Though Israel has fought repeated battles to survive ever since the miracle rebirth of the Jewish state in 1948, the last year and a half have been perhaps the hardest. The Hamas invasion on October 7, 2023, was the deadliest single day for Jewish people since the end of the Holocaust 80 years ago. The war that followed has dramatically impacted the entire Middle East. The tiny Jewish state remains defiant against those who would see them destroyed. The battle for the survival of Israel is far from over. Today Israel is facing three major threats, each of them with the potential to devastate the nation.
1.World Opinion
Tragically, people all around the world celebrated that deadly demonic attack by speaking out against Israel and in support of Hamas. From college campuses to city centers, huge crowds waved Palestinian flags and call for the destruction of the Jewish state. Even the Vatican got in on the act with their official Nativity scene dedicated by Pope Frances depicting the baby Jesus lying on a keffiyeh, the traditional checked headscarf worn by Palestinians like arch terrorist Yasser Arafat. And a Netflix movie about Mary came under fire because the actress hired to play the mother of Jesus was Jewish!
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could not travel to Auschwitz for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Germany’s largest death camp because Polish authorities announced they would arrest him in compliance with the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. This is just one more sign of how deeply the world is entrenched against Israel. Remember that the warrant was issued because of the actions Israel has taken in response to the Hamas invasion. In no uncertain terms, the world is telling Israel they are not allowed to defend themselves.
This ridiculous idea has also found fertile ground at the United Nations. This notoriously anti-Israel body has passed resolution after resolution condemning Israel, while saying virtually nothing about those who are doing so much to bring death and destruction to the Jewish people. These efforts by world bodies reflect the depth of antagonism toward Israel. The ancient evil of anti-Semitism does not just lurk in extremist mosques in the Middle East. It is alive and well in boardrooms and courtrooms and political offices around the world.
2. Military Threats
Israel has had incredible success—much more than outside experts expected—fighting against Iran’s terrorist proxies. Hamas and Hezbollah have both been decimated, with the majority of their leaders captured or killed, their weapons stockpiles discovered and destroyed, and their manpower greatly reduced so their ability to attack Israel has been crippled.
Israel’s success in their response to Iran’s direct missile attack also exceeded expectations. The Israeli Air Force was able to take out a majority of Iran’s air defenses and strike at critical military targets. In addition, the collapse of Syria, which was largely the result of Israel’s success against Hezbollah and Iran, has cut the main supply lines Iran used to keep their terrorist proxies armed. This will make it much harder for the terrorists to launch any major attacks against Israel.
But despite this good news…and major answers to our prayers for the success of Israel’s defense…the threat of Iran’s nuclear weapons program remains. Experts believe they already possess enough highly enriched uranium to make several atomic bombs, meaning that all they would need to launch a devastating attack on Israel is the delivery system. And Iran’s partnership with Russia in Ukraine is being repaid by Iran getting access to Russian scientists and technology. That brings us closer and closer to the deadly threat of a nuclear Iran. This is something Israel cannot allow to happen.
3. Economic Collapse
The external threats Israel has been fighting have created a major internal problem. The Israeli economy has been brought to its knees as both direct and indirect results of the war. The direct result is the hundreds of millions of shekelim spent on the military—both personnel and equipment. Modern armament is hideously expensive, especially the advanced missile defense system that guards Israel’s people. Just one interception from the Iron Dome system costs about $50,000, and Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis have fired thousands of missiles during the war.
In addition, because Israel has been forced to call up so many reservists to active duty, many businesses have found themselves short of critical personnel. The active duty IDF is fairly small, and so much of the burden of more than a year of war has been borne by people who have full time jobs, families, and in many cases, small businesses to run. The loss of these critical people is compounded by the fact that the reservists have borne a heavy weight of casualties. Many of these courageous soldiers will never come home.
Finally the war has devastated Israel’s tourism industry which was still recovering from the COVID shutdowns. Though final figures are not yet available, it is estimated that tourism income will decline by almost half—and that is from numbers that were already down from the past. Repeated closures of Israel’s airspace due to attacks have led some airlines to reduce or halt flights into Tel Aviv. Many people have put off making trips to Israel because of the increased danger. This has cut a key source of revenue to the government at a time when the demands for spending are greater than ever.
