Last night I had the privilege of hearing Marc Kahlberg speak at the Ahavath Torah Congregation in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Marc is from South Africa and has lived in Israel for the past 25 years. He spoke of his military service in South Africa and the transition to being involved with the Israeli military.
I have attended a number of lectures by various experts on terrorism and preventing terrorism in an effort to gather information that I could share on this website. Although all of the information is useful, after a while, much of it is repetitive. Last night was not.
Mr. Kahlberg spoke of what it is like living in Israel since the suicide bombings began in the 1990’s. He cited the 1994 Number 5 bus bombing as the turning point for Israelis in dealing with the problem of suicide bombers. The 1994 attack took 2 to 3 days to clean up. It was demoralizing to the citizens of Israel. Today, after a suicide bomber attack, the Israeli authorities can bring the area back to normal in a matter of hours. It is a useful skill, but it is tragic that they have had to develop it.
What is life like in Israel today? Since last Friday, there have been more than 200 missiles fired into Israel from Gaza. Thanks to the deployment of the Iron Dome (See March 12 rightwinggranny.com), there has not been nearly the devastation those who fired the rockets had hoped for. Why is the world standing quietly on the sidelines while rockets and suicide bombers attack Israel and while Iran pledges to destroy Israel? Where are the news stories in the media? Is the world willing the stand idly by as another holocaust is brewing?
Mr. Kahlberg talked about the coming war between Israel and Iran. He pointed out that the war has already begun. Iran is the biggest supporter of terrorism in the Middle East (and worldwide) and many of the rockets coming into Israel are Iranian.
What are the dangers of Israel attacking Iran in order to end its nuclear program? In a war with Iran, Israel will probably have 20,000 fatalities, 100,000 injured, and one and a half to two million people suffering from trauma. If Iran has nukes, it will probably totally destroy Israel. Great choice. The other thing that was pointed out was that in dealing with the leaders of Iran, we are not dealing with people we can depend on to act rationally. There is a martyrdom aspect of the Iranian regime that does not make them rational when it comes to dealing with nuclear weapons. A regime that sends twelve-year old boys with keys around their necks to march into minefields to clear the mines (keys that were supposed to assure them the instant entrance to paradise when they were killed by the mines) should not be considered rational.
Mr. Kahlberg ended the evening by pointing out to all of us in attendance how complacent we have become. All of us need to become more aware of our surroundings and the people around us in order to help prevent terrorist attacks. We will never be able to stop every person who wishes us ill, but by being more aware, we can help protect ourselves. When the Times Square bomber left his SUV in Times Square, it wasn’t the police who saw the threat, but a Viet Nam veteran who alerted the police to the danger. All of us need to learn from that man. If we see something out of place or unusual, we need to ask questions.
