The gap between the reality of the existential war that Israel has been forced to fight against Hamas terrorists and the largely fraudulent way it is reported in the international and American corporate press has not lessened in the nearly 16 months since Oct. 7, 2023. According to JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin, that makes it all the more important that we learn the truth about what happened that day and why.
He is joined by Seth Frantzman at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a journalist and author of the new book, The October 7th War, Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza.
Frantzman says the catastrophe of Oct. 7, as well as the way it has led to the current dilemma in which Israel has been forced to pay such a high price for the release of hostages held by Hamas, stems directly from the failures of the “best and brightest” to think outside of the box.
Israel’s elite defense and intelligence establishment was guilty of the same hubris that led to many other disastrous surprise attacks throughout history. His account of the terrorist attacks and the first months of the war that followed details the crisis of confidence in the state many Israelis felt after the failure of the army and the government to protect its people on Oct. 7. But the shock and horror of that day was also followed by many inspiring acts of individual sacrifice and bravery that helped stop the terrorists and led to subsequent military success.
Frantzman says that the ceasefire/hostage deal that Israel has been forced to accept is “a mistake,” but one the government feels compelled to make because of the imperative to ransom the hostages. He also says that among the chief lessons to be learned from the war is that Israel’s leadership needs to be “less arrogant” and discard preconceptions about the strengths of its opponents. And instead of being so focused on the threat from Iran, Oct. 7 should have taught Israelis that Hamas is still the most potent neighbor in the region. That’s something that also makes a Palestinian state a nonstarter for the foreseeable future.
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