The conflict between Israel and Iran is not over yet. We are currently in a ceasefire after an overwhelming Israeli victory in the “Twelve-Day War,” a conflict in which Israel succeeded, at the highest possible level, in achieving its objectives: destroying Iran’s nuclear program and neutralizing its ballistic missiles.

Israel also demonstrated the incredible capability of its air force, which, within just a few hours, gained total control of Tehran’s skies. The Jewish Air Force proved to be unmatched by any other air force in the region. Israel also used its missile and drone defense systems with considerable effectiveness. It showed the incredible logistical and emotional preparedness and discipline of the Jewish State regarding its shelters—better than any other country in the world—and its citizens’ training to mobilize immediately upon hearing sirens and alarms. This readiness has saved thousands of lives that could have been victims of Iranian missiles.

It has been an incredible victory for Israel, and Iran knows it. The world knows it, too. There are still post-war negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to ensure that Iran does not continue its nuclear programs or missile production.

What else needs to happen now?

Suppose we visualize the most optimistic scenario of this story, which is still unfolding. In that case, some suggest an expansion of the Abraham Accords, potentially including countries such as Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and even Syria and Lebanon.

This week, giant billboards appeared in Tel Aviv showing Trump, Netanyahu, and Arab leaders promoting normalization with Israel under the slogan of the “Abraham Alliance” (see image above).

But until these messianic images crystallize, we must be realistic. First and foremost, we must recognize all variants of enemies: perhaps peace agreements can be signed with moderate Muslim states, such as Bahrain or the Emirates, but it is extremely dangerous to make agreements with Islamic or Islamized states. Because a state or an Islamic organization—such as Iran, the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, or Al Qaeda—will not abandon their objective of destroying Israel. In any hypothetical “peace agreement,” they will use the strategy of taqiya, the religiously permitted lie in Islam, for political and military purposes. That is, to sign a peace agreement today with the hidden intention of attacking tomorrow.

If we forget this, then we have not learned the lessons of October 7.

Israel handed over Gaza to Hamas, free of Jewish presence. During those 20 years of supposed “peace,” Israel helped as much as it could to rebuild and benefit the inhabitants of Gaza. It yielded and looked the other way (hajalá) in the face of provocations from Gazans. Meanwhile, Hamas, instead of building their state with unlimited resources at their disposal, armed itself to the teeth, dug tunnels, and meticulously planned the massacre of 2023. We cannot allow ourselves to fall into the same trap again.

How can we avoid repeating this terror?

From the perspective of Judaism—and also of Israel’s modern situation—there is a fundamental teaching: the least Jewish word in the dictionary is “akhshav,” ( עכשיו ) “now,” as in the phrase “Peace Now” or “Hostages Now.” That mentality of resolving an immediate problem and leaving the consequences for our grandchildren is not part of the Jewish vision. Our patriarch Yaacob acquired the birthright from his brother Esav, a future blessing, which Esav sacrificed for a bowl of lentils NOW. That scene is not just a historical account; it is a warning. The Jew knows very well that there is nothing worse than sacrificing the future for immediate benefit. Even more so when those benefits come from political actors of very dubious reputation.

In any peace agreement that is signed, especially with its immediate neighbors, Israel cannot repeat the mistake of negotiating “land for peace.” The land conquered since October 7 in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza is not only a strategic guarantee, a security zone, a demilitarized strip CONTROLLED BY ISRAEL that keeps our enemies away from our borders and makes them less dangerous.

The land conquered by Israel is mainly the best insurance policy to prevent future hostilities. It is the most significant punishment for the perpetrators of the October 7 attack and their allies, which may deter them from committing the same mistake again.

Anwar Sadat cynically boasted that he gave Begin what he wanted most: a signed paper, and in exchange, he obtained what he wanted most: the land of Sinai. The documents signed today could be violated tomorrow, especially when governments change in the Arab signatory countries or even in the governments of those countries guaranteeing such agreements. But land does not change. It does not move. It remains there. It functions as a security buffer, essential for the defense of Israeli territory.

