Value of Deterrence

The battle equation is not Israel versus a couple of million hostiles in Gaza, but world Jewry with around fifteen million folks facing one hundred million or more jihadi fanatics, who believe their fundamental religious obligation is to slaughter Jews, and that is just the start. They do not want to leave an “infidel” as they perceive those who do not follow the same precepts alive on earth. Be he Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, or even more tolerant Muslim. That is why Israel was attacked, not just on October 7, 2023, but with nearly twenty years of rocket attacks after Jews were expelled by the Israeli government from the Strip in a foolish quest for “peace”. The IDF “mowing the grass” in response to fire from Gaza was not a deterrent but a provocation because it demonstrated weakness, not strength. All the terrorist fear is a readiness to use superior force to wipe them out before they achieve their evil aims, and Israel has been too restrained and too reluctant to use the extremely destructive power it has.