Retired Military Men Explain Why Israel Must Be Supported to the Hilt

Once the campus nitwits — the ones accusing Israel of “genocide” while celebrating Hamas, whose operatives proved themselves on October 7 to be the true genocidaires — had their “encampments” mostly disbanded, the Children’s Hour was over, and the grownups decided to have their say. Eight weeks ago, 94 retired American generals and admirals wrote a collective letter about what Israel was fighting for, with consequences not just for itself but for the entire Western world, and about why the Jewish state must be supported to the hilt. Their letter, unfortunately, got little notice at the time of its publication, and bears revisiting. It can be found here: “‘A Strong Israel Is Vital to the United States’: 94 Former US Military Generals, Admirals Sign Letter Supporting Jewish State,” by Jack Elbaum, Algemeiner, May 15, 2024:

More than 90 retired US military generals and admirals have signed a new letter released this week in support of Israel and a strong US-Israel relationship amid heightened tensions between the Biden administration and the Jewish state.

Organized by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), the letter focused on the adverse consequences of weakening the US-Israel alliance.

“Given our experience as retired American military leaders,” the letter reads, “we are very concerned about the security impacts of increasingly strained US-Israel ties as Israel becomes a growing source of domestic division. We therefore feel compelled to declare that a strong Israel is vital to the United States national security, and it is imperative that America unequivocally stand by this indispensable ally.”

In recent months, the relationship between Israel’s government and the US under President Joe Biden has become strained due to disagreements over whether the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) should launch a large-scale offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah, the fact that the US has primarily put pressure to achieve a hostage and ceasefire deal on Israel rather than Hamas, and — most importantly — the Biden administration holding up weapons shipments to the Jewish state. Threatening sanctions on an IDF unit and sanctioning certain settlers in the West Bank have exacerbated tensions further.

Now, according to recent comments from senior US officials, there is growing doubt in the Biden administration over whether it is possible for Israel to achieve “total victory” against Hamas, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu often describes his country’s war goals….

The letter continues: “America must support Israel as it restores its security, shattered on Oct. 7, against Iran and its terrorist proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen that all seek to destroy the Jewish state. These forces are also enemies of the United States and everything we stand for.”…

A key reason to support Israel, the letter argues, is that these are the enemies of not only Israel but also the West more broadly: “Against these barbaric enemies, Israel stands on the front lines of the fight for civilization, the lone stable, democratic American ally in a critical, yet tumultuous, region. Israel is a visceral part of the West with its liberal democracy, ethnically diverse population, and support for individual rights.”…

The grownups have spoken. Israel’s war on Hamas is not so very difficult to comprehend. It’s the forces of light against the forces of darkness. The United States, and the entire West, have a stake in Israel succeeding in destroying the terror group. Listen up, Bidenites.