The massacre of October 7th, returned Israeli society to a face-to-face confrontation with Jewish history. The sadistic mass murder, which took place against the backdrop of internal division within Israeli society, made the concept of a covenant of fate more present than ever. The conduct of the Hamas murderers and the absolute absence of any manifestations of humanity among the Gazans illustrated, with their full horrifying force, the validity of the biblical description of Amalek. Without delving into the depths of halakhic or theological debates, one can agree that Amalek serves as a distinction between an ordinary geopolitical rival and a different kind of enemy—one that attacks the Jews in order to annihilate them.
After the dreadful nadir of the day of the massacre, the Jewish people rose like a lion, struck powerful blows on seven fronts, and neutralized—though did not destroy—its two principal enemies: Hamas and the Iranian regime. The victory is indeed partial, but it is unquestionably a victory, even if the road ahead remains long. It seems there is broad agreement that it is impossible to return to the state of affairs that prevailed among us before the massacre; however, the destination of the movement is unclear. Today it appears more strongly than ever that a covenant of fate and a covenant of destiny are intertwined.
Yet one cannot advance toward a destination without a map and a compass. Thus it is no coincidence that the memorization of a navigation route in the army is called a “route story.” Failure to understand the enemy is one of the principal reasons for the terrible collapse that befell the State of Israel, and this is the first matter that requires immediate correction. However, statements such as “one must not underestimate the enemy” or calls for “assuming responsibility” and “soul-searching” often suffer from vagueness and an excess of emotional charge. Moreover, it is clear that the military and intelligence community in any society are influenced by that same society—by its values and by the spirit of the times (Zeitgeist). It would be naïve and absurd to assume that intelligence assessments are unaffected by what prevails within that society.
Read the full article on Kohelet (Hebrew).
Alex Grinberg is a Senior Fellow at the Turan Research Center.