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Primary Credit for the Gaza Ceasefire Goes to the IDF - and Netanyahu

(Washington Post) George F. Will - The stark lesson of Israel's achievement since Oct. 7, 2023, is: Often military might does, and often only it can, make room for diplomacy. Primary credit for the ceasefire between Israel and those who still aspire to murder it goes to the Israel Defense Forces. Credit also goes to the prime minister who wielded the IDF with a properly austere regard for the opinions of mankind, Benjamin Netanyahu. The diplomats' hour arrived after, and because of, the fighting by those who form the tip of Israel's spear against unprovoked and wanton violence - the mostly young men and women of the IDF. To the Trump administration's credit, the U.S. has enabled Israel's victory by not restraining its self-defense. Israel's reality on Oct. 7 was that it was contiguous to an enclave under the thumb of organized sadists who sheltered behind a captive civilian population. The war that paused and perhaps ended last week reminded the world that Israel has never known a day of peace, properly understood. Israel has always had U.S. support because it has earned it. It has never, however, been dependent on it. Centuries of hard experiences, culminating in Auschwitz, have taught the Jewish people the lethal risks of dependence on others. For decades, U.S. officials belabored Israel with reasons why, in negotiations with bellicose enemies, it should "take a risk for peace." To one official, Netanyahu, referring to a tranquil Washington suburb, replied, "You live in Chevy Chase. Don't play with our future." Israel has refused to trim its sails to accommodate gusts of critical opinions from people living comfortably at a safe distance from violence. The writer, awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, has been a Washington Post columnist since 1974.
2025-10-16 00:00:00
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