Israel in 'stuck' mode

If you’ve ever watched the joy of riding in bumper cars, at an amusement park, you know that while they can be fun, as you drive around the course, they can also be a great source of frustration when bumping either into another car or driving into some obstacle prevents you from being able to maneuver your steering wheel. In situations such as those, it often takes a worker to come over and get you out of that “stuck” mode so that you can continue on your way and move forward.

This is exactly the situation in which Israel finds herself, six months after the tragic October 7 massacre which killed over 1,200 citizens and saw another 253 kidnapped and taken into captivity. While it took some 20 days before an Israeli offensive, in the form of a limited incursion, got underway in Gaza, once the IDF began, they made great headway over the course of the next couple of months. In their goal to eliminate the Hamas terror organization, by January, Israel had already killed close to an estimated 10,000 terrorists.

Now, as we approach May, seven months later, Israel is in a “stuck” mode – unable to move forward. Nonetheless, one political commentator ridiculously suggested that we should declare the win. His foolish advice was to make the proclamation that Israel won, because we were able to exact a harsh price, by killing a significant number of terrorists, rendering the group incapable of conducting any future genocidal ambitions against Israelis.

But how can the Jewish homeland boast a decisive victory when over 100 hostages still remain languishing in the darkest crevices of Gaza tunnels? And how can we declare a win when many more thousands of Hamas terrorists still remain active and inspired to finish what they began? The idea is both absurd and about as rooted in reality as Iran’s refusal to acknowledge that they are behind all of the brutal attacks, which have been executed by their many proxies who are well-funded and trained by them.

But, in the meantime, Israel must quickly make up its mind as to whether or not we have the fortitude and determination to finish off our enemies so that we do not continuously find ourselves vulnerable to these kinds of savage attacks with which no country that has a working government would allow to be perpetrated upon their people.

At least one source has suggested that the moment “Israel withdrew all but one brigade from southern Gaza on April 7, as its special ground forces had concluded its mission in the city of Khan Younis, leaving Gaza to recuperate and prepare for future operations, that it “presented an opportunity for experts in the region to end the war or at least begin asking what ending the war would look like and what happens next.” 

As Israel remains resolved that an invasion into Rafah must occur in order to finish the remaining work that must be done, no date has been given for such an operation, and with the Passover holidays in our midst, nothing will likely happen before the end of the month. But, once the holidays are over, if there is no activity or appearance of moving forward, we stand to lose a lot, both in terms of credibility as to our own determination to rid ourselves of those whose goal is to annihilate us, as well as our standing before the nations of the world who will, undoubtedly, lose respect for not finishing a job which demanded completion, especially when we had the justification and the means to do so.

While seeing this fight to the end may involve angering our allies who, for purely political purposes, have demanded a ceasefire, other countries will thank us for being the ones who made sure that they, too, could sleep easier at night, knowing that a demonic scourge has been dealt a blow from which they cannot re-emerge. In fact, it’s probably not hyperbole to say that the whole world is looking at us, waiting to see what our next move is and whether or not we will be able to get out of this “stuck” mode.

At this point, we can’t sit on the sidelines, waiting for some unknown leader to come forward who will represent the Palestinian people and negotiate a peace deal with us, because no one is showing up for that role. Stalling what needs to be done also continues to portray Gazans as the unfortunate pawns who can neither return to their homes nor move forward with their own lives, as long as there is a military presence in Gaza. So, our paralysis doesn’t serve us, on any level, by giving them that coveted victimhood status. In short, no one wins in this scenario of immobility and inertia. 

Estimates have the price of this war costing a jaw-dropping 600 million shekels per day (more than $159 million), covering the costs of IDF salaries and reservists recruited until the end of 2024. Of course, this does not take into account the cost of rockets and other weapons, which only have a one-time use but which also run into the millions. Another estimate places the cost of this war at “$260 million each day to the Israeli economy.”

Likewise, this also does not take into account the loss of tourism, which has taken a huge hit, as well as many other sectors of the economy that have greatly suffered, such as agriculture, restaurants, stores, travel and much more. As uncertainty grows, from day to day, leaving everyone wondering whether or not there will be an escalation from the north, from another of Iran’s proxies or from Iran, itself, most people are not willing to take the chance of extending themselves in any way when they cannot be sure of the outcome.

Finally, from the aspect of morale, Israelis have been left in limbo, forced to live their lives with a sense of impending unease, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. In the meantime, the “stuck” mode only seems to benefit the leaders who proved to be woefully unprepared for the events of October 7, unable to provide the kind of readiness that was demanded in order to prevent the catastrophe that took place. A much-needed reckoning has been placed on hold for these military, intelligence and political individuals who have not yet formally been held to account for being derelict in their duty to defend the homeland in a worthy manner.

Consequently, if we have truly come to the conclusion that an incursion into Rafah is imperative, in order to finish the job, then no nation or entity should try to interfere with that decision, because, at some point, they may end up finding themselves on the receiving end of the same battle against terrorism which we are the most adept at fighting. 

One thing is for sure, though. Israel would be the last in line to ever tell them that they should put down their weapons, declare a ceasefire and call it a day!