Tachles: A modern Hebrew word of Yiddish origin that means “to the point.”
The internal political conflict tearing Israel apart pleases our enemies. “What is happening in Israel raises great hopes,” said Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in his recent speech. “Imagine Palestine as a neighboring country to Lebanon, without Israel. This is not a dream, with Allah’s help it will soon be reality.” In the Gaza Strip, plans are already being made for the annihilation of Israel. “There are already meetings and councils preparing for the days after Israel’s annihilation,” explained Muslim cleric Wa’ael Al-Sarad. “What are we going to do with Israel’s nuclear bombs? Yes, we inherit Israel’s nuclear weapons. What do we do with the remaining Jews? Throw the Jews into the sea to be food for the fish.” This and much more can be heard in the Arab media.
For years we have followed the Arab media and I can say with confidence that our Arab enemies have never felt so certain about defeating and destroying Israel. There is a feeling on social media that the moment Israel’s enemies have been waiting for has finally arrived. Our enemies really think they’re powerful enough this time. Their self-confidence has increased drastically. Their threats are turned into actions and attacks and this strengthens their credibility, especially in the eyes of the Arab population. You see that Israel hardly reacts and this is always taken as a sign of weakness by our Arab neighbors. We think that by holding back, we’re not playing into the hands of our enemies. We often do this under pressure from the Western world. Israel urgently needs to stop this.
Border fence between Lebanon and Israel. The defense is good, how about the offense? Photo: Michael Giladi/Flash90
Terrorist attacks have increased in the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria, as well as across the country. The recent bombing near Megiddo has uncovered an arms smuggling tunnel in the northern border area between Israel and Lebanon. There are serious concerns in Israel that a large quantity of Iranian and Lebanese weapons, including rockets and grenades, have been smuggled into the country. All of this was revealed after Israeli security forces arrested a Lebanese terrorist in Israel.
Israel’s military and national strength is being hit hard these days. Reservists and fighter pilots refuse to serve in the army unless judicial reform is halted. “Our enemies smell weakness,” commented my friend Avi Issacharoff, who wrote the famous Netflix series Fauda with Lior Raz, in his column this morning. Avi was himself in this task force with Lior over twenty years ago and is now also a commentator. “Nasrallah smells blood and understands that the earth is shaking under the Netanyahu government. That is why he dared to attack in the heart of Israel. If the government continues to focus only on judicial reform, it will lead to escalation in the region,” warns Avi.
Israel must react to what Hezbollah dared to do in Megiddo. Of course, Iran is behind it and a retaliatory strike is not enough. Israel must respond with a preventive war or with an operation. A military attack that anticipates and thwarts an impending enemy attack. So like in the Six Day War of 1967, an offensive with defensive intent. But modern international law only allows defensive wars these days, especially when Israel is involved. Meanwhile, the Hezbollah chief smiles and sees that Israel hasn’t responded in a week. He interprets this as Israeli fear. And Israel must immediately refute this interpretation.
Israel could crush its enemies, but instead it hides in bunkers. Photo: Roni Schutzer/Flash90
In a few days we are facing the Islamic month of Ramadan, and according to all assessments we will see an escalation of conflict. Israel’s security establishment is already warning of escalations with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with the terrorist groups in Judea and Samaria, and with Hezbollah in Lebanon and southern Syria. The weapons were accumulated, and not for safekeeping. Hamas and Hezbollah are openly talking about an imminent war. In the Israeli media, social media channel “Ali Express” compared this to an image from nature: “A group of hyenas surrounds a lion and try to bite its flesh. Every hyena, biting into the flesh, checks whether the lion has weakened.” Our enemies are doing the same thing today. And precisely for this reason, Israel must reestablish its deterrence with a preemptive strike.
Israel’s deterrence has fallen drastically in recent years, with the IDF reacting with only moderate retaliatory action. So say our enemies themselves, and these days Israel’s deterrence is plunging even deeper as the Jewish people are divided, severely weakening Israel’s army and war capability. Reports of refusal to serve in the army grab even bigger headlines in the Arab media, which interpret this as the end of Israel. This encourages them and that is why people in the Gaza Strip are already considering what to do with the atomic bombs and the other Jews after the destruction of Israel.
The strife in Israeli society divides the nation and weakens Israel’s army, and our enemies see this and are encouraged. We learn all this from the Arab media. Indeed, our enemies believe that the time has come and the Zionists are nearing their end. We ourselves understand that Israel is going through one of the most dangerous times since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. This is what senior officers have said, including former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot. President Isaac Herzog declared yesterday evening that he will do everything to prevent a civil war. Our enemies hear all this, too.
Israel’s internal rift emboldens its enemies. Photo: Erik Marble/Flash90
Israel’s glorious Six-Day War victory in 1967 was a preemptive strike, and only in doing so has Israel won respect in the Middle East. But that respect has been lost over the years. The battery is dead and Israel urgently needs to recharge its deterrence. And as I understand this from various security sources in Jerusalem, Israel will respond more aggressively in the near future. How? We’ll see! Is it possible? That’s irrelevant! Europe is itself embroiled in a war, and as a result Israel understands it can today do things that 10 years ago would have been impossible. And you know what, maybe an offensive is the only solution to unite the people again. Israel will not be able to agree on judicial reform, but the people will agree on the question of Israel’s existence. The point is that Israel must respond, and with full force!