What, Exactly, Should Israel Do?

A sincere question for those who think Israel shouldn’t respond to Hamas.

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A display of empty chairs with photos of children kidnapped on October 7 near an elementary school, Jerusalem. (Photo by Yahel Gazit/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images)

Hi,

Let me explain why I think calls for a ceasefire are so misguided and, in some cases, grotesquely evil. 

Let’s start with the evil grotesquerie. On October 6, there was a ceasefire. Even that is generous—to Hamas. The terrorist group had been firing rockets into Israel prior to October 7. All Israel did was shoot them out of the sky as best it could. 

Then on October 7, Hamas launched a massive invasion into Israel, raping, murdering, and torturing men, women, and children. They butchered the young and old, at least one pregnant woman, and gleefully slaughtered children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children. They stole babies to use as bargaining chips and human shields. 

Among the immediate responses from Israel haters and Jew haters alike was to demand that Israel not retaliate. For instance, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for an immediate ceasefire at 3:37 p.m. on October 7, about 40 minutes after Ilhan Omar did. At least they deplored the violence. Others celebrated it and reserved their anger for the Jews and friends of Jews who were dared to be offended by the slaughter of Jews. 

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  1. Avatar photo
    Benjamin Brown

    What's supremely weird about U.S. domestic discourse is how easily it slips into a universal perspective regarding Israel and Palestine. Just like that, an implicit assumption that the U.S. is some kind of globally omnipotent actor or world policeman, responsible for adjudicating fairness among the world's nations, begins to shape the conversation.

    In reality, "what should Israel do" is a question of merely academic interest for the U.S. citizen in his domestic-political capacity. The core question is "what should the United States of America do."

    The U.S. doesn't necessarily have to take responsibility for Hamas, Israel, or the outcome.

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  2. Avatar photo
    Jerrymasters7vwp

    Yuval Noah Harari has a piece in Time that is worth readers' time.

    "The World’s Job During the War on Hamas: Save the Space For Peace" Here:
    https://time.com/6324254/israel-hamas-war-peace-yuval-noah-harari/?mc_cid=4dd743ce3d&mc_eid=7aa9bc0631

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  3. Marydeancason

    I agree with much here, Jonah. But as to the comparison to Ukraine, Zelensky has not been poking a stick in the eye of Russians for the past decade. Ukraine might have its own corruption problems, but not cabinet members like Ben-Gvir and his buddies who are there to keep Bibi out of jail. As to what should Israel do? Get rid of Bibi and his far right ultra-orthodox thugs.

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  4. Rb.Lennan

    Great dissertation Jonah, you are right on, wish I could communicate as you do, keep up the great work! Shalom
    Ron

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  5. Avatar photo
    Charlie

    "What, Exactly, Should Israel Do?"

    Before reading the article, I would say, "Ignore all the pundits in the US."

    Now I will read. ;)

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    1. Avatar photo
      Charlie

      After reading I have to say that I agree with everything in it. Good job!

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  6. Iowafocus

    Bingo. This is all that need be said.

    Bravo

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  7. Israel.D.Gale

    Hmm, let's take your proposal seriously for a moment. Pressure in Hamas leadership will, in the best possible case, lead to the release of whatever hostages are still alive and that Hamas still knows about. And then what? You can't be saying that that would be sufficient, can you?

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  8. Jfan

    So what else is new? The Left, and a disturbingly large segment of the Right, took the same approach when Viet Cong and NVA psychopaths invaded South Vietnam. They did it again when Sadrists, Iranians, and Al Qaeda slaughtered tens of thousands of Iraqis rather than let them live in a free Democratic society. Now they've come for Israel.

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  9. Snoopyboobs

    I regret ever responding to this column and I'll probably regret this post too.
    This is not a sincere question, it's a very cynical question. If you (Jonah) were asking this sincerely you would have an expert in the military or conflict resolution on your show who disagrees with you to discuss it. Instead you ask this question to a captive audience of your fans knowing you would get little cogent push back. You are sure to get a lot of attaboys and there would be a few people like me who would give half assed answers and act like zagnuts (I am), but we are amateurs you are a professional. If your case is such a slam dunk you would have no problem winning the day against other professional interlocutors.

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  10. Trevor.Stilwell

    This is one of the core questions that seem to be neglected, but this treatment of it seems like a protracted false dichotomy of strawmen. The question isn't just whether IDF should do anything or nothing, it's whether there should be humanitarian pauses for noncombatants to get aid or to relocate, and it's how many civilian casualties justify any given strike.

    It's surprising that no one (that I've seen) has pointed out that the most humane course may be to continue without pausing now. The premise of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was that fewer would suffer if the fighting could be abruptly brought to an end, and similar cases could be hypothesized now in Gaza. If Hamas isn't eradicated in this year's battle, what might they perpetrate next time? And how much longer might this current battle last (with corresponding suffering of those in the crossfire) if Hamas is allowed to regroup?

    In other words: a pause could provide meaningful respite, but will it be outweighed by also delaying the ultimate end of the fighting?

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