The Morning Report
J.J. Sefton
October 9, 2023
For a sneak attack of the size Hamas launched against Israel to have happened (5,000 rockets, parachuters, towns infiltrated, Iranian and, possibly, Ukrainian involvement), there must have been an absolutely epic intelligence failure both in Israel and, to the extent the U.S. helps Israel with information, here in America, too. I have two ideas about how that could have happened, both of which are premised on significant problems within the two country’s intelligence services (especially Israel’s). I’ll start with the one that bespeaks actual evil and then get to the more likely one, which reflects human nature.
Some suggest that the Mossad is no longer working with the Israeli government but is, instead, doing whatever it can to undermine it. I’m perfectly ready to believe that. If you’ve been following the news about the reforms Netanyahu wanted to make to an out-of-control leftist judicial system in Israel, you know that many in the military and the Mossad were against Bibi’s actions. We’ve already seen in America that Deep State members cease to feel loyalty to their country as a whole and, instead, will use their government positions solely to advance one political party over the other.
Thus, it’s possible that anti-government personnel in Israel and anti-Israel personnel in the State Department in America (the ones who maybe could have helped prevent the attack) didn’t pay too much attention to chatter about a Hamas attack. They may have thought it would be like others before, with a little death here and a little death there. That would be enough to harm Netanyahu’s government without seriously harming Israel. . .
. . . That’s a very scary idea. But here’s something that’s just as disturbing: Nobody caught what was about to happen because of institutional incompetence. Whether at home or abroad, our “intelligence” types may no longer be that intelligent. . . I’d prefer to believe in entropy over evil. Both would have exposed Israel to the events that occurred, but entropy can be fixed now that fear is again resurgent. Evil is a corrosive rot that is almost impossible to root out.
ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
Michael Walsh: One of the oldest rules in American gangland was formulated by Murray “the Camel” Humphreys of the Capone mob in Chicago: “If you ever have to cock a gun in a man’s face, kill him. If you walk away without killing him after doing that, he’ll kill you the next day.” The Israelis could have, and should have, finished the Iran-adjacent Hamas terrorist organization when they had the chance, but of course they did not, and this is the result. Reality Bites
Roger Kimball: “As I say, things are always worse than they seem.” Thoughts on Proclamation 7463, or ‘Digital McCarthyism’ on the Move
Daniel Greenfield: “As the possible next mayor of Houston, [Sheila Jackass-Lee] will be seeing lots of hurricanes, but it’s the city that will be hit by the catastrophic force of stupidity that is America’s dumbest congresswoman.” The Dumbest Congresswoman Could Be the Mayor of the 4th Biggest City in U.S.
ISRAEL AT WAR
“Dozens of people were held hostage earlier on Saturday in the kibbutz dining hall for Horus. However, Israel Defense Forces engaged in a gun battle with the Palestinian terrorists who infiltrated the Kibbutz region in southern Israel. The terrorists who were holding the hostages were reportedly neutralized. At least 48 people were rescued from the hostage situation.” Israel Defense Forces Rescue 48 Hostages from Kibbutz Dining Hall
On Saturday, the Supernova music festival attended by approximately 3,000 people in the Negev desert near Kibbutz Re’im quickly turned from a joyous occasion marking the Jewish holiday of Sukkot into a “massacre” as Hamas terrorists raided the event from the nearby Gaza Strip. The attack came as Palestine waged a series of surprise attacks on Israel on Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the annual High Holy Day cycle. Survivors of Music Festival Hamas Attack Recount ‘Horror Movie’ Massacre That Left Hundreds Dead
“The actions from the administration come after U.S. officials said that preliminary reports show at least four American citizens were killed and seven others have gone missing and that some were kidnapped and are being held hostage.” Biden Attends BBQ After Americans Murdered In Israel; Blinken Urges Ceasefire
Robert Spencer: “Would there even be a war at all if not for all the money that the Biden regime has showered upon Iran and the Palestinians? The only thing we can say for sure about that is that back when Bad Orange Man was president and the United States wasn’t raining cash on those who scream ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America,’ there was nothing like the bloodletting an appalled world witnessed in Israel Saturday. Has Hamas’ Khaled Meshaal called the White House yet and exclaimed ‘We did it, Joe!’?” Are American Weapons From Afghanistan and Ukraine Being Used Against Israel?
Robert Spencer Part Deux: “Twenty-two years after 9/11, the jihadis’ best friends are in the White House.” The Biden Regime Should Admit the Real Causes of the Jihad Against Israel
“A day after the surprise attack which reportedly killed at least 600 Israelis and wounded 2,000 others, Israeli soldiers fought Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the streets of southern Israel, Fox News reported. Fighting was also reported with Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in the north, according to the outlet.” “Significant Military Activities” Authorized After Israeli Security Cabinet Confirms War Status
“We will continue to attack in this way, with this force, continuously, on all gathering (places) and routes” linked to Hamas, Israeli Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told the AP. Videos Show Massive Explosions As Israeli Fighter Jets Hammer Gaza Targets In Retaliatory Strikes
“Israel’s Netanyahu: ‘Citizens of Israel, we are at war.’” Hamas Attacks Israel on the 50th Anniversary of the October 1973 War
“The round strikes the engine compartment, which unlike most tanks sits at the front of the Merkava, and the vehicle immediately catches fire from the inside.” Watch: Palestinians Use Drones to Attack and Cripple Israeli Tanks
The Pentagon will begin transferring an unspecified amount of security assistance to Israel, including ammunition, Sunday that is expected to reach the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in “the coming days,” Austin said in the statement. Meanwhile, Austin, at the direction of [so-called quote-unquote “president”] Joe Biden, has ordered the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford along with its strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean and moved to enhance fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. Pentagon Sends Largest Aircraft Carrier to the Middle East, Says Military Aid Will Soon Reach Israel
