I suppose we can safely say that Israel experienced an intelligence failure of massive proportions when the nation was caught by complete surprise early Saturday morning. Ironically and sadly, the attack came on the holy day of Simchat Torah, which means “joy of Torah.” It is the day Jews celebrate the completion of the annual reading of the Torah as it begins anew. This year there was certainly no sense of joy. And I suspect the absence of joy is especially present among those actively involved in the Israeli intelligence community. How could they have missed the signs? Are Hamas and its Iranian allies and funders that good at hiding their preparations? Apparently, they are.
A year or so ago I read a report on the efficacy of Israeli technology used to protect it from attacks by its enemies. The report addressed the high quality of this technology, how it could ensure Israel would be safe from any attempts to invade. Judging from what happened Saturday morning the technology was grossly deficient. Of course, another possibility is that the Israelis were so confident in their technology that they ignored the need for human eyes and ears. I wouldn't be surprised if this were a problem within most intelligence agencies, where human intelligence resources have largely been replaced by technology. The problem with technology is that it has limitations, and these limitations can be tested, so the technology can be overcome or simply avoided. Of course, technology is probably cheaper than human agents and far more reliable, at least from the perspective of the geeks who have the ear of their bosses.
It would seem the Hamas terrorists took advantage of this. Their brutal early morning attack on the Sabbath was amazingly low-tech. Smashing through border walls and rushing into southern Israel in Toyota pick-ups and flying in via paragliders, they took out the police stations and small military installations along the border, killing everyone they encountered. They crashed through the doors of civilian homes and brutally killed men, women, and children. Pregnant women were slaughtered, and their unborn infants torn from their bodies and thrown down beside them. Many of the women were raped in front of their families and then paraded through the streets. Infants were decapitated. Elderly Israelis, even Holocaust survivors, were also murdered or taken hostage. Indeed, Hamas terrorists intentionally targeted a music festival and killed nearly 300 mostly young people. Many others attending the festival were taken hostage. What has happened to them is unknown, but we can be certain they are not being treated well. Pray for them.
The brutality and sadism of the terrorists wasn’t isolated; it was intentional and carried out wherever Hamas attacked. They took videos of these barbarous atrocities and then posted them on social media for the world to see. Hamas terrorists are obviously proud of their savagery and enjoyed every moment of it. This tells us a lot about Islamist terrorists in general and specifically about organizations such as Hamas, Isis, Hezbollah, and the nations that support them. To assume Iran had no role in the planning, arming, and training of the terrorists who attacked Israel is the height of naïveté. At the very least the United States should reinstate full sanctions against Iran and refreeze the six billion dollars being held in Qatar. Most Iranians do not support their government. It would be wise for us to encourage and actively support those Iranians who hope to overthrow this brutal, theocratic regime. After all, our nation had its genesis in a revolution, a war of independence in which we claimed God had endowed us “with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” As the world’s primary supporter of terrorism, Iran is a serious threat. We should do all in our power to ensure a change in that hateful regime.
In case you don’t realize it, we are in a war. It is a war between good and evil, a war between civilization and barbarism, a war between those who cherish life and those who celebrate death. I have absolutely no problem waging and winning a just war.
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