A Hebrew opinion piece argues that Israel’s biggest wartime advantage is not weapons, intelligence, or technology, but the society’s ability to endure a prolonged fight. The author says this has become visible over nearly three years of war, and especially during the more than 18 months of fighting in Gaza and on multiple fronts.
The article opens with a story about a senior officer at a well-known pre-army preparatory academy who, about a year and a half ago, was contacted by the military attaché of one of Europe’s largest countries. She wanted to understand where Israel gets its strength, because Europe fears a major war with Vladimir Putin’s Russia and is rearming, but she said armaments alone are not enough. The real problem, she suggested, is manpower and the willingness of soldiers and societies to accept a long war, heavy losses, and disrupted civilian lives.
The writer says Hamas made a similar calculation before launching its Oct. 7 assault, believing Israel would not be able to sustain a lengthy war. According to the piece, Hamas expected massive Palestinian casualties, the rapid killing of its leaders by Israeli intelligence, and eventually international pressure that would force Israel to stop. Instead, the author says, Israeli public resolve, especially the willingness to keep bearing the burden without seeking a quick exit, is what has undermined Hamas and led it to give up all of its leverage in an agreement without guarantees for its own survival.
The article then widens the comparison to the United States, praising the alliance for providing weapons, intelligence, political backing, missile defense, and support against Iran, but warning that American culture is centered on comfort, consumption, and wealth. Quoting a Vietnam-era enemy of the U.S., the author argues that societies built around material ease are poorly suited to open-ended wars. Israel’s true edge, the piece concludes, is the “mental resilience, courage, and spirit” of its soldiers and civilians, rooted in the return of the Jewish people to their land and the revival of traditional national qualities.
