The Jew News Review – September 7, 2024 – “A blow upon a bruise”

Shabbat shalom. 

While vacationing on Cape Cod, I managed to avoid a lot of the miserable news cycle, but since returning, I have started to catch up and it’s not pretty. Since my last posting, Israeli’s have been tormented with the burial and mourning for the six hostages that were brutally murdered by their psychopathic captors, who, sensing the IDF nearby, followed Sinwar’s orders and shot them point blank in the back of their heads. It was another cruel act to inflict more psychological pain on an already traumatized Israeli public. Or like Evelyn Waugh noted in Brideshead Revisited, about the deepening trials of one of its characters, it was “A blow upon a bruise”. I’m not sure how many more body blows and bruises Israelis can endure. But, I do know they are a tough people. And despite a coalition government that continues to pour gasoline on the fire, the nation continues to come together, to help each other out, to find some light in the gathering gloom.

Tens of thousands of Israelis marched earlier this week in support of cutting a deal with the Hamas monsters in order to free another batch of hostages and relieve some of the nation’s anguish and pain. Bibi has stood firm in opposition to any deal not including Israeli control over the Philadelphia corridor, a crucial supply line for cash, weapons, and escape routes for Hamas. He is being pulverized for his position, and accused of moving the goal posts at precisely the moment in time that even his defense leadership said was the right time to take the deal. Yet Bibi stands firm, and is now accused by some of his critics of even being responsible for the recent murders by Hamas of the six hostages. That is, of course, nonsense, but here we are. 

And Bibi has only himself to blame. The great communicator has failed in a most critical element in fighting any war: state your objectives clearly, and with Churchillian state-craft, unite the country around those goals and objectives. On the latter point, he has failed miserably. He finally, and just this last week, held a few press conferences in English and Hebrew, and even appeared on Fox News, to defend his reasons for adding control of the corridors to his red line list of demands. But Bibi, too little too late. 

This is going to sound crass, and insensitive to say the least. But, if Bibi had any credibility left at all, he could lead a serious discussion about whether the lives of the hostages should come before the greater need of the country to NOT negotiate with terrorists, thereby avoiding future Israelis from being captured and used as leverage for political or poisonous gain. But that is not a serious debate that Bibi can be part of since the public has lost trust and faith with his motivations. Instead, he wiggles and jiggles his positions and Israelis are left to ponder his intentions. He may have a point about controlling the border, but that point gets lost in his dubious leadership and lack of clear and direct communications with the public. 

Bibi has proven over the decades that he is one tough son of a bitch. Which probably helps in dealing with his neighbors, who insist on killing all the Jews and committing genocide on the State of Israel. But, I think it’s time for Bibi to shed some of that old style of leadership and wake up to the new reality of fighting a war that includes social media. And to put it in the more muscular and masculine vernacular, if he had any balls at all, he would do the following:

1. Take responsibility for October 7! Bibi, bubala, the buck stops with you! Be a mensch and admit what everyone already knows. It will make you feel better, I promise. 
2. Announce that after the Hamas war is over, you will hold elections and agree not to run. People will gain back their trust in you, since your actions and decisions will be viewed in the light of doing what is best for the country, not what is best for keeping you and your moronic followers in power. You have a long history of doing good things for Israel. Save your legacy and do the right thing!
3. Articulate a “day after” strategy that includes the eventuality of a two state solution and a continuation of the Abraham Accords to further evolve an axis of life affirming countries that will further isolate Iran and their deadly axis of evil. 

Easy peasy. 

Rather than continue this week with my usual smorgasbord of news for Jews, I thought I would end this week on a more positive and moving note, with this video clip showing Israeli Paralympic swimmer Ami Omer Dadaon at the podium accepting one of his two gold medals in the 100m and 200m freestyle competition. He also represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, where he won two gold medals and a silver medal. Ami Omer is truly a great ambassador for the country, and reflects and represents the passion and strength of the Israeli sprit. 

Let’s be careful out there.

Brad out.