Did Hassan Nasrallah read anything like the Holocaust? He wasn’t born at the time though. Still, today, he reminds one of a certain Goliath of Gath, of the biblical days, described as a “champion” whose height was a fearful “six cubits and a span” and was loaded with all sorts of dangerous weapon, something that could be likened to present day “missiles” wielded by the much-touted “Goliath” of today. In describing the old Goliath, the bible said his presence so terrified the Israelites that they were “petrified” and infact “cried” whenever he appeared to terrorize them, until the Israelites mustered enough courage through David, a brave young warrior at the time, who called his bluff, attacked him and subsequently overpowered him! That situation is no different from today in Lebanon where the “new” Goliath in Hassan Nasrallah, the bloodthirsty, grotesque leader of Hezbollah, never let go of any opportunity to rattle the Israelis with piercing statements, invoking fear and panic into their fold; he does this often, whenever he showed up from his bunker.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza War, he has ramped up the ante by hurling missiles daily upon northern Israel and even burning a large swath of arable land threatening starvation. More than 60,000 panic-stricken citizens have been evacuated from their homes as a result. This wouldn’t have happened in the days of Generals like Ariel Sharon; the leaders of today appear not to have balls. Hassan knows this very well—and exploits it to greater advantage. He has accordingly warned the Israelis of severe repercussions if they dare him; and instead of the Israelis rallying together, they are paralyzed with fear, playing unnecessary politics and staging waves of mass demonstrations, blocking streets in Tel Aviv, calling for the resignation of their Prime Minister and release of hostages! They are fast losing their guard—like they did before the October 7 massacre when Hamas took advantage.
But the worrisome issue here is the loss of their invincibility arising from the surprise attack of Hamas—which wreaked havoc. That, a rag-tag group like Hamas would inflict pain of that magnitude doesn’t speak well of a state that went as far as Entebbe in 1976 to free hostages; those were the days when Israel launched “Operation Iron Wrath” to avenge the Munich massacre of eleven athletes! The fury unleashed knew no bounds and today, many years after, who is Hassan to think he can toss them around? Therein lies the problem! And it is not so much about Hamas or Hezbollah; it is about the audacity of Hassan Nasrallah to challenge the Israelis and escape retribution! Mossad leaders must be sleeping or probably overindulging in options. Maybe the Israelis are scared stiff of Hassan Nasrallah’s arsenal of—-as they say—150,000 rockets!
And he has now boasted that no corner in Israel will be safe should there be further provocation. And this is the problem with too much democracy—and the advent of social media! Vladimir Putin would have long worked out a solution and removed the threat; but at last, here we are with the fellow growing by the day! So, the question is: what are the options available? To go to war or not? Hassan would stop at nothing to see the demise of the Jewish State; with him alive, there can be no persuasion unless the deed is done! Hassan is determined, only that there is still a pinch of fear in him; better not be a martyr now when the dollars keep flowing in from Iran.
Therefore, the Israelis would have to come out and confront the monster; like it was in the biblical days, if they succeed fine; but if otherwise, then they would have to pray harder not to fall into another annihilation. If anything else, there is a moral lesson to be learned by the Israelis and that is to be on guard at all times and never to lose their unity. That’s what Hamas exploited and if they had the muscle to wipe out the State of Israel, October 7, would have been the day. It has been a long Israel was so vanquished. The 1972 massacre of Israeli athletes serves as a reminder that those calling for a two-state solution are wasting their precious time; the Palestinians are not ready to live side by side with the Israelis—no matter the olive branch: they want the whole land of Israel—not a portion of it!
Despite 38,000 souls already lost in the ongoing Gaza war, Hamas is not deterred. The intensity of the resistance suggests the debt of animosity the Palestinians harbor against their stronger neighbor. Such is their warped mentality that Israel could be subdued—and the entire race wiped off! One single Israeli hostage is considered enough prize to hold on even if Gaza is burnt to ashes! That’s how bad Hamas leaders reason. President Joe Biden should be better informed to concentrate his efforts on stopping the Russian-Ukraine war rather than exhaust his energy on deaf and dumb people like Yahaya Sinwar and Khaled Mershel. No one needs to tell him that Hamas’s ultimate goal is the extermination of the same people that went through the holocaust; people like that aren’t going to be easy meat to crush whether they lose momentary concentration or not.
The holocaust happened more than seventy years ago and the Israelis can’t forget the unprecedented experience, especially of Sobibor and Auswitch. Hassan Nasrallah couldn’t have studied history judging from his unintelligent bunches, although he is very much schooled in the art of violence; but someone should tell him to go and find out why the Israelis came up with the slogan—never again! He may well know that his boastful rants of “I will make a bonfire of Israel if care is not taken”, or “I will roast them alive” are mere watery threats; the beast in Israel will soon rise. Nevertheless, Hassan’s unbecoming utterances are indicative of a depraved and sick mind.
The language he and Hamas understand is violence! On a higher note, Israel’s restraints so far must be commended. They know what to do and at the right time, they will. It says much how Lebanon, a sovereign nation could harbor terrorists like Hassan. They know the price to pay will be too high, but they aren’t bothered. Sometimes it is good to go to war to make peace; those who do not want peace should be shown the exit door. Hassan, predictably, might go into hiding like Yahaya Sinwar of Hamas has done if war begins; but with time, the law will catch up with him. For now, he may stick to firing rockets and missiles—if only to please his paymasters in Iran. Ultimately, an unpleasant price awaits him—only with time! Let Israel call his bluff and root him out!
