Iran’s Attack on Israel
3 min read
The faulty comparison minimizes the brutality of the attack and the severity of the response that is required.
Over the past few months, since the attack on October 7 that precipitated the Israel-Gaza War, many people have tried to explain the brutal and unfathomable assault by comparing it to different historical events. The most common analogy I have heard, from politicians, candidates, lobbyists, organizational leaders and Jewish activists, is that 10/7 was Israel’s 9/11.
I want to explain why this comparison is so very wrong.
Here is the scenario in which 9/11 would have been America’s 10/7:
During the 1980s and 1990s, Montana, Texas, Kentucky and West Virginia were completely controlled and governed by Al Qaeda. During that era, they occasionally sent suicide bombers into Seattle, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, killing thousands of Americans and tourists and terrorizing parts of America. From time-to-time, they sent missiles into San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, and Boston, frequently enough to leave a whole generation of children in those areas traumatized by the visits to bomb shelters.
For some unimaginable reason, America tolerated Al Qaeda’s presence, even giving them financial assistance, humanitarian aid, and employment opportunities for their residents.
Then, on September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda launched a devastating attack throughout America. Instead of flying commercial planes into national landmarks, they invaded 50 small towns, raping, maiming and desecrating the bodies of over 50,000 people. They attacked 10 concert venues across the Midwest, gruesomely killing all of the young partygoers. In addition, they took 8,000 hostages, including over a thousand children and babies.
This would be the beginning of America’s 10/7. Now, add to that scenario the war effort in response.
Sixteen million American adults are called to war to fight Al Qaeda. Every day these adults are at war, all aspects of society are disrupted. Businesses are impacted, both in terms of their workforce and their revenue. Social infrastructure is weakened. Restaurants and hotels are empty. Communities are under-protected at a time when enemies are nearby and threatening them. Sixteen million Americans away from their families for an extended period of time, at war, in harm’s way, out of touch for long periods of time, with families not knowing if they were safe, uninjured, or even alive.
China and Russia are supporting Al Qaeda’s armies and there is a real possibility that, unless you defeat Al Qaeda quickly and decisively, you could be facing two formidable nuclear powers that represent an existential threat.
It is important to understand the huge chasm between 9/11 and 10/7 so that people don’t judge Israel’s response to the 10/7 attack by comparing it to America’s response to 9/11. Had America truly experienced a 10/7-scale attack on its own soil as described above, I can only imagine the severity of the response. No one can know for sure, but in the above scenario, I sincerely doubt the military response would end while any members of Al Qaeda remained alive within the borders of the United States. I also doubt any non-citizens who swore allegiance to Al Qaeda would be allowed to stay in the country. That response would be justified in the hypothetical case for the United States, just as it is justified in the real situation in Israel today.
The description of America’s 10/7 has thankfully never happened on American soil. Not even close.
So don’t say 10/7 was Israel’s 9/11. It minimizes the brutality of the attack and the severity of the response that is required.
Not to be rude but while agree with the notion that the 10/7 attack was horrendous. I cant be feel as though this article is minimizing the effect of 9/11 on Americans. As an American Jew living in New York let me tell you. 9/11 left a huge scar and deep traumatization within the entire city and killed thousands. Both Israel and New York have similar populations (9 Million and 8 Million respectively). Both attacks traumatized millions of people. I just cant help but feel like its not okay to minimize 9/11 in an effort emphasize the brutalities committed on 10/7.
America also sends financial aid to their enemies, like Syria and Iran, I wish they didn't and then there wouldn't be an attack every time our enemies got a windfall. Other than that it is incomparable, but you had me at first and It was puzzling.
US sends "no" money to either Iran or Syria; rest assured of that.
Pls read this (Why Are American Troops Still in Iraq and Syria?) article from the Cato Institute, by Justin Logan published in 2023 (https://www.cato.org/commentary/why-are-american-troops-still-iraq-syria), one reason US is still in Syria is b/c Benjamin Netanyahu asked Trump to leave troops there (see that article for reasoning).
As for Iran, Iran won a court case against the US (going back to the 1979 hostage taking) as explained by this (Why the U.S. Owed Iran That $400 Million) article from the Time published in 2016 (https://time.com/4441046/400-million-iran-hostage-history/). That money was Iran's money which US had frozen (US is not that stupid, no matter which administration, to give free money to Iran).
Thank you for this eye-opening realization. Well done.
Oh my.This should be made compulsory reading in High Schools, colleges, universities worldwide.
That's holy ground...there's a different force at play.SG MM 2610
This is nitpicking. Appealing to a visceral reaction is usually more effective. Both were terrible events. So was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the Nazi invasion of Poland. Every country so attacked has a duty to its citizens to fight against the invader. Every allied country has the duty to support the attacked ally.
So were horrible the two atomic bombs US dropped in Japan (maybe one could have been justified, but I cannot think of any rational for the 2nd one, but pure hate and irrational showing of power). I feel the same for what Israel is doing now in Gaza.
I suggest to have a war crime tribunal to investigate the acts of Hamas and Israel; once this war ends. I would not be shocked to learn that Israeli forces killed some of these civilians in Israel. I hope you are not shocked to learn that Hamas killed more IDF on 10/7 than civilians (I am not justify what was done or support it; but we need to be factual if we are to act rationally, also, indiscriminate collective punishment is inhumane/illegal). We do not drop on bomb on a school building, because a mass shooter is inside; right?
