearing gifts in one hand while tightening their stranglehold on Israeli government policy with the other
Beware of “friends” bearing gifts
Which brings us to the Israeli Prime Minister. There are many who believe this to be Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the past six months have revealed that Mr Netanyahu is more a government spokesperson than head of government. Actual Israeli government policy seems to be dictated by Israel’s “friends”, “partners”, “allies” who come bearing gifts in one hand while tightening their stranglehold on Israeli government policy with the other. It turns out that the actual leadership of Israel is in the hands of not one person but three: Joe Biden, Emanuel Macron and David Cameron, living in the USA, France and the UK respectively. They graciously give Israel just enough diplomatic and military backing to allow the Jewish state to survive, but never to thrive against its racist Islamist aggressors. Here finally is something that the world community truly IS willing to do: keep the Islamist world’s aggression against Israel simmering without end.
Decades of failed appeasement
Israel is where it is today because of two decades of enforced Israeli appeasement at the world community’s behest. Israel has been prevented by the world community from dealing robustly with Hezbollah’s constant war of attrition and its huge attack tunnel system which burrows well into Israeli territory. However, that same world community has not seen fit to force Hezbollah to abide by the legally binding UN Resolution 1701 of 2006 which requires Hezbollah to withdraw to north of the Litani River. Even though the Hezbollah terror army has chased away 80,000 civilians from their homes in northern Israel. Silence from the world community.
Similarly, Israel has been prevented by the world community from dealing robustly with Iran’s increasingly bold aggression against the Jewish State – even after Iran unleashed more than 320 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones against the Israeli home front. Israel was cautioned by her “friends” – and replied with just one (1) missile in response.
Much of the killing, raping and kidnapping frenzy of October 7th was carried out by Gaza civilians, accompanied by public applause and celebration throughout the Gaza Strip
Much of the killing, raping and kidnapping frenzy of October 7th was carried out by Gaza civilians, accompanied by public applause and celebration throughout the Gaza Strip
And probably most amoral and disgusting, the world community is concerned solely with the plight of civilians in Hamas-ruled Gaza – even after Hamas military AND Gaza civilians invaded sovereign Israel and bombed, shot, burned alive, raped, gang-raped, kidnapped and traded live Jews, dead Jews and the body-parts of both living and dead Jews on and after October 7th. Hamas enjoys overwhelming support among the civilians of Gaza – and video documentation shows clearly that much of the killing, raping and kidnapping frenzy of October 7th was carried out by Gaza civilians, accompanied by public applause and celebration throughout the Gaza Strip.
The West’s insatiable addiction to tying Israel’s hands
The world community is addicted to tying Israel’s hands. Israel is allowed to survive – barely – but no more than that. It’s perfectly understandable – in the West’s mindset, it is preferable for Islamists to be preoccupied with confronting the Jewish state so they have neither resources nor time to confront the West.
But Israel does not have to kowtow to what the West wants. If the Israeli government had any shred of self-respect, it would never let British Foreign Minister David Cameron insist that international observers be allowed to visit Hamas mass-murderers and rapists in Israeli prisons while Israeli citizens are kidnapped and held hostage in Hamas dungeons for 200 days – without any visits by international observers.
Long-standing pattern of appeasement
These one-sided demands on only Israel, and never on Israel’s aggressors, follow a long-standing pattern. The Israeli PM forcefully states a position – no aid to Gaza until the Gazans return Israeli hostages, no ceasefire without the release of all hostages, no pause in fighting until all of Israel’s military aims are achieved, the Rafah operation will go ahead – all these red lines and more are almost immediately abandoned following pressure from Israel’s friends, partners and allies in the West.
There is an Israeli government in Israel. It needs to find its backbone and start weaning the West off its addiction to appeasing Islamists. Any politician who thinks that appeasement will keep the Islamists from their own doorstep is wrong. Because the insatiable Islamist appetite is all about dominating and ultimately destroying everybody who thinks differently.
Israel was doing well as it surged through Gaza in its hunt for the Hamas killers. Only when the West forced Israel to slow and virtually halt its success did Hamas manage to catch its first breath. Now Hamas is breathing freely – and firmly believes it can win by demanding, and getting, everything it wants from an Israel that is forced to give in every step of the way.
And why not? The West always forces Israel to back down, so why should the Islamists in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen think any differently? They know the West is always there to shield them from the consequences of their vicious, immoral and illegal aggressions.
The failed policy of “mowing the lawn”
Israel: grow a backbone. Stop the nonsensical policy of “mowing the lawn” – the 20 years of periodic operations to limit, but not stop, attacks on Israel. Following Hamas’s brutal October 7th crimes against humanity, and six months of escalating Hezbollah attacks, and Iran’s unprecedented missile barrage, Israel’s policy should be simple: no more mowing the lawn, but instead uprooting the lawn, soil and all. And then sowing the ground with salt to keep it barren for eternity. The West will provide support – provided Israel can demonstrate from day one that it is totally committed to success, and that it is actually succeeding. The West does not want the Islamist alternative, despite their instinctive response of always tying Israel’s hands.
Either Israel wins, or the Islamists do. What does the West want? And more importantly, what does the REAL government of Israel want?
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