If there is going to be a peace settlement, let it be “paper for paper.” And let the land, conquered with the blood of our young soldiers, remain untouched. As it was in the days of Yehoshua Bin Nun, land obtained is consecrated land; it is not negotiable.

IN THE MIDDLE EAST, VICTORY IS MEASURED BY THE LAND GAINED IN BATTLE. AND DEFEAT BY THE LAND LOST.

We owe it to our grandchildren and to the brave soldiers of Israel who gave their lives to conquer it.

כָּל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר תִּדְרְכוּ כַף־רַגְלְכֶם בּוֹ לָכֶם יִהְיֶה
מִן־הַמִּדְבָּר וְהַלְּבָנוֹן מִן־הַנָּהָר נְהַר פְּרָת וְעַד הַיָּם הָאַחֲרוֹן יִהְיֶה גְּבֻלְכֶם׃

Every place that the sole of your foot will step upon [=that you conquer] will be yours; from the desert [of the Negev in the south] and to Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the western sea [the Mediterranean], will be your territory.

Debarim 11:24

The Tora recounts that during the forty years the people of Israel lived in the desert, God provided them with a miraculous food called man (manna). This heavenly bread fell each morning in the desert and nourished the Jews sufficiently, daily, and directly. It could not be stored —except for Shabbat— nor hoarded, traded, or negotiated. Its purpose was not only nutritional but also educational.

The man came to break the chains of material and psychological dependency on Pharaoh, who until then had given them bread in exchange for keeping them enslaved. That dependency was part of a system of total control.

The man broke that system, as sustenance no longer came from the oppressor but directly from God. It wasn’t a transaction. It didn’t come with conditions. It didn’t create slaves. It was the bread that liberated an entire nation from tyranny.

THE BUSINESS OF HUMANITARIAN AID

Today, amid a terrible war that began with the October 7 massacre, Israel is once again doing what no one else would: being the exception to the rule. This time, by feeding the enemy — giving food to those who still hold malnourished hostages and who murdered Israeli civilians and swore to destroy the country.

Many —rightfully— ask: Why feed them without first demanding the release of the hostages that Hamas still holds?

The official answer came from Prime Minister Netanyahu: this food distribution operation, coordinated with the United States through the GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation), also has a key strategic objective — to break the dependency of Palestinian civilians on Hamas and thus deprive the terrorist organization of its most powerful weapon.

THE MERCHANTS OF HUNGER

Just like Pharaoh in Egypt, Hamas rules by controlling hunger. Until now, Hamas managed the food distribution coming from allied humanitarian organizations like UNRWA —or food that it outright stole, moved to its storage facilities, and then sold to civilians at exorbitant prices. With that money, they financed terrorism, kept their militants satisfied, and blackmailed the civilian population with food. Hundreds of thousands of people lived under Hamas domination to access so-called “humanitarian aid.”

Now, for the first time, the people of Gaza are receiving bread that —like the man— no longer passes through the criminal and enslaving hands of tyranny and is given without demanding anything in return.

THE END OF HAMAS?

This Israeli-American aid program represents an existential threat to Hamas and its grip on Gaza. And so far, it is working very well. In just three days, Israel has distributed over 1,300,000 food rations — unconditionally and with no strings attached.

Signs of panic are already visible within Hamas, while a glimmer of hope is rising among the population, which is beginning to overcome its fear and break free from the pharaonic terrorist organization.

For the first time, Gazans are expressing gratitude to the United States and Israel, to Trump, and Abu Yair (=Netanyahu).

The man falling from Israel’s sky is now descending upon the desert of Gaza — and it is showing both Palestinians and the world who builds and who destroys, who enslaves and who liberates, who gives and who blackmails with hunger.

Will it work?

