What Now Is the Goal of This War?
While the objectives of the United States and Israel have repeatedly changed, only one remains constant.
After the Casablanca Conference in 1943, the Allies—the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union—committed to the “unconditional surrender” of Nazi Germany and Japan. That goal never changed.
By contrast, the American policy toward this war has changed repeatedly. Initially supportive of Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas, it quickly morphed into “October 7 can never happen again,” to a call for a ceasefire and hostage release, and finally, to “this war must end.” Israel’s position has also changed. After long insisting on “total victory,” Prime Minister Netanyahu recently pledged “to destroy Hamas’s military capabilities, end its political rule in Gaza, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”
Now, with the advent of the Trump administration, what will be America’s policy toward this war? Will it once again demand Hamas’s destruction or be satisfied with merely ending the fighting? Will Washington support continued efforts to degrade Hezbollah and prevent its return to southern Lebanon or merely uphold the ceasefire? And will Israel’s goals continue to change, from demanding Hamas and Hezbollah’s destruction to merely defending ourselves from their continued threats?
The answer to these questions can be summarized in one word: Iran. Though President Trump has expressed a preference for addressing the Iranian threat diplomatically, he has not, unlike Biden, ruled out the use of military force. The target of an Iranian assassination attempt, the president might choose retribution, the humbling of a cruel American enemy, and the transformation of the entire Middle East over a deal only marginally better than that signed by Obama in 2015. Along with forging the Abraham Accords, ending the Iranian threat would be Trump’s enduring legacy.
For Israel, finding a common military strategy with the United States against Iran would not only end the continuing threat from Tehran. It would cut off Iranian arms supplies and financial aid to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, effectively drying them up. A U.S.-Israel campaign of regime change in Iran, beginning with eliminating its nuclear program, would provide a genuine and long-lasting victory.
Last week, I attended the president’s inauguration in Washington and was deeply impressed by the love for Israel I encountered from all the guests. This is indeed a historic moment. Seizing it must be our national goal.
This article is adapted from an earlier version that appeared in Hebrew in Ynet on January 29.
Re public opinion, what do you think is the best way to explain that prior to Israel’s statehood, all Arab countries expelled their Jews who had been living in those countries peacefully for nearly 2,000 years, and about 700,000+ Jews then went to then Palestine. That of course horrified the Arab Muslim countries, so they paid 800,000 Muslims to move to Palestine. Then, when the Muslim countries realized they wanted to push the Jews into the sea, they asked those 800,000 paid Muslim immigrants to “just temporarily” go to Gaza, go to Lebanon and go to the West Bank , so they could more easily “push the Jews into the Sea.” No one expected Israel to be able to win the War of Independence…but Israel did. So all those new Muslims in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank were NOT long time residents of Palestine! I recall seeing a young student at our local University at all the Palestinian protests 10 years ago. Then I saw her in my Hebrew refresher class that ai was taking. I asked her how long her family had lived in the land. She said “70 years.” So ai asked her if her family had been among those Arab Muslims who had been paid to settle in Palestine? She said (proudly) “Yes! WE are Kuwaiti!!” Why is this aspect not brought out more? And learning how and why Mohammed turned against the Jews is also important! He had always respected the Jews. But when he wanted to conquer Mecca and Modena, and asked the Jews to support him in killing the Ruler, and taking over the rule of those locations.the Jews said they would get back to him with their answer. They ultimately told him that that king and his predecessors had been very kind to them for 500 years so they felt they could not turn against him. Mohammed then wanting with 10,000warriers, killed the king and his family, killed all the Jews who were there, and was angry with the Jews ever since. Perhaps if more Muslim Arabs knew the origin of the Muslim hatred of a Jews they might be willing to change that. I always felt the Jews should have been welcomed back to Israel by everyone in the Middle East, with a smart “let’s get rich together” attitude and everyone could have lived well together in peace. There is no reason for this Jew hatred on the part of the Arab Muslims. It was only based historically in Ego and anger. So what do you think is the best way to get these messages “out there?”
We focus too much on Iran and not enough on Qatar. The owners of Al Jazeera do much to spread antisemitism and Israel-hatred throughout the world. They shelter terrorist leaders, and act as legitimate money conduits for terror groups. They negotiate deals in which they pretend to aid the West but in fact use them to legitimate their own close contact with, and support of, those terror groups. They are the major funders of programs at many Western universities that have brainwashed students into supporting Hamas and hating Israel, and help support weekly protest marches throughout the world. But because their actions are covert and they are masters of taqiyya, tawriya, and other approved forms of Muslim lying and subterfuge, the West considers them "honest agents".