In the last several years, many of us have come to rely on Haviv Rettig Gur for a deeper understanding of events in Israel. He is the senior analyst of the Times of Israel. He is one of the leading journalists in his country. He has an extraordinary gift for explanation. This morning, I recorded a podcast, a Q&A, with him: here.
Israel has entered “a new era, a new world,” HRG says. The country that went to bed on Friday night was one country; the country that woke up the next day was another country. It is that momentous, that stark, he says. And he elaborates.
If you are Israeli, you know someone directly affected by the Hamas attack — if you have not been directly affected yourself. It makes one realize, says HRG, what a small country Israel is.
For months, Israel has been riven, as people debate what kind of country Israel should be. Right now, Israelis are united in one goal: Crush the enemy. The war may have a second front as well, says HRG: in the north, against Hezbollah.
What is the role of Iran? What about the United States? What about Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza? What about the West Bank, where Fatah hangs on? Can Hamas really be crushed? What about Israeli politics: yesterday, today, and tomorrow? What is the relation between the Hamas attack and the ’73 war?
For the last ten years or so, Israelis have enjoyed a sense of security — or rather, a period of relative (only relative) quiet. This has been shattered, obviously. Some fundamental questions have resurfaced, with barbarism all around. Unbearable barbarism, broadcast on TikTok and everywhere else.
If you have time, this hour with Haviv Rettig Gur is enlightening, blunt, and moving — very moving. Again, here.