Written in MAY 2025

OPENING YOUR EYES

This Yom HaAtzmaut we celebrate 77 years since the declaration of the independence of the State of Israel. And it’s not just another anniversary: this year is very special —and much better!— than the previous ones. Barely a year and a half after the brutal attack of October 7, 2023 —when Israel was attacked from Gaza, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen—, the Jewish State emerges more firm, stronger and more determined than ever, in every aspect: territorial, economic and demographic.

As believing Jews, we cannot fail to see in this transformation an extraordinary modern miracle.

And when we see that, once again, Israel rises from the ashes, the pain and the affliction, and does so with achievements it had not even reached after its victory in the Six-Day War of 1967, it is impossible not to hear in our hearts the echo of that famous verse that describes the first time we were oppressed as a people, in Egypt:

וְכַאֲשֶׁר יְעַנּוּ אֹתוֹ כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ

“And the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread.”

In 2025, we are living a biblical moment in real time.

It is curious that the majority of Yehudim in the world, including many who live in Israel, “do not see it.” It reminds me of what our Sages say: when one experiences a miracle, while it is happening, they may not realize what they are living.

It is as if a Yehudi were crossing the Red Sea, with the walls of water standing to his right and to his left, and instead of lifting his eyes, being amazed and praising God, he complains about the mud in his sandals, or argues with his neighbor over who walks faster.

The miracles surround us, envelops us, protect us. We are crossing the open sea and we don’t see it.

That is why, on this Yom HaAtzmaut 77, I want to help uncover the incredible miracles we are living. How? By informing ourselves with objective data about some realities of Israel in 2025 that, in times of war, are simply inexplicable from a rational or statistical point of view.

We will rely on the original biblical indicators of the Tora, examining three areas where the blessing of God is evident:

The economic prosperity of Israel

The victory of Israel over its enemies

The demographic growth of Israel

These are three indicators that the Tora presents as clear signs of the Divine covenant toward Israel —and which are happening before our eyes today.

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

The most frequent way in which the Tora describes Divine intervention over the people of Israel is through material blessing —economic prosperity. We read three times a day in the Shema Israel that rain in its due season was, in biblical times, the main indicator of that blessing. When the people fulfilled the will of God, the rains came in measure and in time, the fields flourished, and there was abundance. When the people strayed, the punishment was drought, poverty and, eventually, exile.

This pattern appears repeatedly throughout the Tora. Prosperity is not a random phenomenon: it is a visible sign of Divine closeness. That is why a reflection on Israel’s economy should not be approached from a merely materialist point of view, but as an opportunity to observe the Berakha of God with our own eyes.

Despite the context of war and geopolitical challenges, the Israeli economy is going through a historic moment. There is no other way to put it. While neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Turkey, Iran and Egypt face severe economic crises —and many European economies stagnate— Israel flourishes.

Economic growth and GDP

The International Monetary Fund projects a 3.2% economic growth for Israel in 2025. This number not only surpasses the global average (2.8%) but also eclipses powers such as Germany (0.0%), the United Kingdom (1.1%), and Spain (2.5%).

Israel’s total GDP will reach 585 billion dollars, surpassing countries such as the United Arab Emirates (568 billion). GDP per capita is estimated at $58,474, placing Israel among the most developed economies in the world.

Foreign currency reserves

Another key indicator: Israel’s foreign currency reserves. In February 2025, they reached 220.25 billion dollars. To compare: the United Kingdom has 113.8 billion in reserves, and Spain 103.1 billion. Israel surpasses them combined!

Additionally, when considering total reserves (including gold), Israel ranks 18th globally —above countries such as the United Arab Emirates.

Natural gas: strategic wealth

Offshore gas production is also transforming the economic landscape. In 2024, Israel produced 27.38 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas, 8.3% more than the previous year. It exported 13.11 bcm to Egypt and Jordan (almost half of total production), generating over 1.38 billion dollars in tax revenue.

Cyber and military technology

Israel’s economy not only grows, it also innovates and leads in key global areas. Israel is the third most advanced country in the world in technological innovation.

