Writer. Israeli. IDF combat veteran with a counterterrorism background. Author of the novel Storm in the Shadow.
Joined January 2012
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Today, I finally had the long-awaited opportunity to meet @MosabHasanYOSEF. This man needs no introduction. His contribution to Israel’s security, to saving many innocent lives, and what he has continued to do since October 7 are difficult to overstate.
I have considered Mosab my friend and brother for a long time. Fate brought us together during difficult times, and that has had a profound impact on me. Few people today are capable of speaking from the heart as he does and bringing people the unvarnished truth. I know that not everyone is ready to accept a harsh truth, but that is precisely what makes it so valuable: not being afraid to deliver it to the wider public exactly as it is.
Mosab is a unique individual with a core of unyielding steel within him, and that core was forged over decades. He sacrificed his own safety to prevent terrorists from spilling blood, and he has never regretted it or doubted the decisions he made.
It is a great honor for me to know Mosab Hassan Yousef personally, to experience his boundless, contagious energy, and to share some of it with you.
Michael Livschitz retweeted
Vandaag de Israëlische vlag buiten gehangen.🇮🇱
Ik trek een #BlauweLijn tegen de misleiding van de #RodeLijn, die onwetenden misbruikt om Ham@shandlangers wit te wassen.
Michael Livschitz retweeted
My friend @FriendIsrael65 has passed into the arms of the Creator. Blessedly for her and her dear husband @mensch_in_black , her journey was brief, albeit unexpected and sorrowful for her family.
FriendIsrael65 was not Jewish, but married to a Jew, mother of a proudly Jewish son, a fierce defender of the Jewish people, and loving savior to animals in need.
She was a talented writer, so I urge you to read her children’s Bible stories on her page written from the perspective of pets living through these ancient events.
She also wrote a book about the life of Francis Salvador, the “Jewish Paul Revere,” as she felt it important to memorialize Jewish contributions to early American independence. It is available on Amazon as a physical or digital book.
Friend was a friend to many on X and I will treasure her concern and care for small animals, especially mine when one was sick, or lost.
May her memory be a blessing. Baruch Dayan Ha Emet. 💔🕯️
I am walking through the valley of hell as @FriendIsrael65 ascends to heaven. Our next journeys have just begun. May her memory be for a blessing. Z"L
Michael Livschitz retweeted
On Sunday, the ‘Red Line’ demonstration against Israel will take place in Amsterdam, alongside Ham@s.
The alliance between the radical left and Islamists invariably appeals to empathy.
But that empathy is selective and essentially suicidal.
maaikevancharante.nl/2026/11…
Michael Livschitz retweeted
Mr. Vice-President,
Please allow me to present a different perspective.
The problem was not the Iran War. It was the cease fire.
If you start a war, you need to win it and finish it – otherwise don’t start it.
This war should have been over six months ago, with the Strait of Hormuz wide open and oil flowing. The second and third tiers of Iranian leadership should have been destroyed, and we should have supported the pro-western forces who could have taken leadership. We stood on the brink of a new, more peaceful Middle East - and then we blinked. We had a chance not only to deny Iran nuclear weapons, but to get rid of the world’s biggest supporter of terrorism.
Instead, we had a cease fire, which was followed by months of will we or won’t we finish the job. Every day was a different message. There still is. Is the war over? Is it about to begin? No one knows. There is confusion and inconsistency.
In June 2025, America was not involved. This was an Israel vs Iran issue.
No one forced the United States to attack Iran then, or in February of 2026. It was a decision made by President Trump. In my opinion, it was the right decision.
Once the decision was made, we should not have stopped until the regime fell. But instead, you negotiated a cease fire that didn’t last, didn’t work and left us in no man’s land, with higher prices and our troops still deployed.
Our troops could have been home, the Navy returned to its bases, a peaceful regime in place , new alliances forged, and gas prices below $3.00 a gallon.
No, Mr. Vice President. It’s not the war. It’s the so-called cease fire.
One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was merely OK, in other states it was downright amazing, and in no state was it catastrophic. There was a genuine sense of optimism on our team: our people were showing up.
