This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM — Israel's first, and second-longest serving, prime minister, David Ben-Gurion famously said, "In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles," and the year from Oct. 7, 2023, to Oct. 7, 2024 has certainly been an example of this. The story, whose end is unknown, has a very Jewish patina to it; from the depths of despair at 6:29 on that Sabbath/Simchat Torah morning as the paragliders flew over the Nova music festival and the Hamas paratroopers stormed over the border killing everything in their way, backed by a cacophony of rocket-fire; to a place today, which despite the difficulties and challenges of the knowledge of the hard road ahead, might even border on hope.
In every generation there are disputes and temptations, which threaten to rip the Jewish people asunder. In 2005, it was the disengagement from Gaza, pulled off by practically the only politician – Ariel Sharon – who had the fortitude and authority to pull it off. Many people on the right warned of the national implications of that fateful decision, but their concerns were dismissed for the perceived greater good of living in peace with our neighbors. Some hope.
In the months leading up to Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's civil society seemed fatally weakened, a hint, which Hamas' barbaric terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar, certainly did not miss. Despite the fact, protesters against the government's proposed judicial reform, and those in favor would all be waving Israeli flags at their demonstrations, as they yelled epithets at each other from point-blank range. Sinwar thought he knew Israel and Israelis, having learned the language and immersed himself in its newspapers over his extended stay in prison, which was so catastrophically cut short in the deal which released kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. He assumed Israel was on the precipice of collapse; however, he misinterpreted what was underneath all the noise. Israel is a very noisy society, but underneath it there is an almost unspoken acknowledgment that Jews, whatever their political, spiritual or religious affiliations, are responsible for one another in times of great peril. And make no mistake, Oct. 7, 2023 was a moment of catastrophic danger.
Sinwar's actions led us to this point, and if one was to think back to Oct. 6, 2023, it would be impossible to contemplate that one year and one day later, they would lead us to a place where the future of the entire Middle East – of Israel's relationships with its Arab neighbors, and if the evil Islamist regime were to fall in Tehran, of Iran too – could be redrawn. It is a tantalizing moment – an inflection point – full of potential… and jeopardy.
Israelis, Diaspora Jews, U.S. politicians commemorate first anniversary of Hamas attacks, which left some 1,200 people dead
A somber mood – which to be sure has hung like a pall over the Jewish state for the last 366 days – descended a little further Monday, as Israelis came together – many of them at 6:29 a.m. – to commemorate the events of Oct. 7, 2023. Impromptu, unofficial gatherings paired with much larger events put on by various municipalities across the country, as long as the security situation would permit it. Hamas even fired a few rockets, some of which impacted in Tel Aviv and further to its south, in Holon.
Against which targets in the Islamic Republic of Iran might Israel retaliate?
Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 1; Israel has still to respond. The timing of the response is unknown, although Iran was on high alert overnight Sunday. The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies provides maps with a key of the significance of the targets Israel might strike.
What targets in the Islamic Republic of Iran might Israel retaliate against?
Here is FDD's assessment of the regime's key military, nuclear, economic, and other centers. pic.twitter.com/SpXBcuWFO2
— FDD (@FDD) October 6, 2024