Israel has become one of the world’s top exporters of military technology. It currently ranks 8th globally in defense exports. Its systems —such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow 3— are recognized for their effectiveness and sophistication.

In 2025, a historic agreement was finalized: the sale of the Arrow 3 system to Germany, for a value of 3.5 billion dollars. This contract represents the largest military export in Israel’s history, consolidating its reputation as a global leader in defense technology.

High Tech: a cybersecurity giant

Another remarkable milestone this year: the sale of the Israeli startup Wiz to Alphabet (Google’s parent company) for 32 billion dollars. This agreement is not only the largest in the history of an Israeli company —it is also the largest global acquisition of a private cybersecurity firm.

These types of deals confirm that, even in times of war, Israel’s innovation ecosystem does not stop.

Monetary stability

In normal contexts, a prolonged war causes a significant devaluation of the national currency. But Israel is not in a “normal” context: the Israeli Shekel remains strong and stable against the dollar and other foreign currencies. The confidence of international markets in the Israeli economy is so solid that foreign investment not only remains, it grows —especially in strategic sectors such as high tech, defense, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

Property prices in Israel have not gone down. On the contrary, they continue to rise —both for buying and for renting. A unique phenomenon worldwide in a country at war.

Surpassing Germany

In April 2025, the IMF published a historic statistic: for the first time, Israel surpassed Europe’s greatest economic power —Germany— in GDP per capita. While Germany reached $56,360, Israel reached $58,270. This economic milestone is even more meaningful considering it was achieved amid active military conflicts and under constant geopolitical threats.

Many analysts describe this phenomenon as a (positive) anomaly —an inexplicable resilience. For us, it should not be surprising: it is the Berakha of HaShem, who blesses and makes prosper the effort and ingenuity of His people —manifesting before our very eyes.

GOD IN BATTLE

A second great sign of Divine intervention in the Tora manifests in victory over our enemies. Again and again, the Creator promises in the Tora that He will accompany the people of Israel in their battles and grant them victory —not to replace military intervention, but to empower it with heavenly assistance.

As several verses affirm, among them:

כִּֽי-תֵצֵ֨א לַמִּלְחָמָ֜ה עַל-אֹֽיְבֶ֗ךָ… לֹ֥א תִירָ֖א מֵהֶ֑ם, כִּֽי־ה׳ אֱלֹהֶ֤יךָ עִמָּ֔ךָ

“When you go out to war against your enemies… do not fear them, for HaShem your God is with you.” (Debarim 20:1)

כִּֽי ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֔ם הַהֹלֵ֖ךְ עִמָּכֶ֑ם לְהִלָּחֵ֥ם לָכֶ֛ם עִם־אֹיְבֵיכֶ֖ם לְהוֹשִׁ֥יעַ אֶתְכֶֽם

“HaShem your God goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, and to save you.” (Debarim 20:4)

In this past year and a half, we have seen how these biblical promises become reality in Israel’s military situation. Despite being the victim of a savage and surprise attack, Israel has responded with a forceful, precise and effective strategy.

Gaza: from terror to exile

After the massacre of October 7, 2023, Israel launched an unprecedented military campaign. Today, a year and a half later, the Israel Defense Forces control nearly 40% of the territory of the Gaza Strip, including:

The entire northern area that borders Israel

A security buffer zone of at least one kilometer along the eastern border

A wide region in the south, from the Philadelphi Corridor to Morag, protecting Gaza’s border with Egypt

And although there are still about 20 living hostages and approximately 30–35 bodies yet to be recovered, Barukh HaShem, the majority of the kidnapped hostages have returned home.

And finally, something even more unexpected: more than 36,000 Palestinians have voluntarily left Gaza during April 2025! Relocating to countries such as France, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, and Jordan.

This emigration —inspired by the initiative originally promoted by President Trump— represents a profound political and military victory for Israel, and the greatest deterrent to prevent the enemy from ever attacking the Jewish State again.

