Rome Shmome

On those who shout for crushing Gaza and Hezbollah

Should Israel be taking a more hard-line approach with its Arab enemies? Or should it be concerned about international political repercussions?

On the one hand, the Middle East is a tough neighborhood, where power is respected rather than compromise. In the long run, full victories may cause less suffering overall. Israel has to look out for its own interests; it doesn’t have the luxury of indulging the wishes of Western countries which are not fighting defensive wars on their soil, nor laws that were not created with suicidal entities such as Hamas in mind. If Israel listened to every UN or even American wish, it would be in serious trouble. The Maccabees fought against the odds when they battled the mighty Seleucid army and won.

On the other hand, those Western relationships are a necessity, not a luxury. Modern warfare is conducted with all kinds of munitions, vehicles and technologies that are not and cannot be home-produced. Fighter planes need thousands upon thousands of parts for their maintenance. And other countries, even the US, would not turn a blind eye to Israel committing gross infractions of international law, even if they wanted to. Additionally, no matter how much one might challenge the moral basis of “international law,” the fact is that many countries (including Israel) have committed themselves to it, to varying degrees, and are thereby bound by it. Furthermore, there is no military strength without economic strength, which also depends upon international relations. Israel simply would not be able to survive as a pariah state.

Personally, I do not know how to balance these conflicting factors. I’m glad that I don’t have to make any serious political or military decisions. But there one thing I do know: Both sides need to be considered and weighed up.

After the disgraceful ruling from the Hague to investigate Israel for genocide, Itamar Ben Gvir tweeted “Hague Shmague.” This is reminiscent of the disparaging term coined by Ben Gurion regarding the United Nations (called Um in Hebrew), “Um Shmum.” But was it wise for a government minister to officially tweet such a thing? Did it help Israel, or harm Israel? And did Ben Gvir even give this any consideration?

Last month, Ben Gvir visited the north and declared “War!” Maybe it does make sense to go to war right now with Hezbollah and reclaim the north. Or maybe it would be wiser to wait a year or two and build up Israel’s military strength and strengthen civilian infrastructure. Certainly a war now would involve massive losses on Israel’s side. Are Ben Gvir and those in his camp even weighing these things up at all?

One does not get the impression that they are. There is knee-jerk bellicose rhetoric and no discussion of opposing factors or negative consequences. There is the undermining of law and even of the IDF itself, with the break-in to the IDF bases. And there is utter disparagement and disregard for international political repercussions, despite Israel’s heavy need for munitions and parts and technologies and economic cooperation.

I’m pretty sure that if Ben Gvir had been living 2000 years ago, he would have been saying “Rome Shmome” and burning the grain. The zealots of that time were convinced that God was on their side and that they could successfully repel the mighty Roman army. But instead, the Jewish state was destroyed in an appalling massacre.

(And they should have known in advance that their chances of success were likely doomed. As discussed in the fascinating book For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, guerilla tactics in the countryside, like those used by the Hasmoneans, might have worked, but trying to defend Jerusalem against a siege from an army with overwhelming resources was a futile endeavor. But when you believe that God is on your side and you’re invincible, you don’t weigh things up carefully.)

I am far from certain in my political beliefs; I think that morality is complex, that many judgements are incredibly difficult to make, and that there is much inherent uncertainty regarding how policies play out. I can respect people who weigh things up differently. But I cannot respect those who do not weigh things up at all.