The world owes Israel.
It owes Israel for killing Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and many of his henchmen. It owes Israel for killing Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and his henchmen.
It owes Israel for eliminating modern-day devils of death and destruction.
It owes Israel for eliminating evil. Not all evil, of course, but two of its leading agents.
It owes Israel for delivering a massive blow to humanity’s greatest threat, Iran, by killing Sinwar and Nasrallah. It owes Israel for taking Iran down a notch.
It owes Israel for creating conditions for a new Middle East – a Middle East where Iran and its proxies are in retreat. A Middle East where new forces, if the opportunity is exploited and they are encouraged, may come to the fore. That is a big “if,” but finally, after a year of darkness, this “if” is a glimmer of light.
The war is not over: the kidnapped hostages remain in captivity, fighting still rages in Gaza, rockets continue to be fired from Lebanon, and terror within Israel is not disappearing. This is not a time for euphoria, although the ground has shifted dramatically.
With Sinwar eliminated, the chances of releasing the hostages have increased enormously.
Israel now in a new position
Israel is now very much in the driver’s seat: in Gaza, in Lebanon, and — with an account to settle with Iran — there as well, with legitimization to deliver a stinging blow in retaliation for its brazen ballistic missile attack on Israel three weeks ago. Iran’s leadership is plagued by paranoia, fearful of where and when Israel will attack. This leverage could perhaps be used to pressure the remaining Hamas leaders, like Khaled Mashal, to free the hostages.
It has been a horrible year since Hamas’s barbaric attack on October 7 – a year of insufferable pain – but as Simchat Torah, the anniversary of the attack on the Jewish calendar, approaches, there is new hope that Israel will emerge from the disaster stronger and the region in a better place.
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a taped message to the nation Thursday night, “darkness is receding, and light is rising.”
However – and this is important to note – the darkness is not receding on its own. Israel, despite its efforts being hindered by many around the world, is expelling that darkness. Israel, of course, will be a prime benefactor of this new light – but not only Israel.
Palestinians in Gaza who suffered under Sinwar’s tyranny will benefit. The Lebanese, who have suffered on the altar of Hezbollah’s fanatical ideology, will benefit. The Iranian people will benefit if the denigration of its proxies or Israeli military action shakes the rule of the ayatollahs in Iran.
And, if as a result of all of the above, the Islamic Republic goes the way of the Soviet Union and crumbles, all of humanity will benefit.
October 7 was a vicious pogrom and a bitter reminder – a poisoned letter of sorts – from Jewish history’s tragic past. What has ensued since then, however, is something completely different.
“Today, we have once again made clear what happens to those who harm us,” Netanyahu said. “Today, we have once again shown the world the victory of good over evil.”
The world owes Israel a thank you.
Don’t hold your breath.