I was invited to speak on the aftermath of October 7^th at the Channukah Candle Lighting event hosted by the Finland-Israel Association in Helsinki, Finland.

The Qataris, the Americans and the Egyptians discuss the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza and include Hamas as a party to this initiative. I believe that a long-term solution that includes Hamas in any capacity will not be realistic.

I believe culture is the primary motivator for a nation’s actions, influencing economics, politics, and individual personalities more than vice versa. By comprehending the cultural factors that underlie the headlines, we can effectively manage our affairs by addressing the underlying causes of those headlines.

There seem to be many analyses of economic, political, and psychological aspects behind the headlines, but there is a lack of cultural analysis. From my perspective, cultural analysis is crucial in understanding the headlines. Although economics, politics, and individual personalities play a role in explaining the headlines, the cultural perspective is often overlooked.

Culture is a collection of shared values, beliefs, traditions, religion, and assumptions that are learned and taught, often unconsciously, and passed down from one generation to the next. It is founded on the values of a society, and these values control the actions of the individuals belonging to that culture. To comprehend why people behave in a certain way, one must examine the values that drive them.

If that is the case, let’s look at the values by which Hamas stands: The Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as HAMAS, is an extremist fundamentalist Islamic organization. Its Covenant is a comprehensive manifesto comprised of 36 separate articles, all of which promote the basic HAMAS goal of destroying the State of Israel through Jihad (Islamic Holy War). Part of its covenant reads: “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”

The charter views jihad as the way to take all of “Palestine” from the Jews and to destroy the State of Israel, and the terrorist attacks are seen as links in the jihad chain carried out during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Article 15 states that “the jihad to liberate ‘Palestine’ is the personal duty of every Muslim, an idea expounded by ‘Abdallah ‘Azzam.

On the opposite side of the table, we have the fundamental values on which the State of Israel was established. They reflect the opening sentence of the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights: “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and the equal and absolute rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.” Our core values consist of education, progress, diversity, family, love for humanity, and the sanctity of life.

Furthermore, negotiating with Hamas for a solution requires collaboration. Collaboration is a process by which people interact to reach a common goal, which requires using a common language. There is not one common denominator here. Let me put it in terms that we can all understand: If Israel did not care about civilian casualties, the war would have ended on October 8^th. We cherish life and have a saying: “Saving one soul as if you saved the whole world.” Hamas believes life is a means to an end; life can and should be sacrificed for a greater cause.

So, what is the solution? I truly don’t know, but what is clear is that the era of living next door to a terrorist organization is over. The key lies in the destruction of the Hamas infrastructure, cutting off financial support as it only strengthens terrorism, and without money, terror cannot operate.

Since October 7^th, we have been praying for the safe return of our soldiers and the immediate return of all hostages. We live alongside the news that broadcasts 24/7. Israel is a very small country, and we have all been impacted by what happened on October 7^th and its aftermath; Everyone knows someone who knows someone who had family members murdered, kidnapped, or raped. We have sons and daughters who are fighting in Gaza and on the Lebanon border. We are scared, we are hurt, we are mourning, and our hearts will be scarred for life, but we did not start this war, nor did we want this war. but it is our right to defend our citizens, and we will prevail. עם ישראל חי