As a high school student in the early 1960s, I predicted the demise of the Soviet Union, implausible at that time. My prediction was based on the irrepressible human yearning for freedom, as witnessed by the Jewish Exodus but universally shared, I thought, by all peoples. Ronald Reagan fulfilled this prediction.
From 1978, I lived literally in “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” a quarter of a mile from his house in Pittsburgh. In that bygone era, Pittsburgh was, like Fred Rogers himself, a storybook picture of peace, tranquility and lovingkindness. So why did I, despite being never particularly interested in firearms, start carrying a 9 mm handgun for protection in synagogue?
Pittsburgh was the least likely place for a massacre of Jews, but at some level I apparently sensed danger. Four blocks from both Mr. Roger’s and my homes, 11 Jews were gunned down at the Tree of Life synagogue, including a physician colleague of mine. I take my predictions seriously.
So, consider this prediction: Despite his recent promotion to Hamas’s top post, Yahya Sinwar’s destiny will be a doomed dance of death.
Predictions can be based on unarticulated intuition or through the conscious detection of patterns in history. Mine is the latter. It was inspired while reading an astute article by Ohad Merlin that referred to Sinwar’s “savior ideology,” in which he sees himself as executing a “divine plan.” These references caused a flash of hindsight and foresight based on the parallels between Yahya Sinwar and a kindred demon, Adolf Hitler.
The similarities are striking:
Sinwar was sentenced to five life sentences for assassinating Palestinians accused of collaboration and spent 22 years in prison until released early in a lopsided prisoner exchange. During that time in prison, he learned Hebrew, had a close-up view of Israeli society and undoubtedly radicalized his views, formulating his plans for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews.
Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for the violent Beer Hall Putsch in 1923 but was released early after only nine months. During this imprisonment, he wrote Mein Kampf, which presented his political ideology for Germany’s future and the sinister annihilation of the Jews.
Sinwar was known until Oct. 7 for his inflammatory and “feisty” rhetoric, mostly against Israel and the Jewish people. These were replete with lies boasting that the Al-Qassam militia killed up to 1,700 Israeli soldiers, despite Israel’s figure of 600 fallen soldiers, half having fallen during the Oct. 7 invasion.
Hitler’s rhetoric was inflammatory, rabid and more fiery than feisty; centered on annihilating his enemies, primarily the Jews. His infamous lies about the Jews need not be enumerated.
Sinwar’s life was ironically saved by treatment in an Israeli hospital for a tumor in his brain. This, I might note, is inconsistent with the baseless accusations of “Israeli genocide.” Israel could have passively let one more violent Palestinian die but instead acted ethically. Sinwar also survived assassination attempts by Israeli forces, which bolstered his commitment to Hamas and elevated his status amongst Palestinians. His delusions will only be intensified by his recent selection as Hamas head.
Hitler was wounded and temporarily blinded during World War I and survived assassination attempts, which augmented his sense of destiny, fed his sense of “divine protection” and reinforced his hatred of Jews.
Sinwar has messianic views of himself and Hamas as messengers who will realize Allah’s prophecy of the end of days (Wa’ed al-Akhira). At this time, Islam will spread worldwide and all heretics will be eliminated, beginning with Israelis and Jews.
Hitler viewed himself in messianic terms as the savior who would restore Germany’s greatness, usher in the Thousand Year Reich and establish dominance of the Aryan race. His messianic delusion was central to his leadership and propaganda styles.
Sinwar has been described as more than just a hardline extremist but also as a narcissist and ruthless psychopath. The latter is confirmed by his masterminding the barbaric Oct. 7 massacre, rape and hostage-taking of not only men, women and children, but even innocent babies.
Hitler is easy to diagnose as perhaps the most diabolic psychopath in history, having committed the worst and most sinister genocide of all time. His documented personal insecurities and early failures support a dynamic of narcissistic self-inflation to compensate for these inadequacies. He too murdered and burned babies.
Hitler died by suicide in his underground bunker on April 30, 1945, as the Allies were closing in on Berlin; the situation for Germany was hopeless and his false messianic delusions were crushed.
My prediction: Sinwar will die in his underground tunnel in 2024 as the Israeli Defense Forces eliminate Hamas as a military threat, close in on Sinwar’s bunker equivalent and end his false messianic fantasy.
Perhaps I will be wrong about the exact time or place. But Israeli officials have vowed to fulfill this prediction.
If you are not a fan of predictions but have read thus far, I offer this: The above parallels unmask the twisted inversion that mislabels Israel and Zionists as fascists or Nazis. The similarities between Hitler and Sinwar, now the top leader of this sin-war against the Jews, leave no doubt about who is the new Nazi.
