Let me begin by saying, unequivocally, that I am not an alarmist by nature. In fact, I am a confirmed optimist, especially when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people. We have a mandate from the Almighty that we are an eternal nation that can never be expunged; we have gone head to head against the great empires of history and watched them fade into oblivion while we survive, against all odds.
And, as far as our presence in Israel goes, despite having twice been exiled from our land, we believe that this time we are here to stay and will not be expelled again. Having said that, I fear that the road ahead is a treacherous one, and the fight for survival will test us to the limit. In fact, I believe that we have already entered a Third World War.
But, like old age and credit card debt, it creeps up on you in increments, barely noticeable, until suddenly you are overwhelmed and shocked by it. You may deny it, pooh-pooh it, or close your mind to it, but face the facts: This is war. A global war that extends far beyond the Middle East, though that is its epicenter.
Like most wars – World War II is a perfect example – it is fought on two fronts. The first arena of combat is the physical one, whereby nations seek to overwhelm their neighbors and swallow their land. Hitler whetted his appetite with the Sudetenland, and then went on to conquer most of Europe, even as his Japanese allies feasted on the nations of the Pacific.
At the same time, an ideological battle is also being .