So, I asked the smartest data guy I know, does that mean we're going to shock the world? "No," he told me. "We might do better than the polls suggest. But the data is telling us that a lot of Trump/Vance 2024 voters are pissed and planning to vote for the other guys. Our voters are turning out, but they may not vote for us."
Well, that looks prophetic now. Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.
There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch. I’m sure that’s true.
But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone.
Another pollster—one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we’d lose the generic ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were:
1) End the war
2) Focus on cost of living/inflation
3) Put America First
4) Change our relationship to Israel
Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, it turns out her political advice was sound. (She’s also a great person.)
In the next few months, there's going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty. I'm open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you.
The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.
If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.
But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.
I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, “I told you so”: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.
Michael Livschitz retweeted
If this your opening speech for the 2028 presidential election, you have already lost my vote JD. If you are the Republican nominee, I will vote for another party or leave my ballot blank.
Blame “Israel”? How about blame you? You leaked the plan to use the Kurds to overthrow the IRGC to your friend Erdogan. You leaked secrets throughout the war to your pal Tucker. You are the one who pushed the idiotic MOU with Iran that gave the regime a lifeline when it was about to collapse. This prolonged the war and the spike in gas prices.
The voters didn’t switch to the Democrats over Israel. They switched because of the economy, stupid. The prolonged war that was your fault kept gas prices high which caused the prices of all other goods and commodities to remain high as well. People voted because of the cost of living. It wasn’t the top issue. It was the ONLY issue. Now you can keep listening to your pal Tucker but keep in mind that a lot of Jews who were lifelong Democrats crossed the line to vote Republican, while your pal Tucker was campaigning for Abdul El-Sayed. So do me a favor: take your antisemitism back to wherever you came from and get out of the way so we can get some who is really presidential like Rubio or DeSantis to be the Republican nominee in 2028.
One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was merely OK, in other states it was downright amazing, and in no state was it catastrophic. There was a genuine sense of optimism on our team: our people were showing up.
So, I asked the smartest data guy I know, does that mean we're going to shock the world? "No," he told me. "We might do better than the polls suggest. But the data is telling us that a lot of Trump/Vance 2024 voters are pissed and planning to vote for the other guys. Our voters are turning out, but they may not vote for us."
Well, that looks prophetic now. Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.
There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch. I’m sure that’s true.
But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone.
Another pollster—one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we’d lose the generic ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were:
1) End the war
2) Focus on cost of living/inflation
3) Put America First
4) Change our relationship to Israel
Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, it turns out her political advice was sound. (She’s also a great person.)
In the next few months, there's going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty. I'm open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you.
The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.
If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.
But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.
I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, “I told you so”: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.
Michael Livschitz retweeted
Outside the El-Sayed victory party, they were not chanting about lower prices for gas or bananas. They were screaming “Free, Free Palestine!” This is the last thing murdered Jews hear, and now there's a permission structure for violence against us. These are dark days for Michigan's Jews.
What Haley Stevens did was the act of a strong person who had to rethink a great deal, refuse to bargain with her conscience, and still remain true to her moral principles. To me, Haley Stevens’ choice is particularly telling, and the significance of her endorsement of Republican @MikeRogersForMI cannot be overstated.
I want to make it clear from the outset that I am not a U.S. resident, but I do care about what is happening there and the struggle for human values that is unfolding, a struggle that will ultimately affect the lives of many people, including the Jewish community.
Abdul El-Sayed is moving in a different direction, one in which he places one group of people above another. And these are supposed to be democratic principles? It is hardly surprising that his rhetoric and way of thinking have led many to question whether electing him to the Senate would be a rational choice. At this very moment, the courageous step taken by his fellow Democrat @HaleyforMI appears not to be accidental, but a natural outcome, a decision she did not arrive at spontaneously.
Many Democrats were quick to declare that Haley Stevens had committed political suicide. I categorically disagree, and they did not examine the motives driving her. Society has grown accustomed to passing hasty judgments rather than taking a pause, stopping, and thinking carefully about what is happening.
I hope that many of those who condemned Haley Stevens will change their minds and look at the issue from a broader perspective. After all, nothing is more important than equal rights and protecting the interests of all segments of society, and this is what all sides should strive for and stand united on.
