How does the Jewish people defend themselves against their enemies?

El Líbero, October 13, 2023

Hamas, with its barbaric attack, has united all of Israel behind a national unity government with a war cabinet to avenge the deaths of its children and elderly, the kidnappings of its people, and the violations of its women.

This column is being written on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 11, 2023. Israel has not yet launched its ground offensive, and who knows if it will, as it depends on what happens elsewhere and, therefore, on the needs it may have on that front or others. For now, they have used missiles, rockets, and their air force to eliminate the terrorists, their organization, and logistics. The magnitude and characteristics of Hamas’s attack in the early hours of Saturday, October 7, are just beginning to be understood; in the purest style of ancient barbarians, it violently killed, raped, and kidnapped human beings, most of whom were Jewish civilians, including the elderly and children.

Hamas’s real purpose is to eliminate the State of Israel and the Jews. Anything else said is not true. However, it must also be clearly stated that, while it is true that the members of Hamas are Palestinians, not all Palestinians support them in their terrorist activities, and it remains to be seen whether that loyalty will be maintained, especially if they continue to use them as shields against Israeli air force attacks.

Since its establishment as an independent state in 1948, Israel has been at war. It is located in a very complicated neighborhood, and for now, it cannot be certain of any of its borders, not even those with Egypt or Jordan, countries that could switch sides in the blink of an eye due to their significant populations of Palestinian origin. We already know where they stand regarding Gaza and the West Bank, and to the north, they have Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Syrians in the Golan Heights. Iran is their main opponent, financing and equipping all their rivals, and seeking to wipe them off the map.

Israel lacks strategic depth; that is, its enemies are close by, which does not give it much reaction time and is the basis upon which it organizes its defense strategy.This strategy must be solid to deter or act overwhelmingly on multiple fronts when required, as is the case now or when they know they can be attacked as they have been in the past.

Israel’s enemies primarily attack them with rockets or missiles, and occasionally with incursions like the one last Saturday. Given this, simply put, Israel would need a protective shield with 100% effectiveness (currently it has 90%), logistics that provide missiles and keep the Iron Dome operational, which depends on its relationship with the U.S., fences or barriers with improved surveillance and alert systems compared to the version that was breached, and state-of-the-art cybersecurity and intelligence.

It sounds easy, but it is not, whether because things fail or because they are directed by humans, who also fail. That is why, alongside the above, it needs ground, naval, and air forces to reset conditions whenever necessary. By reset, I mean to eliminate or neutralize the bases from which they are attacked, and that is what they are currently doing with Hamas in Gaza. The reset is not easy given that their enemies operate in highly populated urban centers, something they do on purpose to limit Israeli action, as despite what is said in the press, Israel seeks to minimize the impact on the civilian population and comply with the laws governing armed conflicts.

It is said that wars are the continuation of politics by other means, and that is very correct. They are decided by the politicians in power if they have the legitimacy and popular support required to send their sons and daughters into combat and accept that there will be casualties in battle. Hamas, with its barbaric attack, has united all of Israel behind a national unity government with a war cabinet to avenge the deaths of its children and elderly, the kidnappings of its people, and the violations of its women. The military instrument will execute the orders of the government, which would not exist if it were not for the demands and expectations of the people. The orders will likely be to completely reset the entire neighborhood in which they live and eliminate any threat, whether real or potential, as the most recent experience has awakened their deepest fears and memories, and because the survival of the nation is at stake, and why not, of the Jewish people, the chosen people of God.

Richard Kouyoumdjian
Vice President, AthenaLab

Source: El Líbero

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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of AthenaLab.