If your enemy thinks it has you on the run, there is absolutely no motivation to enter into a negotiation process or make concessions for the sake of peace.
That is why the demand of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway” is incredibly naïve, lacking any genuine understanding of where things stand in Israel’s ongoing efforts to defend the homeland on multiple fronts as our enemies are doing their best to rid themselves of their Jewish neighbors.
In fact, Hezbollah is prematurely declaring the smell of victory, which it believes is on the way. N12 news reported Lebanese headlines that read “Turning Haifa into Kiryat Shmona."
And why wouldn’t Hezbollah believe that? It has effectively succeeded in minimizing Israel’s borders ever since the northern border town’s residents left their city and other surrounding areas when the constant daily rocket fire made life intolerable there.
So why stop when you’re ahead?
Western mindsets don't solve eastern problems
The problem with Austin and his gang is that they are coming from a Western mindset, where war is viewed as the worst of all possible scenarios and negotiating a peaceful end is the better solution. But that’s not, at all, how tribal warriors think or operate. For them, power is everything, and regaining what they believe is rightly theirs is a battle that can only be fought to the death.
These are not reasonable people who are agreeable to returning to a calm existence, absent from conflict. They thrive on dissension and are only too happy to engage in combat to win the championship.
In this case, the mother of all prizes is the land of Israel. The fact that Western leaders, especially military strategists, don’t seem to comprehend this mindset is a major blind spot and gross miscalculation. It has contributed to bad advice and the hope that everyone can somehow work out their differences.
The depletion of Hezbollah funds or massive Hamas casualties will not be enough to persuade the enemy to walk away, abandon the war, and realize its defeat. Although everything points to their inability to win, new threats are emerging from the Houthis who “are putting out the messaging that they intend to escalate attacks, especially if Israel-Iran tensions grow.”
Why are they continuing what appears to be a futile effort in the fight to unseat Israel from their land? Because they are convinced that they will win. Their ideology assures them that their divine mandate will aid the struggle, guaranteeing success and sure conquest.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t deter Austin who sees this as an opportune moment to go the diplomatic route, “as soon as it’s feasible.” But it’s not feasible, not for them and not for us. In this wishful thinking game – built on naiveté and a total lack of understanding of how these terrorists perceive the world – the only outcome for giving the benefit of the doubt to barbarians is to sign one’s death warrant.
To expect any other result is to have completely misread the enemy.
Role of the US presidential elections
We are just weeks away from the US presidential elections, so the desire to boast the amazing feat of a successful Middle East ceasefire could help the Harris-Walz campaign. However, they seem totally out of their depth when it comes to the requisite knowledge and adept skill needed to deal with a brutal enemy who will stop at nothing to conquer its adversary.
But America’s self-serving agenda is not even subtle. While the Biden administration claims to show overwhelming support for Israel, even to the point of offering to send the advanced THAAD missile defense system to Israel, just a day later, Biden urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get the IDF to refrain from attacks on Beirut.
Do they want us to win, or do they want us to give our enemy the advantage of a reprieve with more time to regroup? It’s a legitimate question because the Biden administration is not acting in the best interests of democracy, freedom, and world peace if they are willing to tie our hands just as we gained momentum. And for what? A win in the November elections?
Austin’s affirming words to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that the “United States’ unwavering, enduring, and ironclad commitment to Israel’s security” is still in effect ring a bit hollow when asking us to put aside our military advantage. Of course, none of this takes into consideration that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has no intention of releasing the 101 hostages who remain in Gaza tunnels.
This, too, represents US leaders’ glaring and inexplicable naiveté in their absurd expectations to help broker a deal that does not include the immediate release of all the hostages. Without that, this war cannot come to a close on any moral grounds.
What is being requested is an abandonment of a necessary fight. If not executed to its finish, it will not only endanger Israel but the entire free world.
Unwilling and uninformed political leaders, and their military proxies, will have chosen an illusion of peace over a solid guarantee that those who seek to dominate, control, and subjugate all people will be utterly destroyed.
It is this vital and worthy battle that needs to be fought, without interference. If they indeed realize what’s at stake, future US administrations will not have to look back and lament how they naively underestimated a vicious enemy whose plan was to take away the freedoms of all and replace it with a return to the darkest days of history.
The writer is a former Jerusalem elementary and middle school principal. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom of the Book of Proverbs.