Against an uncompromising enemy, one must have an uncompromising Prime Minister. Hence, the only serious question is how to get such a prime minister; for while the enemy has its eyes on weapons of mass destruction, and has no scruples against their use, Israel’s Prime Minister is concerned about his country being accused of war crimes! Since it matters not what Israel does to avoid this accusation, Israel should use overwhelming force to eliminate her enemy once and for all. Here is what I wrote almost ten years ago under the title “Kill for Peace.”

Kill for peace

IAI Lavi B-2 prototype at Muzeyon Heyl ha-Avir, Hatzerim, Israel. 2006. Photo: User Bukvoed/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported License

The Allied policy of unconditional surrender vis-à-vis the Nazis is the only rational policy that can be employed against the successors of the Nazis. This means “Kill for Peace” – a harsh policy, but one that would actually reduce Arab as well as Jewish casualties.  The rationality and effectiveness of this policy are substantiated by the greatest military theorists in history: Carl von Clausewitz and Sun Tzu.

The thinking of these military geniuses is also supported by basic principles of statecraft.  I shall enumerate ten principles of statecraft and rules of warfare required for the policy “Kill for Peace.”  Of course, such a policy requires a prime minister who is a statesman, not a hack politician.

Ten basic principles for an Israel war policy

• First Principle: In this age of publicity the first concern of government is to see that everything is called by its right name.  The prime minister must not preach “peaceful coexistence,” which deceives Jews about the nature of the enemy.   He must declare and wage war, and in war there is no substitute for victory.
• Second Principle: The prime minister must pursue a clear military goal:  Eliminate the enemy’s leadership and destroy his entire military infrastructure.  So long as the enemy remains armed, he will wait for a more favorable moment for action.
• Third Principle: The prime minister must make this goal clear both in the eyes of the cabinet and in the eyes of the public.  He must not be deterred by world opinion or the threat of sanctions.  Israel has the means of withstanding such pressures.
• Fourth Principle: There is no compromising with an enemy that regards compromise as a sign of weakness.
• Fifth Principle: Know that any strategy conceived in moderate terms will fail because the circumstances confronting Israel are extreme—its very existence is at stake.  Therefore, where each of the possible lines of action involves difficulty, the strongest line is the best.
• Sixth Principle: Tell the people of Israel that in waging war Arab civilian casualties are inevitable as were German civilian casualties in WWII. Most of these Arab civilians are not innocent. They harbor terrorists and exalt suicide bombers.
• Seventh Principle: Impose rules of engagement that favor the IDF.  Bomb the havens of Arab warriors from the air, rather than endanger Jewish soldiers by house-to-house combat.
• Eighth Principle: Operate offensively, never passively or defensively, and operate continuously.  Give the enemy no rest.  Hence, no cease fires, for they allow the enemy to regroup, obtain more weapons, and prepare for deadlier attacks.
• Ninth Principle: Sun Tzu, who hated war, warns that “to kill the enemy, men must be roused to anger.” This leads a tenth principle, for which I turn to King David.
• Tenth Principle: The prime minister must arouse hatred of Israel’s enemies. King David said, “I hate them, O God that hate you” (Psalm 129:21).   The haters of God mean those who hate the God of Israel, hence of God’s people. Hatred, however, is futile if it does not issue in action.  Therefore King David writes:  “I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and returned not until they were destroyed.  I crushed them so that they are not able to rise.” (Psalm 18:38-43).  This is what must be done to Israel’s enemy.

Obviously the above war policy is beyond the courage of Israel’s milquetoast government. Hence it must be replaced by a very different kind of government before the enemy, with the help of Iran, obtains weapons of mass destruction.