Syria: weakened enemies

On the northeastern front, the Israel Defense Forces have succeeded in securing full control over the northern sector of Mount Hermon (Kéter haHermon), the second highest peak in the Levant. From this strategic position, Israel can monitor real-time military movements in Syria and Lebanon, significantly enhancing its deterrent capabilities.

This control adds to other surrounding areas, tripling the original size of the Golan Heights under Israeli control. In recent months, following the exile of Assad, Tzahal destroyed most of Syria’s strategic weaponry and neutralized its military capacity —without suffering casualties of its own.

Lebanon: a safe border B”H soon

For decades, the northern border was synonymous with constant threat. Today, thanks to the technological superiority and precise intelligence of Tzahal, Hezbollah’s weapons have been pushed further into central and northern Lebanon —far from Israeli northern cities such as Metula, Kiryat Shemona, etc.

These cities had lived for years under the threat of rockets and terrorist tunnels. During the October 7 war, they were evacuated, and today they are beginning to enjoy safety and a surprise-free border. When will this become definitive? Just a few days ago, Ron Dermer, senior advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu, stated that Israel will announce its definitive victory over Hamas and Hezbollah in April 2026 —which I estimate will include —with the help of ה׳— the safe return of the evacuated northern residents.

Iran: Crippling the Octopus

The great challenge remains Iran. But if we compare Iran in 2025 with Iran in 2023, the difference is enormous. The Persian regime is now “the head of an octopus” without its tentacles —Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Shiite militias in Iraq and Yemen— have been severely crippled.

With the help of the Almighty, Israel is consolidating its defensive and offensive capabilities like never before in its ancient and modern history.

DEMOGRAPHIC GROWTH

The most measurable blessing

Demographic growth is the first blessing that God gave to humanity and to our forefathers: Abraham, Yitschaq, and Yaakob. But in the latter case, with an additional detail:
the blessing of multiplication is mentioned specifically in relation to the land of Israel.

God says to Abraham in Bereshit (Genesis) 22:17:
אֲבָרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ, וְהַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה אֶת-זַרְעֲךָ כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְכַחוֹל אֲשֶׁר עַל-שְׂפַת הַיָּם; וְיִירַשׁ זַרְעֲךָ אֵת שַׁעַר אֹיְבָיו

“I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore; and your offspring will inherit the cities of their enemies.”

Then to Yitschaq in Bereshit 26:4:
וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אֶת-זַרְעֲךָ כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְנָתַתִּי לְזַרְעֲךָ אֵת כָּל-הָאֲרָצֹת הָאֵל, וְהִתְבָּרֲכוּ בְזַרְעֲךָ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ

“I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens, and I will give to your offspring all these lands; and through your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”

And then to Yaakob, in Bereshit 28:3–4:
וְאֵל שַׁדַּי יְבָרֵךְ אֹתְךָ, וְיַפְרְךָ וְיַרְבֶּךָ, וְהָיִיתָ לִקְהַל עַמִּים

“May El Shaddai bless you, make you fruitful and multiply you, and may you become a congregation of peoples.”

In the Tora, the demographic growth of the people of Israel in their land is one of the clearest signs of the enduring covenant between the descendants of Abraham Abinu and the Almighty.

And in this area too, extraordinary events are taking place in Israel —you’d have to be blind not to see them, or very ignorant not to recognize them.

While in almost the entire developed world birth rates are plummeting and populations are aging, in Israel —and only in Israel— the opposite is happening. In 2025, the average fertility rate in Israel is 3.0 children per woman, the highest among all developed countries.

In contrast, the OECD average (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which groups 38 similarly developed countries) is around 1.5.
In countries like Japan or South Korea, the figure has dropped below 1.3; in Germany and Spain, it barely exceeds 1.4.

In other words: while those nations are shrinking, Israel is opening new preschools and building new neighborhoods nonstop.

Within the Orthodox sector, the fertility rate is the highest in the world: over 6 children per woman, more than double the national average. In more traditional cities, the increase in demand for housing, kindergartens, and elementary schools is unprecedented.

