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Oct. 7 Taught Israel that Only Victory Brings Security

(Jerusalem Post) Yaakov Katz - In recent years, Israel tried nearly everything to avoid a large-scale confrontation with its enemies. Billions of shekels were funneled into Gaza in a bid to pacify the terrorist group; thousands of Gazans were allowed to work inside Israel; and trade restrictions were eased. Military operations were narrow and carefully restrained to avoid a wider escalation. Yet, as the events of Oct. 7 showed, when a terrorist organization is driven by a deep-seated desire for your annihilation, no amount of money, economic opportunities, or limited military action will suffice. Hamas's mission was the destruction of Israel. Nothing else mattered to its leaders. This reality must guide Israel's response to calls for it to pause its strikes against Hizbullah. Stopping the fight now would only ensure another war within a few years. We know this because every war with Iran's proxies over the last 25 years has always just been the precursor for the next. We reach a ceasefire, pass UN resolutions, and convince ourselves that this time it will work. But it never does. Hizbullah must be weakened to the point that it can no longer pose a serious threat to Israel - neither with rockets nor with cross-border raids. Victory is the only path to long-term security. The writer is a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) and a former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post.
2024-09-29 00:00:00
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