Sometimes, after several years of unsuccessful attempts to find a publisher, it feels as though it has all been in vain. Many mediocre books make it into print, while manuscripts by people who genuinely deserve attention are not in demand. The problem is that it isn't the author's talent that gives a book its value, but the widespread recognition it receives. This is how genius is defined, much like Malevich’s notorious Black Square, which a child has probably drawn more than once.
No one is interested in promoting a talented work by unknown authors, because it is far easier to sell the mediocre results of the efforts of heavily promoted people. Market forces determine success, and if an inconvenient subject is denied the right to succeed, however diverse and multifaceted it may be, it will be left behind.
Moreover, even within a community united in solidarity around a common goal, the same rules apply. Anyone with above-average influence has the opportunity to be heard and published. For the unknowns, however, the path is closed, because their life experience, despite its potential, is not enough to help them rise without the goodwill of those regarded as authorities by virtue of the very circumstances that brought them to the height of popularity.
This pattern is especially evident on social media, where attention is focused not on those who genuinely possess a clear vision and deep knowledge, but on those who know how to capture attention with cheap slogans. It is this trend of our times that determines the level of demand for those destined to become idols of the masses, even in defiance of logic and rational conclusions.
Perhaps this is the main hope:
“If a broad, centrist Zionist government is formed here, without the ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties, and finally begins confronting the fundamental questions facing the State of Israel, that will be the achievement we sought.”
There is now a pressing need for change, for key changes that lead back to the roots of Zionism rather than serve as a beautiful facade behind which other intentions and goals are concealed. The very emergence of the Reservists and Economic Party, which has gained broad support, is an important milestone. Although it failed to cross the electoral threshold this time, it made itself heard loud and clear and remained a constant topic of discussion.
Einat Wilf has never concealed her vision and has consistently promoted it to the wider public through numerous books, interviews, and public meetings. Her experience and knowledge of the subject run so deep that there is no point in even challenging her without making yourself look ignorant. Many people have been won over by her frank views and have followed her. This is the beginning.
The State of Israel must first and foremost grow stronger from within, and its people are beginning to understand just how necessary the changes @EinatWilf has spoken of really are. I look to the future with optimism and faith in a rational society that is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the possibility of standing on a solid foundation of mutual respect and equal rights.
The vote count is complete. The Reservists and Economic Party received the support of approximately 152,000 voters, who appear to have come in roughly equal numbers from both political “blocs,” and from socioeconomic clusters reflecting the full political, economic, and identity spectrum of those who rushed to the front lines to defend the country on October 7. In doing so, we became the only party in these elections whose agenda and voters alike transcended the division into political “blocs.”
But it is possible that, despite not being represented in the Knesset, the election results will nevertheless allow us to achieve the very thing for which we sought to enter it. The results hold enormous political potential. Precisely because neither side got what it wanted, an opportunity has opened up to form the government Israel needs: a broad, centrist Zionist government that will finally begin confronting the country's fundamental challenges.
What do the results tell us?
Netanyahu's coalition does not have a majority to return in its current composition. That is over.
The change bloc does not have a majority to form a government without relying on parties and members of Knesset who hold explicitly antizionist and Palestinianist positions.
And it seems it will take time to fully grasp the significance of the scale of political support for anti-Zionist Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties, especially in a scenario of their full voter mobilization. The possibility of political cooperation between anti-Zionist Arab and ultra-Orthodox parties, and the emergence of an “antizionist bloc” that increasingly places the interests of these two groups above the shared Zionist interest, represents a strategic threat to the future of the State of Israel. For Zionist parties to rely on anti-Zionist parties in order to defeat a Zionist political rival is dangerous behavior.
And here lies the paradox: an outcome that makes almost nobody happy individually could turn out to be an excellent result for the State of Israel and Zionism. Precisely because neither side can get everything it wants, the necessity of working together has emerged.
The right government for Israel at this moment is a government of Likud, Yashar, Lieberman, and Bennett. A broad, centrist Zionist government, without the ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties, and also without the less centrist Zionist parties.
Such a government could, if it chose to, commit to preserving the existing legal situation, under which there are no longer any arrangements granting exemptions from service and the law currently in force is the Defense Service Law. It could ensure that state services and public-sector positions are reserved for those who serve and defend the country. It could guarantee state Zionist education, in Hebrew, for all Israeli children. And it could put an end to the economic mechanisms through which Israel's welfare state has, for decades, encouraged draft evasion and separation from the Zionist enterprise. (And it certainly wouldn't hurt to lower the electoral threshold to encourage Zionist Arab and Zionist ultra-Orthodox political representation.)