The Muslim population, which historically led in this area, now shows demographic decline, with 2.8 children per woman.

The main novelty of this 77th Yom HaAtzmaut is that Israel’s total population in 2025 has surpassed, for the first time in its history, 10 million inhabitants. And although there is no official statistic yet, I believe that by next Yom HaAtzmaut (or the one after, BE”H), THE MAJORITY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE —MORE THAN 50%— WILL BE LIVING IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL.

IDENTIFYING THE DIVINE HAND

All these numbers and data have enormous spiritual and religious significance. And I find it INEXPLICABLE that they are not celebrated and recognized with enthusiasm by all Jews —especially by Jews who know and study the Tora, and who know these biblical blessings by heart!

Perhaps it is because no one is teaching us to connect the Tora with current events, or perhaps because —unknowingly repeating the terrible sin of the ten spies— they focus only on the negative aspects of the Promised Land and are incapable of appreciating the blessing of God in the land of their ancestors.

This ignorance and indifference worry me —because when we fail to appreciate the blessing of HaShem, perhaps, we may no longer deserve it.

Israel is not only the miracle of the past: it is also the visible stage of ongoing divine blessing —daily, extraordinary, observable, and measurable.

May the Almighty continue with His blessing —despite our indifference— and bring us closer to the Gueula Shelema, the final (or ultimate) redemption, in which all the descendants of Abraham, Yitschaq, and Yaakob become recipients of His blessing in the Promised Land.

Shabbat Shalom and Yom HaAtzmaut Sameach!

WRITTEN FEBRUARY 2024

RELIGION AND TERRITORY

Today, I am going to address a topic related to Islam, which must be known to more appropriately understand whether the creation of a Palestinian state that US President Joe Biden has proposed in recent days will promote peace in Israel and the Middle East.

What meaning does territory have in different religions?

In Christianity, religious issues are separated from political issues. Let us remember the famous phrase: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” which imposes the division between church and state as two separate entities. In Christianity, there is also no idea of national territory or the religious obligation that all Christians must live in a specific country in the future. Christians do not have territorial ambitions or territories that they aspire to conquer or liberate for religious purposes (ironically, the only exception I can think of is “Jerusalem,” but I think that was in the times of the Crusaders.) Although Christianity embraces the ideal of evangelizing humanity, it does not intend to militarily conquer all the countries in the world to achieve that goal.

Judaism is different: we are a political religion. And we have territorial ambitions. Our millennial aspiration is to have our own sovereign state in the land of Israel. However, beyond the land of Israel, we Jews do not embrace the goal of conquering other lands or imposing our Torah on any other people. Not even in messianic times. When the Messiah arrives, we do not intend to conquer the world (as the anti-Semitic tract “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” falsely alleges) but rather to live in our land, Israel, guided by our Tora, to serve our God in the Bet HaMiqdash—the Holy Temple of Jerusalem—and living in peace with our non-Jewish neighbors.

Islam is a different story. And it is essential for Israel and for the Jews of the world to know what their actual “territorial ideals” are. We need to understand who we are dealing with and not repeat the mistakes made in the past, for example, in the Oslo agreements.

ISLAM AND OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

For Islam, there are two types of territories:

1. “Dar Al-Islam” defines the lands that are ruled or “were ever ruled by Muslims.”

2. Dar Al-Harb is a land that is not yet under Muslim sovereignty but that one day, eventually, will be. This theoretically includes the entire planet Earth. Because, unlike the Jews, Islam has the “messianic,” “utopian” aspiration that everyone converts to Islam. This explains a little better one of the most serious problems of the West: that Muslim immigrants who arrive in Europe, for example, not only have no intention of “integrating” into the culture of the countries that offer them refuge but also, on the contrary, in the long term, they have the aspiration of imposing Sharia, Islamic law, on the countries they arrive.

