Hamas/Gaza War Musings #25: Bibi Must Fire Gallant, Plus ICC Update

I should have finished this a few days ago. Now the big news is about the ICC wanting to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant for trying to defeat the Hamas Gazan terrorists. There's a double irony in this.

One is something I've been saying for ages that the harder Bibi tries to look "moral" and caring of the Gazan civilians, the guiltier he looks to the world that hates us and the weaker we look to the Arab terrorists. 

Two is that Yoav Gallant has made such an effort to separate himself from Bibi, but to the haters of Israel, he's seen as Israel's Minister of Defense, no less guilty than Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu. This makes him as guilty as Netanyahu in their eyes.

Israel has been fighting a difficult defensive war of survival against internationally supported Arab terrorists for over half a year. Over a thousand Israelis, mostly innocent, davka Leftist --meaning that they had believed that we could make peace with the Arabs-- Israelis were murdered, sexually abused/attacked, decapitated, burnt alive, murdered and worse by Gazan terrorists. You may be wondering what I mean by "and worse." Considering that it has taken months and months to identify the victims by DNA tests, using various bones and body parts, "and worse" is a rather censored way of describing what the Gazans did.

I wrote "Gazans" and not "Hamas," because that attack, as documented in the photos from security cameras and the proud posts on social media by the perpetrators show clearly that Hamas is full of Gazan civilians. Terrorists don't need army uniforms, and Hamas is a terrorist movement.

Honestly I don't think there are many "innocent Gazan civilians," and if there are, they're in hiding. And to think that Fatah of the Palestinian Authority should rule Gaza "after" the war, that's a danger, since they want the destruction of the State of Israel. They are terrorist, too.

Yoav Gallant, Israel's Minister of Defense, has so far failed in defeating Hamas, but he's making demands on what the State of Israel must do after the war is over. Not only that, but he called a press conference to publicly demand that his boss Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu follow his orders, or else. He even gave Bibi a deadline, ironically, almost the exact date of the fifty-seventh 57th anniversary of the miraculous 1967 Six Day War.

Unfortunately, we're far from the victory we need for our very survival. That's not because of our IDF soldiers; it's because our national leadership is so weak.

About 200,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes since October 7, 2023. Their "after" is what an Israeli minister should be concerned about. And considering that Gallant should have been fired long before the war for his antigovernment antics... he has now "progressed" to insurrection, not just insubordination. As Defense Minister, he's responsible for making sure the IDF defeats our enemy, not feeds our enemy.

We need a new IDF Chief of Staff and a new Minister of Defense. The upper echelons of the IDF should be replaced with those who had been kept down. 

Most important, Israel must immediately stop sending our officers to American "war colleges," where they have been brainwashed to follow incompetent military ideologies. Get real. The USA hasn't won a war since the middle of the 20th century, and they have never, ever had to fight a war like the one that Israel has to fight. They are not the experts. 

To be perfectly honest, I'm disgusted. If you read my old posts about Netanyahu, you'll know that I'm not surprised at his weakness.

Enough! We need strong leadership. Bibi must DO and not TALK!

Hamas/Gaza War Musings #18: Demand to Force Draft of Chareidim is to Break Coalition

 

I love this set of three mugs which picture/symbolize the range of Jewish Israelis from non-religious old time kibbutznikim to chareidim. Am Yisrael Chai! The People of Israel Lives! Yachad Ninatze'ach! Together Victorious!

One of the most beautiful and encouraging things I've seen in this horrifying war for the State of Israel's very survival has been the involvement of all sectors of Israeli society, and that does include chareidim. 

In the more than half a century I've lived in Israel, there has been a steady, quiet change in the involvement of chareidim with the rest of Israeli society. Today Israelis of all levels of Torah observance enjoy the services of various gmachim like Yad Sarah and first aid services established by chareidim. As strictly Shabbat observant chareidim are, those who are in first aid and emergency services keep their phones on 24/7, so they were among the first to try to rescue the dead and wounded in southern Israel on that nightmarish Simchat Torah on October 7, 2023. This was even before the army had gotten themselves organized. And, yes, if you're wondering, ambulance crews were murdered, too. 

Within days of the start of the war, Hamas trying to destroy Israel, many chareidim made their way to the IDF offices to sign up and join the army. Joining the army is a process, since recruits and volunteers must be assessed to see their abilities to find the most suitable unit. Newspapers and television news showed them lined up waiting their turn for assessment. It certainly made me feel good. And to make it clear, I'm not at all chareidi. It's not my cup of tea.

As this war has dragged on, one of the most comforting thing has been seeing the volunteerism in Israeli society. Yes, that includes chareidim among others coming to the hotels where Israelis who had to leave their homes were staying, and bringing them supplies, toys, doing people's laundry and more. Yachad Ninatzeach UNITED WE WIN!

So why did Defense Minister Yoav Gallant suddenly make a speech demanding an end to the army exemption for yeshiva students*? With his army experience he must certainly know that angry resentful people make for terrible soldiers! And why now, in the middle of a war for the country's survival would he want to shake up Israeli society in such a way?

No doubt Gallant wants to break up the coalition, which simply put is Likud plus dati leumi (national religious) and chareidi parties.

Considering that a sizable portion of Likud MKs are either religious or traditional, I guess Gallant feels like a fish out of water. Has he made a deal with another political party....? Considering Benny Gantz's unauthorized trip to the USA... something stinks for sure.

*Despite the exemption, chareidim do serve in the army in various roles, and numbers have been growing.