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Source: https://quillette.com/blog/2025/04/02/dan-schueftan-interview-tel-aviv/
Israel Will Beat the Barbarians
(Quillette-Australia) Dr. Dan Schueftan interviewed by Pamela Paresky - We've practically won the war. I always believed we would, but I didn't know it would be this decisive. There's still more to come, there will be pain. But if you look at the big picture, it's more positive than I expected. I believe we are winning in a very major way. This war is about whether civilized people can defend themselves against barbarians - even when those barbarians hide behind their own civilians. Some argue: "If defending ourselves means harming people who aren't personally guilty, we can't do it." But if we say: "The moment civilians are harmed, we must stop" - then we hand victory to the barbarians. Because they want civilians to be harmed - it's their shield and their strategy. If that's our rule, then Western civilization is finished. Hamas believed it could win because Gaza had become the most fortified place in history. Fortified not just with missiles and tunnels, but with CNN, the New York Times, the BBC, the courts in The Hague, Amnesty International - every institution dominated by the autocratic, dictatorial, or barbarian-majority world. These institutions undermine democracy while pretending to defend it. In Gaza, Israel understood: If we don't respond forcefully, we'll spark a regional war. Arab leaders - those who are willing to accept Israel - will lose public support. The message will be: "You can rape Jewish women, decapitate civilians, burn babies, and get away with it." The only way moderate Arab governments can withstand public pressure is to point to Gaza and say, "Do you want that in Cairo or Amman?" In the Middle East, our position is stronger than ever. Most Arab states not only accept Israel's existence - they've realized they need Israel. Why? Because their enemies are the same as ours: Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. Iran is weaker now. Its proxies have been hammered. And Arab states saw that Israel could do this without losing U.S. support. Israeli society has shown incredible strength - it's the eighth wonder of the world. Despite an overburdened reserve army, people continue showing up for service. Their businesses and families suffer, but they keep coming. Morale is high. There's no collapse in discipline or motivation - just the opposite. Dr. Dan Schueftan heads the International Graduate Program in National Security Studies at the University of Haifa.