Several months ago while I was visiting a rehabilitation ward for severely wounded soldiers, a TV show that the soldiers were all watching started describing the pros and cons of turning Gaza back over to Arab control “the day after”. Suddenly, one of the army patients wheeled himself up to me and pulled a blanket off what should have been his legs. What I saw stunned me- he had nothing below his hips. However, what he said to me at that point has continued to haunt me ever since. He asked me in a shaking voice, filled with rage: “Yonatan, what did I lose my legs for”? I was at a loss for words. What could I possibly say to this young man, who had just heard that our government was seriously considering turning Gaza back over to the same Arabs who had stolen his youth? That he had misheard something? That his sacrifice was a price we all had to pay to rescue the hostages held by Hamas? That no final decision had actually been made with regard to the disposition of Gaza once Hamas was destroyed? Unfortunately, he was too smart for me to express these kinds of useless rationalizations.
The young soldier was a Gibor Yisrael- a hero of Israel. He deserved an honest answer. I looked him straight in his eyes and said the following: “you lost your legs, brother, because we are led by traitors”. He nodded his head up and down and held out his arms. We embraced and I felt two of the strongest arms hold me. G-d in heaven, I prayed, let me be wrong for the sake of this wounded hero. But something born of my own 35-year ordeal told me that I had told him the truth.
Yesterday, I got my confirmation. A detailed story appeared in the press outlining the plans the US has apparently cooked up for “the day after”. What I read sickened me. After all our sacrifices since October 7, a fading imperial power has decided that Gaza should eventually be returned to the same people who burned our babies in ovens, brutally raped our women and beheaded our fallen soldiers. This decision was made by a bunch of corrupt, incompetent losers, who see themselves as a latter day equivalent of the 19th century Congress of Berlin: Jared Kushner, a well heeled “businessman” in the pay of Saudi Arabia, Steve Witkoff, a mentally challenged bully who owes his allegiance to Qatar, and Tony Blair, a failed British Prime Minister in search of a paycheck. These are the men who have decided to give the Gazans a second opportunity to pull off another October 7. Yes, we’ve all been reassured that their plan will indeed protect us from such a reoccurrence. But, speaking as someone who could pay the price if the Three Stooges are wrong, I’d rather put my faith in an Arab free Gaza, garrisoned by the IDF and annexed by Israel. Call me cynical, but I guess there’s something about “guarantees” made by idiots living a world away that leaves me less than reassured.
How did we end up in this mess?
The man who created the vacuum for Team Trump to fill with their imperial fantasies, is none other than our Premier- Bibi Netanyahu. True to his indecisive nature, Netanyahu has continually refused to spell out his plans for “the day after”, preferring, instead, to let his masters in Washington make up his mind. To some people, this may sound like a harsh judgment, but facts are facts: Bibi simply won’t say what he intends to do with Gaza once the guns fall silent. This is Bibi’s default position whenever a hard call has to be made. He prevaricates, hoping that a decision will be imposed on him that he has no way of opposing. However, in this case, his willingness to let others decide the fate of Gaza, a piece of blood soaked real estate given to us by G-d, looks like a clear cut case of treason.
Apart from being part of our territorial inheritance, Gaza constitutes a dagger pointed at the heart of Southern Israel. And Egypt is the enemy wielding this dagger. Let’s look at the following facts. Egypt has categorically refused to allow Gazans to seek refuge in Sinai, thereby providing Hamas with an army of human shields. Egypt shamelessly allowed untold numbers of Hamas controlled tunnels to operate under their shared border with Gaza, allowing the terrorist organization to arm itself for October 7. Egypt has been conditioning their people for war with Israel and has built up a military establishment designed specifically for this purpose. Lastly, in direct violation of Camp David’s troop limitations, Egypt has been pouring enough men and equipment into Sinai that it will give them an opportunity to launch a surprise attack against Israel at a moment’s notice. And this is where Gaza comes into play.
Assuming Gaza reverts to Arab control, an Egyptian task force would have an open road straight to the gates of Ashkelon and Ashdod, while another task force could swing right to take Beersheba from the West. This is not a scenario I came up with. It’s straight out of a publicly available Egyptian General Staff exercise. Only total Israeli control of an all Jewish Gaza can prevent this frightening scenario from happening. IDF fortresses in Rafa, Deir Al Balah, Khan Yunis and Gaza City would provide our army with a defense in depth that would stymie any attempt by the Egyptian Army to launch a surprise attack from the Gaza Strip.
Now I realize that Bibi is not a military genius. Nor is our current General Staff Forum comprised of officers who I would characterize as professional Jewish warriors. I mean, who launches a campaign to defeat Hamas without knowing what the “day after” will look like? Only a weak, confused Premier and an army High Command polluted by the “Purity of Arms” stupidity. This is why I accuse the Premier of treason. By allowing people who really don’t care about our security to determine the eventual disposition of Gaza, Bibi is jeopardizing the safety not only of Southern Israel, but of our entire country, as well.
If he were half the premier he thinks he is, Bibi should publicly declare that the “day after” will see a Gaza free of brainwashed, homicidal Arabs, annexed by Israel and repopulated by the people G-d chose to inherit this land.