If you were Israel's Prime Minister, how would you respond?

[Bootstrap]

Suppose you were Israel's Prime Minister. How would you respond to the Hamas attack?

You have to keep your people safe. But bombing a bunch of random buildings doesn't do that. If you want a military response, what exactly is your military objective? If you want to "destroy Hamas", how do you know which people to kill? Can you define a military objective and tell me how you would reach it?

And I think you want to be able to say your response is justified, proportionate to the attack, not a massive violation of human life. What kind of response is justified? How would you measure that?

What about Israeli hostages?

[Ken]

They are in a tremendous bind.

Because even if you manage to destroy Hamas at tremendous cost that leaves a vacuum in Gaza that must be filled. Either by:

1. Israeli occupation and administration of Gaza. This was the status quo from 1967 to 2005 when Israeli troops and Israeli administrators basically ran the Gaza strip with various levels of participation by the Palestinian authority. Not sure that Israel wants to go back to being an occupying force but it may have no choice.

2. Turn over administration of Gaza to some other Palestinian authority such as Fatah. They are corrupt too and will be unwilling to do Israel's bidding. I'm not sure there is really a viable alternative to Hamas in the Gaza at this moment. And cooperative with the Israelis after they destroy the place will be absolutely politically unviable for any Palestinian party of any kind.

3. Find a 3rd party like a UN peacekeeping force or some 3rd party Arab nation like Egypt to occupy and control Gaza on behalf of Israel. I would be shocked if there are any 3rd countries out there who would be willing to step in and do Israel's bidding here. Absent some much larger peace agreement and settlement with all of the Palestinian territories including the West Bank. And I think there is zero chance that Israel will agree to that. Absent a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine there is no peace to keep.

So unless I miss my guess, we will be back to the pre-2005 status quo with the Israeli army occupying and administering Gaza. Which will mean LOTS of dead Israeli troops since ground occupation of an urban area is vastly more difficult than bombing from the air. Hamas has had a decade to plan and arm for defending Gaza block by bloody block. There are underground tunnels everywhere. And I suspect the place is just swimming in arms. Anti-tank weapons, mines, drones, etc. to make Israel pay for every block that it attempts to occupy.

To answer your question. What I would do is evict all the West Bank settlements and come to some peace agreement with the Palestinians along the 1967 boundaries more or less. But the chances of that happening are nil.

[NedFlanders]

If I were a part of the government of this world then I wouldn’t be a Christian and I’d do whatever got me the most praise of men.

[AndersonD]

If I were a part of the government of this world then I wouldn’t be a Christian and I’d do whatever got me the most praise of men.

Thanks for letting us know!

[Josh]

If I were Netanyahu I’d resign.

[Valerie]

If I were a part of the government of this world then I wouldn’t be a Christian and I’d do whatever got me the most praise of men.

Does that answer the question though?
Something to consider:
Roman's 13:
13 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil
(So it is a calling from God)

Daniel 2:21:
And He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that knoweth understanding.
(God is involved in earthly kingdoms )

1 Peter 2:17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
(Honor & praise yes may be two different things but we are supposed to honor kings)

Revelation 21 is a description of the New Heaven and a new earth and the New Jerusalem which includes this:

24-26:
"And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it
And the fates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it."
Apparently there will be kings right there with the rest of the saved in the New Jerusalem and the Lord points out their glory & honor.

Obviously if kingsccan be included in the saved and we see their God given appointment- if I was prime minister of Israel- being of old covenant- I would not be reading New Testament but I would see mycrole as God ordained and seek Him & His counsel.
From what I've been observing of him I personally cannot disagree with how he is handling it presently. The threat & goal clearly stated by Hamas is to completely wipe out Jews everywhere.
He has no choice but to do everything possible to prevent that. Why would he let terrorists destroy his people he's been given the charge over to protect, and that by God (whether WE agree or not)

[Bootstrap]

From what I've been observing of him I personally cannot disagree with how he is handling it presently. The threat & goal clearly stated by Hamas is to completely wipe out Jews everywhere.
He has no choice but to do everything possible to prevent that. Why would he let terrorists destroy his people he's been given the charge over to protect, and that by God (whether WE agree or not)

Does that answer the question, though?

Suppose you were Israel's Prime Minister. How would you respond to the Hamas attack?

You have to keep your people safe. But bombing a bunch of random buildings doesn't do that. If you want a military response, what exactly is your military objective? If you want to "destroy Hamas", how do you know which people to kill? Can you define a military objective and tell me how you would reach it?

And I think you want to be able to say your response is justified, proportionate to the attack, not a massive violation of human life. What kind of response is justified? How would you measure that?

What about Israeli hostages?

[AndersonD]

If I were Netanyahu I’d resign.

I would resign also and move to an island where there's nothing but peace and amity.

[Valerie]

From what I've been observing of him I personally cannot disagree with how he is handling it presently. The threat & goal clearly stated by Hamas is to completely wipe out Jews everywhere.
He has no choice but to do everything possible to prevent that. Why would he let terrorists destroy his people he's been given the charge over to protect, and that by God (whether WE agree or not)

Does that answer the question, though?

Suppose you were Israel's Prime Minister. How would you respond to the Hamas attack?

You have to keep your people safe. But bombing a bunch of random buildings doesn't do that. If you want a military response, what exactly is your military objective? If you want to "destroy Hamas", how do you know which people to kill? Can you define a military objective and tell me how you would reach it?

And I think you want to be able to say your response is justified, proportionate to the attack, not a massive violation of human life. What kind of response is justified? How would you measure that?

What about Israeli hostages?

I guess I thought I answered the question.
Unfortunately this is a way more comicated military exercise to conduct than anyone here can even remotely discern. It does not behoove us to pretend to be armchair commanders in chief not leaders of one of the most brilliantly trained armies in the world. I thinkbwed be making fools of ourselves to think we can call better shots than those expert in their field. This is NO normal war situation.

[NedFlanders]

If I were a part of the government of this world then I wouldn’t be a Christian and I’d do whatever got me the most praise of men.

Does that answer the question though?
Something to consider:
Roman's 13:
13 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil
(So it is a calling from God)

Daniel 2:21:
And He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that knoweth understanding.
(God is involved in earthly kingdoms )

1 Peter 2:17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
(Honor & praise yes may be two different things but we are supposed to honor kings)

Revelation 21 is a description of the New Heaven and a new earth and the New Jerusalem which includes this:

24-26:
"And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it
And the fates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it."
Apparently there will be kings right there with the rest of the saved in the New Jerusalem and the Lord points out their glory & honor.

Obviously if kingsccan be included in the saved and we see their God given appointment- if I was prime minister of Israel- being of old covenant- I would not be reading New Testament but I would see mycrole as God ordained and seek Him & His counsel.
From what I've been observing of him I personally cannot disagree with how he is handling it presently. The threat & goal clearly stated by Hamas is to completely wipe out Jews everywhere.
He has no choice but to do everything possible to prevent that. Why would he let terrorists destroy his people he's been given the charge over to protect, and that by God (whether WE agree or not)

If you see the kingdom of God it answers the question.