The Israeli officials, coming on American media, 1st compared it that way, blame them. My following words will be harsh, but I hope you don't let emotion cloud your judgement, of all the people in the modern human history, the Jewish community should be the 1st to come out and to say there is no "final solution," State of Israel cannot resolve the Palestinian issue by killing them all! You made some comparison, how about this one: your neighbor comes over the wall and forces you at gun point out of your home and says go live on the street, this is now my home. Then, you ask, can I come back to collect my things, your neighbor says no. Then, you ask, can my children come to collect my things, your neighbor says no. Then, you ask, would you pay me a just compensation for my home...
The "FINAL SOLUTION" is being attempted by the Muslim world against the Jews. The only ones who came over the wall with their bombs and guns are the Nazi Muslim Jihadists.
The Arab Israeli conflict is not about territory, it's about pure Jew Hatred. There are 21 Arab Muslim countries and 40+ Muslim majority countries, but one Jewish country cannot be tolerated to exist.
Then your friends, the so called "Palestinian Arabs ", came over the wall and killed, raped and beheaded JEWS. Not only did they not allow the Jewish children to "collect their things", these Nazi Jihadists killed their parents as they abducted them.
As the Jews fight back, the world continues with their unadulterated Jew hatred...
Why do you think the "world" hates Jewish people? Do you not think that is a simplification? It cannot be that the "world" hates Jews, can it? For example, if I were to criticize Saudi Arabia's policies and deeds, surely I am not criticizing Islam (even though SA is the seat of Islam) or being anti-Muslims, do you not agree? Are there no Jewish-Israeli in jail in Israel having been convicted of a crime against another Jewish-Israeli there? Was that crime committed by that Israeli-Jew against another Israeli-Jew because of hatred of Judaism? People do criminal things not necessarily because of hating another person for his/her religious identity; do you not agree? To ask Palestinian-Arabs to go to a majority-Arab country is like asking Irish-Americans to go to Ireland... I reached MaxWrdCnt
All humans are created in the image of G-d with a holy soul. You are a somebody!
Sadly, you accepted the Arab propaganda refugee story, far from the truth. Historically, there was never a sovereign state in Israel other than Jewish rule way back. After the destruction of the Temple and the end of Jewish rule, foreign empires conquered Israel and claimed it as their own. Roman emperor Hadrian renamed it Palestina in an attempt to uproot the Jewish roots of Israel. Throughout the centuries, Jews and Arabs lived in Israel but neither ruled. When the Ottoman Empire fell, the British Mandate took over. That's when the UN drew up the partition plan to split Israel between Jews and Arabs. The Jews accepted, the Arabs rejected. Instead, they chose to attack and attempt to destroy Israel.
Thanks for your kind word, CR; but I still think I am a nobody. I agree, generally, with what you wrote (on the history of that location and its people). However, UN did not just come out of the blue to partition that land. There was a nationalism movement for the Jewish people (Zionism) starting in Austria in the late 1800s (of course the horrible Holocaust, too) which lead to that UN partitioning in 1947. It should be noted that Jews migrating to Palestine (under rule of UK after fall of Ottoman by end of WWI), did cause terrorist acts against the governing UK authorities there (not unlike what Palestinians have been doing since around 1964, when PLO was formed). So what is the difference, both were/are struggling for an independent sovereign government of their own; do you not agree?
The reality is the diametrical opposite of what you were brainwashed to think. The Jews did NOT chase out the Arabs in 1948 - not at gunpoint and not by spoken or written word, not before they declared independence, and not afterward. It was the Arabs themselves who told them to leave and promised that they would return shortly to their homes as soon as the Arab armies would succeed at dumping the Jews into the sea. They were very sure of themselves, but
G-d had other plans for the Jews. Jews never made Israel Arab-free - they're part of Israeli society. Areas that the Arabs conquered in 1948 where Jews lived for centuries e.g. Jerusalem's Old City and Hebron, became Judenrein until 1967. No compensation plan. Be honest. Do research. Learn a different narrative
I wouldn't say I am brainwashed, maybe I need to do more self education. Both Jewish Virtual Library (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org) & Britannica (www.britannica.com) write about forced displacement of non-Jewish inhabitants in 1948/49 (agreed, Arabs started a war after creation of Israel; but even before that, Jewish militia in Mandated Palestine caused harm to Arabs living there). The Jewish Virtual Library & Britannica disagree on the number of forced-displaced Arabs. Sure, a lot of civilians fled when the war broke out, but that is normal; millions of Afghans fled when US invaded Afghanistan; but should these millions not have a right to return now that the invasion has ended? I have to disagree with you that Israel wants/ed Muslims there (majority Jewish, it wouldn't be then).
Thank-you. The media certainly seems to like to make these kinds of comparisons which can be meaningless and especially in this case unrepresentative of the tragedy of Oct 7. Thank-you for a realistic comparison and the clarity it provides. I hope more people read this article. Appreciated.
Very well put.
Thank you for providing this article an exacting perspective on a situation that has otherwise been highly minimized and gone under appreciated by most and by others not even well understood at all! I think this article should be shared with members of congress as well as the potus that they may be given a realization the dreadful significance of 10/7 in comparison to 9/11.
I was in NYC on the morning of 9/11. It is very hard for Americans to understand what it is like to live surrounded by active enemies. We have the luxury of 2 oceans, Canada and for a long time the southern border as a buffer against attacks. A jet or missile or drone crossing into Israel from any of its borders could cross the entire country in a very short time.
Thank you for this "tell-it-like-it-is" article; now we just have to hope that unbiased, thinking people will understand it and view the situation in a new light!
Wow, insightful!