By Karma Feinstein Cohen
It is well known that our enemies are astute followers of the Israeli social and political scene. They observe events with a keen eye and not just those relating directly to them, like defense and security issues. They look carefully for perceived weaknesses to exploit.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has certainly been taking stock of what has been occurring in Israel over the years from his bunker in Beirut.
A few days ago, he took the opportunity to embolden his devotees and send a message to Israel. He gleefully cited Israeli officials and former officials who talk of civil war in Israel over proposed judicial reforms and concluded by stating his hope that Israel will be destroyed.
“God willing, it will not reach its 80th birthday,” he said.
This sums up how our enemies see everything in Israel: Through the lens of their desire to destroy us.
Our enemies do not seek to enter into our internal debates, as some of our friends do. They are not looking to gain a political and diplomatic advantage. They are not generally interested in territorial gains.
They desire one thing and one thing only: The annihilation of the Jewish state.
We see it is written on the missiles paraded through Tehran, in Arab media, and in the Palestinian Authority’s mosques and educational systems.
All these enemies know they cannot currently defeat Israel militarily, but they believe that if Israel is substantially weakened, their victory comes closer.
This might sound alarmist to some, but we should not take such things lightly. Most Israelis will see Nasrallah’s remarks as mere saber-rattling by someone who needs to maintain the pretense of strength for domestic or political reasons.
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Karma Feinstein Cohen is the executive director of World Herut, a member of the board of governors of the Jewish Agency, and a writer for the Israel Victory Project.