(There is also a third category, less known, which is Dar Al-Salam: the land of peace. That is, the planet Earth will enjoy peace when the entire world finally accepts Islam and follows Sharia. Only at that moment will there be definitive and lasting peace. And until then, Muslims must do everything possible to achieve this religious and political vision. For more information, see this phenomenal article in Hebrew ).

WHAT ABOUT ISRAEL?

For Muslims, the land of Israel falls into the first category: “Dar Al-Islam, a territory that Islam once ruled, that is, “occupied territories.” Israel was indeed conquered and ruled by Caliph Omar in the 7th century. And once this occurs, the land becomes sacred, and no matter how much time has passed, according to Islam, it can no longer be ruled by non-Muslim infidels. Suppose non-Muslims want to live in the lands of Dar Al-Islam. In that case, according to Islam, they can do so only if they submit to Muslim sovereignty and accept the supremacy of Islam (dhimmis).

But if non-Muslim infidels rule and inhabit these lands, they are considered an illegal occupying force. For Islamist states like Iran, or those that identify with the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar, or Turkey, it is a religious duty to recover those lands. And for the most extreme Muslims, jihadists, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Huties of Yemen, recovering those occupied lands and attacking the invader “is an act of legitimate defense” (sic.), and they must resort to “jihad”, the holy war –which calls for the genocide of the enemy–to achieve it.

AND THERE WAS LIGHT!!!

When this point is understood, it becomes clearer what is seemingly meaningless in the claims and actions of Palestinians and other Arab Islamist and jihadist groups towards Israel.

Let’s look at some examples:

1. The concept of occupation is not a political concept. In reality, as everyone knows, there was never a previous Palestinian state, which Israel is now occupying. In the context of Dar Al-Islam, “occupation” is a religious, Islamic term that refers to the sovereignty of infidels, in this case “Jewish” over a Muslim territory.

2. Therefore, the “occupied territories” claimed by jihadists are not limited to Judea and Samaria or Gaza but to the entire land of Israel, including Jerusalem, Haifa, and Tel Aviv. It is for this reason that one will never hear in pro-Palestinian demonstrations a call for the creation of two states, one Israeli and one Palestinian, living in peace with each other. What the pro-Palestinians demand is “one state,” the Palestinian one, from the river to the sea (from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea).

3. This also explains why Hamas justifies its massacre with the excuse of the Israeli “occupation” when we all know that Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and has NOT had any soldiers in Gaza since that year. But for the Palestinians, Gaza or Judea and Samaria are not enough. They have to expel the Jews from all “Palestinian” territory.

4. It is then demonstrated that the conflict with the Palestinians is not territorial in the conventional sense. A classic territorial problem between two countries is resolved through war or negotiating territory. After wars or negotiations, countries established stable and peaceful relations, though this was not always immediate. For instance, despite the annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War in the 19th century, the U.S. and Mexico eventually became neighbors with strong diplomatic and amicable ties. However, since the Palestinian conflict with Israel is not merely territorial but rather a religious conflict, there is little room for negotiations or concessions. And it is for this reason that Islamists WILL NEVER RECOGNIZE A JEWISH STATE IN A TERRITORY OF THE “GIVEN TO ISLAM” CATEGORY, no matter how small this state may be.

5. This also explains why Hezbollah attacks Israel. Israel does not “occupy” Lebanon, and Hezbollah cannot have territorial claims against Israel. Still, as a jihadist religious group, it fights against non-Muslim sovereignty in Dar Al-Islam.

6. This is why Iran, an Islamic state, fights for the destruction of Israel, even though it has no border with Israel. And why the Islamist Huties of Yemen have written on their flag as part of their existential mission: “Death to Israel” even though the Jewish State is 5,000 kilometers away from Yemen.

7. The religious obligation to liberate territories occupied by non-Muslims in Dar Al-Islam explains why Hamas or Hezbollah or the Palestinians of Judea and Samaria use their mosques as military bases and hide weapons and ammunition, soldiers, etc. there. After all, the war they are fighting is not for military but religious purposes. It is logical, then, that religious institutions are at the service of jihad. Only in this last incursion into Gaza after October 7 did the Israeli army attack and destroy mosques and expose the hypocrisy of the United Nations, which always demanded immunity for religious institutions, knowing that Palestinians in Gaza and Judea, and Samaria use these facilities for military purposes. Something similar happens with hospitals, schools, and facilities of the infamous UNRWA.