Such a government could confront the enormous diplomatic and security challenges ahead, finally begin working to dismantle Palestinianism at home and abroad, and return Israel to a Zionist and productive path.
There are no serious security or economic differences between the parties of Netanyahu, Eisenkot, Bennett, and Lieberman that justify continued paralysis or another election. They have far more in common than our political discourse allows us to see. If they wanted to, they could form an excellent government.
But for that to happen, both sides would have to give something up.
Netanyahu cannot insist on preserving every component of his current coalition and expect everyone else simply to join it. The election results neither allow nor justify that.
Conversely, the change bloc cannot insist on boycotting Netanyahu at the price of relying on antizionist and Palestinianist forces.
The danger now is that, instead of seizing the opportunity, both sides will choose escalation, which could look like this:
Netanyahu will entrench himself in a coalition that lacks a majority, while the other side will use its parliamentary majority to pass confrontational legislation and paralyze the government. Each side will respond with further escalation, and Israel will find itself in a prolonged political and institutional crisis, precisely when it needs a functioning government more than ever.
This is exactly where we wanted to play a political role.
We did not seek to be the kingmaker who determines who becomes prime minister. We sought to be the spearhead for establishing a broad, centrist Zionist government. A political force capable of standing up to either side that refused to compromise, and making it clear that refusal carries a price.
This was our message throughout the campaign: What, not who.
Israel is a parliamentary, coalition-based democracy. The prime minister, as the English name suggests, is the first among ministers, not a president and not a king. The identity of the prime minister matters, but the composition of the coalition and the policies it advances matter far more.
Therefore, the question of who will be prime minister is secondary to the question of what kind of governing coalition we will have.
Will it be a government that continues subsidizing draft evasion and separation from the rest of society, or one that restores service, Zionist education, and shared responsibility to the center of Israeli life? Will we continue postponing the confrontation with our fundamental problems, or will we seize the opportunity to halt processes that have been endangering our future for decades? These are the questions that truly matter. And if we fail to confront them now, the future price will be far higher — and the damage may not even be reversible.
We ran in these elections to change the direction in which Israel is heading. We had hoped to do so from within the Knesset, and we are disappointed that we will not be able to. But the results have created a genuine opportunity to achieve the very goal for which we embarked on this journey.
The responsibility now lies with the leaders who were elected. They can continue to entrench in political blocs that have led Israel into repeated election cycles and governments dominated by the extremes, or they can recognize that the new political reality requires them to do something different.
If a broad, centrist Zionist government is formed here, without the ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties, and finally begins confronting the fundamental questions facing the State of Israel, that will be the achievement we sought.
And that will be reward enough for us.
Palestinism is the scourge of the mid-to-late 20th century and the early 21st century. Yet it has reached its peak in the years since October 7, 2023.
What is most astonishing is that most of those who spread their beliefs under the banner of Palestinism are utterly indifferent to the issue itself. They express themselves to attract attention, enhance their own standing, and reap the benefits that come with the adoration of the crowd, rather than delve into the history of this movement’s origins, which reveals the true intentions of its founders.
No virus is as resistant to the truth as the myth of an oppressed people in the Middle East. If you look at it from the outside and set emotions aside, it becomes obvious that people captivated by the idea of a struggle for liberation turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed by terrorists and even justify them, because this fits their astonishingly one-sided worldview, in which Israel is an eyesore and gives them an unbearable headache.
The West is gripped by pro-Palestinian marches, many of which are associated with violence and vandalism. If this is the world they dreamed of, then, with their help and at the current pace, it won’t be long before that world becomes a reality.
Palestinism knows no boundaries and has no need for facts, because nothing is more powerful than an invented reality that replaces a present they find unwelcome and distracts from pressing problems.
.@EinatWilf It’s actually very difficult to find anywhere to buy Peace Not Now at the moment. As far as I know, it’s not available on Amazon either. I’d like to know what to recommend to people who are looking for the book.
