Hamas War

Showing posts with label compromise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label compromise. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Hamas/Gaza War Musings #51: "Conflict?" Nope-- They Want to Destroy Us



The woke lexicon has made it to Israel, very unfortunately. How can a war, with such clear differences between aggressors and victims be called a "conflict?" What's a "conflict?" According to the Oxford online dictionary, it's:

a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.
"the eternal conflict between the sexes"
That doesn't sound like the war for survival that Israel has been fighting for over a year and a half. Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and the international intifada supporters want to destroy the State of Israel and aren't embarrassed to say so. Why has the Jerusalem Post joined those calling this war a "conflict?" I was additionally shocked to read Barbara Sofer claiming that she wrote "by the time you get this, I'm sure this conflict* will have blown over," during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. That was a WAR, and nobody called it anything else. I was a mother of two at the time living in Jerusalem.

To survive, win this war, we must refer to it as a war and fight it as determined warriors. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has a "thing" about the word "war," "milchama." For years, whenever our enemy has attacked us, Bibi would downplay the attack and declare our defense and "operation," mivtzah," instead of declaring war against the enemy and resoundingly defeat them. After a bit he would announce that they've calmed down, learned how tough we are, and that would be it. 
War, surrender and victory are not words we Israelis hear or read. There are those who want to hear the government's plans for "after," but after what they don't say. They don't use the "V word" and seem to expect that at some point the terrorists who attacked on October 7, 2023, will just get tired and cease fighting. And if they do stop and sign some "deal," the next war, and there will be a next war, will be much, much worse than this one with many more hostages. The only way to stop the "cycle of violence" is to decisively defeat the enemy. Don't warn them before shooting; don't feed them. We must fight to total victory. Hamas and our other enemies must surrender, and we Gd willing must declare full sovereignty in all the Land of Israel. 

No negotiations. Negotiations are for compromise. 
  • How can we compromise with people who want to destroy us totally? 
  • How can we compromise with people who bragged about raping, decapitating, murdering innocent Israelis?
  • How can we compromise with people who want to burn and destroy our country?
Get real. Read their lips!

I'm a realist. I don't believe in fairy tales, fantasies... Please think. Be rational. Terrorists don't turn into peaceniks.

*emphasis mine

Monday, September 16, 2019

Guide to the Politically Perplexed: Israeli Elections 2019, 5779, Redo, More Info Clarification

Bli eyin haraa, not to tempt the "evil eye," tomorrow I plan on voting in the Israeli Elections 2019, 5779, Redo.

Unlike previous elections, so far, even though the voting stations will be open in about 24 hours, I've noticed relatively few signs and potential trash. There could be a simple reason, money or lack of it. The political parties and wannabes just can't find the money they had a half a year ago for the first Israeli Elections 2019, 5779. Generally loans are taken out, or the government provides political parties with a certain amount, which will be covered if the party wins enough seats. If they don't win the required amount, then the money must be returned... somehow.

Yesterday I posted about the Israeli political system, which is rather misunderstood. Likud and Blue & White are, davka, taking advantage of people's ignorance. To simplify and repeat:
In Israel we don't vote directly for a Prime Minister. We vote for lists of potential Knesset Members. The party leader who can negotiate a ruling coalition of at least 61 Members of Knesset becomes Prime Minister of the State of Israel.
People, especially those raised abroad, ask if having districts would make it easier to form stable governments. My answer is a firm "NO."

There are two very simple reasons for this:

  1. GERRYMANDERING. Gerrymandering is the "art" of drawing election districts to achieve goals in favor of, or the detriment of specific political parties. 
  2. In a country like Israel, especially with gerrymandered districts and the fact that we have many established political parties, there can still be a variety of political parties and not a simple two party system.

It may help to return to the one-time "experiment" of two ballots, one for Prime Minister and the other for the Knesset. This sort of system exists in Israel in municipalities. People vote separately for the mayor and city council members.

Sometimes the mayor and his party's council members do well, so he has an easy time making a working coalition. Other times, like Moshe Lion, Mayor of Jerusalem, the winning mayor doesn't have council members from his party, and he/she must make a coalition with those who had wanted him/her to lose. A skilled politician can pull it off.

Politics is the art of compromise. People/politicians have to work together for the good of the people/country/city/state.

Whether prime minister, president, governor, mayor etc one must be fair also to those with different opinions, not just to supporters.

I'm voting Yemina, and davka one of the reasons is because the various factions now running together for the Knesset have shown that despite their "bad history," they are willing to work together. Even though many times I've said that I wouldn't vote for NRP-Jewish Home, this time I am, since they're working with politicians I support. Nobody's perfect, especially in politics. We have to vote and then pray that the winners will do the right thing for the good of the country.