Revisiting Golda

As I write this (10/18/2023), Israel stands on the brink of a military invasion of Gaza. By any definition, Hamas seems to have found a way to bring Nazi Germany back from the grave. You expect their idol to be Adolph Hitler.

Yet while it is clear that Israel must strike back, they face the possibility of killing a large number of civilians in the attempt to destroy Hamas. Though that leaves many of us in emotional turmoil, look at the thousands of German citizens the U.S. and our allies had to kill to eliminate Hitler and his Nazi supporters. And let’s not forget the atomic bombs that killed over 200,000 Japanese citizens in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

So there you have it, human agony dominating a large part of the world. If you are like me, any news show brings me close to tears. While Hamas has a price to pay for the killing of Israeli and American women and children, what has happened to the human race?

Though the Pre-Halloween release of average horror films keeps me from finding comfort in the theatre, one movie has relevance to this Middle East slaughter. I refer to Golda. This film centers on the forced resignation of Prime Minister Golda Meir the year after the war ended.

Like what happened in 1973 when a coalition of Arab States attacked Israel in what is known as the Yom Kippur War, Israels lack of preparation led to the death on nearly 2,700 soldiers, and Ms. Meir was held responsible.

Ironically, the same thing is happening now. The Israeli leadership under Benajmin Netanyahu failed to prepare and anticipate the attack by Hamas, and the unpopular Prime Minister must be held accountable. Expect his resignation when this war concludes.

So do yourself a favor and hunt down Golda at home. See if you don’t join me in concluding that history is repeating itself.