The Holy Land is Burning: Israel at War

“When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons. Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.”

― Golda Meir, A Land of Our Own: An Oral Autobiography

Early this past Saturday morning in Israel, while most Americans were turning in for the night or already in bed, a coordinated offensive launched from the Palestinian territory of Gaza into towns and communes near its border with Jewish-controlled Israeli territory. Their targets? Sleeping families and hundreds of revelers at a music & dance festival promoting peace.

The attack is being called by some “Israel’s 9/11.” The death toll, as of this episode’s publishing, is over 1,200 Israelis, with over 2,700 wounded. Now, Israel is mobilizing for what some believe will be an overwhelming and decisive counteroffensive.

The first guest on today’s special episode of The Adult in the Room Podcast is Wayne Black, a security consultant and expert who previously managed the security detail for former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Black explains why he worries an attack like the one seen out of Gaza this weekend can’t be ruled out here in the US, and what individuals can do to maximize their own safety and security in the event of danger.

Then, Victoria is joined to close the show by Major General Paul E. Vallely, who gives his own analysis of the situation in Israel, and opines on the US government’s response to the crisis.