Israel and the danger of perpetual war

On the eve of the one-year mark since the horrific terror attacks on Israel by Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed his country was fighting a war “for our existence — a ‘Revival War.’”

In his view, that war is being fought on seven fronts: against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, what Netanyahu called “terrorists” in the West Bank, Shia militias in Iraq and Syria, and, he finally declared, “we are fighting against Iran.”

Without question, the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 were a vicious and painful event and it is entirely appropriate for the Israeli government to respond and bring the perpetrators to justice. But it is where that multi-front war may go next that should alarm every friend of Israel.

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett argues that Iran is the head of a great octopus in the region, and that it doesn’t make sense to only fight the tentacles. Israel must go after the head, Bennett said in a recent interview with Jordan Peterson, adding, “I’ll say straight up at this point, we need to topple the Iranian regime. That’s what we need to do. And it will fall.”

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