Israeli reservists ask America to support ‘total victory’
US Rep. Jim Jordan: “May God bless you and your families. We love our great relationship with our dearest friend, the State of Israel.”
Israelis know that this time they need to achieve real victory. Everyone talks about the cycle of violence, but then tries to end it with diplomatic solutions. That hasn’t worked. Most Israelis now see that the other side must be defeated.
Israelis also know that they need two things to achieve real victory:
- The resolve to conduct a long and costly war;
- Significant diplomatic covering.
After the events of October 7, 2023, most Israelis now have the resolve to carry on this war as long as is necessary, regardless the very painful costs. They recognize it as an existential matter.
As to the second matter, a group of IDF reservists traveled to Washington recently to urge the US Congress to provide the diplomatic covering Israel needs to keep fighting.
Gilad Ach, CEO of the Israeli Reservists—Generation of Victory organization, met with members of Congress to seek their support for “total victory” in Israel’s current multi-front war.
Ach, a major in the IDF reserves, emphasized in talks with several congressional leaders the need to establish buffer zones along Israel’s northern and southern borders. He stressed the importance of international partnerships in supporting Israel’s military efforts and attaining security goals.
“The partnership between Israel and the United States has always been a cornerstone of our national security. Engaging with members of Congress during this critical time ensures that Israel’s voice is heard and that we collaborate to develop strategies for lasting peace and security,” he said.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, replied to Ach by saying, “May God bless you and your families as well. We love our great relationship with our dearest and closest friend, the State of Israel.”
Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), who lost both legs while serving as a US Army explosive ordnance disposal technician in Afghanistan in 2010 and is slated to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee, hailed the resolve of Israeli reservists who have spent the better part of the past 14 months at war.
“Stay resolute, stay motivated. I know it’s not easy to be away from your families, but when you’re in the fight and have a nation depending on you, you know the calling is worth the sacrifice. Stay strong and make sure you do your duty every single day,” Mast said.
Ach expressed confidence that under President Donald Trump’s leadership, Israel will receive continued military support, unhindered by limitations imposed by previous administrations.
What is ‘total victory’?
In January 2024, on the 100th day of the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the nation:
“We are continuing the war until the end—until total victory, until we achieve all of our goals: eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel.
“Citizens of Israel, we are on the path to victory. We will not stop until we achieve victory. I know that there are those who doubt this—I am not among them. I hear your call and know that you, citizens of Israel, are not among them either. We are doing this together to the end. I believe in our people, in our soldiers and commanders, and I believe that after the massacre of Oct. 7, we will not compromise on anything less than total victory.
“I say this, on your behalf, to every world leader who I speak with—we will not compromise, and we will not stop. We are continuing until victory; we have no other choice.”
As Bibi stressed, victory for Israel means the return of every hostage taken by the Palestinians on October 7 (100 remain in Gaza) and the elimination of Hamas as a military and terrorist threat. Gaza is a large and densely-population area, and there is much work left to be done before those goals are achieved.
Meanwhile, the international community is pushing ever harder to end the war and return things to the way they were prior to October 7, minus Hamas governance in Gaza.
But that’s a non-starter for Israelis. They won’t rest until Hamas is fully defanged, if not entirely wiped out. And that means not only a lot more fighting, but significant changes to the pre-war conditions that enabled terrorists in Gaza to arm and organize to the point they constituted a small army.
It was possible with the Nazis. It was possible with ISIS. And it’s possible with Hamas and the rest of the crumbling Iranian axis. Washington just needs to find the same resolve Israelis belatedly found a year ago.
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