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Michael Livschitz retweeted
The global boycott of Israeli cultural institutions by writers, literary agents, and publishers has not lost momentum over the past three years. All authors who write about Israel or tell stories about it objectively or in a positive light have been hit by it.
If anyone still had doubts about the need for publishing houses that will accept manuscripts from Jewish and Israeli authors, or about why particular attention should be paid to the recently launched Canary Publishing, headed by @Howard_Lovy, and High Line Publishing Studio, launched by @NeilBlairTBP, the screenshots below from the official profiles and pages of literary agents and publishers clearly show what the situation in the literary world is really like. And unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg.🧵
Even @jk_rowling somehow made it onto the blacklist along the way.
Beth Phelan — Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency ⬇️
October 31 will be a telling day for Germany. Youth protests similar to those that sparked a wave of vandalism in France are planned for that very day. Although the organizers promise that the demonstrations will be entirely peaceful, no one can guarantee that radicalized groups won’t take control and play out the French scenario.
I don’t believe mass protests are safe, and as a rule, it takes just one spark for a crowd to become uncontrollable, and then everything gets out of hand. There are quite a few Jewish restaurants, shops, and synagogues in Berlin, Munich, and many other German cities, and there is no doubt that if something goes wrong, they will be the first to come under attack. The problem of antisemitism has not gone away, and today it is more acute than ever.
German authorities are indeed concerned that the youth protests could turn into uncontrollable marches, with all the consequences that would follow. All we can do is hope that active efforts are already underway to prevent a repeat of what happened in France and that the police will be better prepared for any unexpected developments.
This test of strength will, in turn, show how determined the authorities are and how quickly they can respond and deal with the consequences. I want to believe that my fears will not come true, but I have no illusions about it, because nothing can be left to fate.
So supporting Palestine Action, designated a terrorist organization in the UK and the US, is of course no reason to prosecute Sally Rooney? What exactly is so brave about her? Oh right, her active support for the BDS movement, literally at the forefront, her condemnation of a nonexistent genocide in Gaza, her refusal to be published in Hebrew, and her promise to direct royalties from her book sales to a terrorist organization.
No matter how much literary talent a person possesses, that does not make them the ultimate authority or a mouthpiece for the truth. Their opinion is merely the opinion of one person who doesn’t like the fact that their worldview isn’t supported by absolutely everyone.
Incidentally, @mehdirhasan, who has come to her defense, isn’t far removed from Sally Rooney in his views, given that he portrays her as a great martyr and quotes an article challenging the UK’s decision to designate Palestine Action a terrorist organization.
"What the UK Is Doing to Pro-Palestine Novelist Sally Rooney Is an Act of Orwellian Villainy"
zeteo.com/p/what-the-uk-is-d…
When the adrenaline they get from social media is no longer enough for them, and that’s precisely where they find their courage, they convince themselves that they can act with impunity, that they can get away with anything. Then they take to the streets and carry out in real life everything they promised to do online.
This is a sign of the times, a sign of weak governments and left-wing views. The question is, are we only at the beginning of this madness, or have we at least crossed the equator?
I once spoke about what awaits Western society if it continues on the same old course. Please read my post from 2024. Today, it is more relevant than ever. Especially in light of what is happening in France and what may ultimately await all of Europe if those in power remain mere spectators.
Western society operates within frameworks that make it incapable of envisioning a future in which its values are obliterated. Yet, by doing so, it knowingly paves the way for its own weakness—mistakenly perceived as a strength—to be exploited. It bends under the pressure of an alien ideology, one that views the achievements of the Western world as nothing more than dust underfoot. Ultimately, this has led to a society so entangled in its own stereotypes that it has lost the ability to distinguish good from evil. If you nurture a snake at your breast, it will inevitably bite, and the fatal outcome won’t be long in coming.
Perhaps the root of the problem lies in a perpetual sense of guilt, where the need to help is placed above the safety of one’s own people. Resources are funneled to those who refuse to integrate, while demanding special treatment, and who, emboldened, begin threatening the existence of centuries-old culture under the guise of intolerance and the need to reshape it to accommodate uninvited guests.
Despite equal living conditions, Western society is willing to endure sacrifices for those who will never value such offerings—those who will continue, with mocking laughter, to exploit this astonishingly rich resource until it is fully depleted, leaving nothing but scorched earth in their wake. The end.