8. The idea of Dar Al Islam also explains why confiscating territory from the Palestinians in Gaza is the most effective measure to punish the October 7 massacre and other terrorist acts and will be the only thing that can deter them when they try in the future. to repeat a similar attack: if they mess with Israel, they will lose territory of Dar Al-Islam (nakba). This will be the worst defeat for them, politically and religiously.

9. The jihadists practice a double discourse: on the one hand, the religious one, the internal dialogue from the mosques, where they tell the truth about their final objective with inexplicable impunity: destroying Israel is the first step, and starting the jihad against the West.

On the other hand, there is propaganda for the ears of Hamas accomplices: the United Nations, the media, the Red Cross, Amnesty International, and the International Commission on Human Rights, to name just a few examples. In all these forums, there is a pact of silence by which they will never mention the religious aspect of this conflict. On the contrary, and knowingly, they will describe Israel as the aggressor; they will disguise the problem of jihad as Israeli “colonialism.” And there are also the useful idiots, the atheist leftists, who, in their insane psychopathic deviation from good to evil, end up supporting the most fundamentalist theological doctrine: Jihad.

10. Only once we understand the concept of “Dar Al-Islam” do we know the supreme naivety of the statements of the American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken about declaring a Palestinian state “attentive to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians.” The final aspiration of the Palestinians – and in this sense, there is no difference between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority – is for Israel to disappear from the map, to vacate ALL of its territories, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. But the most immediate “strategic” aspiration of the Palestinians is to create a state that borders Israel. Have Israel at a zero distance from there to produce more and more massacres in the style of October 7, and thus, one day destroy the infidel Jews who occupy “Dar Al-Islam”.

And despite all this, Israel B”H will prevail, free itself from its enemies, and triumph.

How do I know?

וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ

שֶׁלֹּא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד עָמַד עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ

אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ

וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם

And that promise of protection that God made to our ancestors, which protected them, will protect us, too. Because it was not a single time that our enemies wanted to destroy us; in reality, new enemies that seek our destruction emerge in each generation. But again and again, the Holy One, saves us from their hands.

Rabbi Yosef Bitton

Israel is facing an enemy that does not intend to stop with the destruction of Israel ח”ו, but instead wants to continue fighting against Western civilization.

Israel is at the forefront of this battle of civilizations or religions. And although Israel inexplicably has the world against it, little by little, some countries and world leaders, such as the future Prime Minister of Holland Geert Wilders, are seeing it.

¿AFTER ISRAEL? Spain & Portugal

This phenomenal article from BBC 2016 (Spanish) explains the concept of Dar Al Islam in a little more depth and mentions which countries are in this category: Israel is the first because it is in the Middle East, but it is not the last.

For jihadist … there is a sacralization of the land. Any territory that has been part of Islam at some point will always be part of Islam. It does not matter that control was lost centuries ago, that Muslims do not exist or are a minority in that territory. That is Islamic land and those who occupy it are invaders….

Al Andalus was the territory that remained under Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula from the arrival of the Muslims, in 711, until the fall of the Kingdom of Granada, in 1492 into the hands of Castile.

At its maximum extent, in the 8th century, Andalus covered practically the entire peninsula…

The territory that “must be recovered” extends from Southeast Asia in the East to the Iberian Peninsula in the West.

That doctrine – as Azzam wrote in 1987 – proclaims that “jihad or holy war will remain an individual obligation until all the other lands that were Muslim return to us and Islam reigns in them again before us are Palestine, Lebanon, Chad, Eritrea, Somalia, Philippines, Burma, southern Yemen, Tashkent and Andalus [that is: Spain and Portugal .Y.B].