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The army has withdrawn from Lebanon and the army has withdrawn from the Gaza Strip. Not only does the army not control these areas, it is afraid to enter them. Some may say the IDF left those territories because it did not wish to remain there. It even destroyed bases and towns, expelling its own people from their homes, because the army did not wish to remain there. The truth is that the Israeli army was defeated. It was incapable of remaining in those areas and was unwilling to defend our people, therefore it retreated. It does not matter if it takes one casualty or one thousand to cause an army to flee. What matters is that the army was unwilling to absorb the losses and it fled from the battlefield. That is called defeat.

A defeated army can no longer be trusted to defend its country. If the army is willing to surrender then the nation is no longer secure. The army pulled out of southern Lebanon, so northern Israel is under attack. The army pulled out of the Gaza Strip, so the Negev is under attack. The border is closing in on us, and yet there is talk of further withdrawal. In our small country, there is not much space for the army to flee, but into the cities to hide behind our families. Our people might desire peace, but it is not comforting to see an army that should be securing the border camped near the cities in view of our homes. Someone who's willing to live that way either enjoys war or is living in a dream. The army can no longer retreat and cannot afford defeat.

The problem is not the army, but rather the leadership. Our soldiers are strong and brave men who will fight fiercely to defend their home. The problem is that they are not sent to destroy the enemy, but rather to retreat and absorb attack. Our leaders are afraid to advance. They order the soldiers to disengage whenever they are victorious and withdraw whenever they conquer. It is impossible to win a war without victory. If the army is restrained whenever it is winning and pulls back whenever it gains ground, then the war will never be won. If our leaders won't let the army be victorious then eventually we will lose.

The problem now is that we are not faced with enemies that overwhelm us. In the past we were attacked by many enemies larger than us and the danger was grave enough that our leaders had no choice but to unleash the full force of our army. Today we are threatened by smaller groups that attack and harass us, and because the danger is not yet grave our leaders allow themselves to make mistakes. Instead of destroying the enemy we accommodate him. Instead of killing terrorists, we imprison them. Instead of expelling hostile people, we build walls around them. Instead of ruling over the land, we let foreigners dictate law to us. Instead of fighting for survival our army has become a police force that attempts to calm the enemy without aggrieving him. The army is sent to make friends with the enemy, to facilitate the peaceful policies of our leaders, and it's no surprise that we have failed.

The enemy must be destroyed. Sympathizing with the enemy and aiding him, is a betrayal of our people. So if the enemy is weak, should we weaken our army in order to give him a fighting chance? The enemy attacked and must be defeated. Weakness will only bring us more enemies and more war.

The Israeli army won the coast, the south, and the north in the War of Independence. Many Arabs fled from these areas and we did not consider ourselves an occupying force. We defended our land and our people and were victorious, but we lost the Jordan Valley, the Gaza Strip, the central mountains of Yehuda, Binyamin, and Ephraim, and we lost half of Jerusalem to the enemy. After regaining these areas in the Six Day War, together with all the Arabs that populated it, we developed the notion that the army is to become an occupational force. Instead of allowing the enemy to flee from our Land, we encouraged him to stay and live as he had only under our supervision. Therefore today half of Israel is considered occupied territory.

Occupied territory is conquered land that is occupied by a foreign army. If half of Israel is to be considered occupied territory then the other half is not much different. If we have a claim to the Land of Israel, then we either have a claim to both halves or none. If we limit our claim to only a segment of the Land then our claim is not strong and eventually we will forfeit all. We cannot call our army an army of occupation when it is stationed in the Land of Israel. Rather, the enemy is the foreign presence, when it dwells in our territory. We must be sovereign in our Land and dictate law in our territory. Our army must hold ground and destroy any foreign force that assembles in Israel, including terrorist organizations and militias.

Can we win wars with our enemies? We can only win if our army is led to victory. With leaders that order retreat we can only lose.

The Israeli military is composed of all Israeli men. It is an army of the Hebrew people. Our sons, brothers, and fathers have proven themselves capable and willing to fight, and we are ready for victory. The Israeli army can and will destroy forces a hundred times its size. Our men have the hearts of lions and the cry of trumpets, and will advance and trample over our enemies. Our God will lead us to victory when He stands at the head of our army. None can challenge Him and live. Yet who are these traitors who command the legions of God, ordering our brave men to retreat and handing over our Land to the enemy? These leaders who betray us and rebel against God should be abandoned on the way and trampled by our advancing army, when God leads those who returned to Him to victory.

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