Michael Livschitz retweeted
🚨Bookmark and download these videos. Extensive thread!
I have several videos regarding Gaza and Hamas and I want to make them available for your use to download. My settings are temporarily changed so you can do that. This will be for one week only.
This thread 🧵 includes videos from the Israeli hostage releases, as well as videos showing Gazan exploitation of children, and more.
Download these to use off X, wherever this documentation is needed.
Video #1 Hamas terrorists in brand new trucks. Dominance display during hostage release.
Michael Livschitz retweeted
October 7th absolutely shattered and traumatized the entire Jewish world.
But the world’s response to October 7th has been even worse — shattering not just our hearts, but our understanding of this world and our place in it.
It was the cataclysmic event of our lifetimes. For Jews, there was life before October 7th and life after it.
Michael Livschitz retweeted
If the blinkered pro-Palestine crowd want to talk about ‘genocide’, they should start with Israel’s murdered mothers and mutilated children:
"You want genocide? OK, read the pathologists’ reports. A girl, around five years old, who has been shot through her body from her skull to the soles of her feet. A 12-year-old girl shot in the head and then decapitated. Teenagers who received a video on their phones of their petrified grandmother as she was about to be executed (Hamas got a kick from sharing their work).
Young women at the Nova peace festival, half-naked, strung up from trees the better to defile them. Vaginas rammed with knives and bottles. Twin baby boys, their mother slaughtered in the kitchen fetching milk for them, their father riddled with bullets as he struggled to keep the door of the safe room shut; the orphaned babies used as bait for 14 hours, little Guy and Roi, 10 months old, left to scream so they would lure neighbours to rescue them and those brave souls were then picked off by the terrorists lying in wait. I stood outside that house on Kibbutz Kfar Aza imagining all too well the panic of parents unable to protect their children; the number of bodies recovered was chalked on the wall. Yes, but…
Killing parents in front of their sobbing children, then setting the house on fire so those children are burnt alive and all that remains of that beautiful family is cremated remains. Can we at least agree that goes beyond the bounds of “wrong” to a place we haven’t quite got a name for? “Evil” feels too small a word. For three years, I’ve been struggling to find the words; some way, at least, of expressing what happened. Because I believe it should matter to anyone who cares about our civilisation; make no mistake, the foul fiends responsible will come for us all if we let them.
“They don’t just hate Jews, Allison, they hate freedom. They hate life.” That was Meirav Gonan, who I met in Tel Aviv after her daughter Romi was abducted at the Nova festival (Romi was held hostage for 471 days in Gaza). One thing I do know: the stories of suffering are seared on my soul. Yes, but…
And it was all deliberate, that carnival of cruelty. On October 7, 2023, Hamas did not just seek a military victory over the IDF soldiers at the border posts. They wanted to provoke Israel into a retaliation that would scupper any chance of an imminent peace accord with Saudi Arabia, which would thwart Iran’s ambitions in the region. So they used civilians as playthings to torture, humiliate, defile (even carrying helpful translations to instruct women to undress). Yes, but…
Who can forget one of the defining images of that day’s barbarity? Twenty-two-year-old German-Israeli Shani Louk, her body chucked on the back of a flatbed truck like a sack of potatoes, her leg obscenely twisted at a right angle, one of her murderers casually resting his boot on her naked flank. That beautiful young woman was a trophy of war, her corpse paraded through Gaza to the frenzied delight of the mob. Only a splinter of Shani’s skull was ever recovered. Yes, but…
Shame on every single person who marches on October 7 – they celebrate the suffering of families cremated in their own homes, of Shani Louk paraded as a spoil of war, of a mother murdered when she went to fetch milk for her babies. Roi and Guy, the twins, now four years old, are thriving. The aunt and uncle who adopted them don’t want the boys to be tragic figures. Like their country, they have to be resilient. They love life.
I am not Jewish, but I believe the Jews deserve and need a homeland. I hate their enemies because they are our enemies. So that makes me a Zionist. If you have any sense of where history teaches us, this leads you should be a Zionist too. No more “Yes, buts…”
Today of all days let us stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters."
-Allison Pearson, The Telegraph
