Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative”
September 7, 2026
More on Jewish holidays: Smashwords, Amazon
*Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year of 5787, will be launched on the evening of September 11, 2026 – at a time of severe social polarization – underscoring personal accountability andadditional critical values:
^Family and community bonding;
^Roots commemoration and strengthening;
^Accountability (assume responsibility), moral stock-taking and recalibration;
^Renewal (desisting from autopilot behavior);
^Relationships-mending;
^Modesty and humility enhancement;
^Repentance;
^Fending off complacency and instant-gratification;
^On a national level: the centrality of the Land of Israel and Jerusalem.
*Rosh Hashanah initiates a wake-up call of ten days of self-examination and repentance, which are concluded on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). This self-examination is guided by morality-driven tenacity, humility and faith, re-studying moral values and avoiding past errors.
The root of the Hebrew word Shanah is “repeat” (every year) and “change.” Rosh Hashanah is an annual reminder that morality should be the central value of our life, which should guide – not transcended by – success, fame, power and monetary wealth.
*Rosh Hashanah commemorates the 6th day of Creation, when the first human-being, Adam, was created. Adam is the Hebrew word for a human-being (אדמ), which is the root of the Hebrew word for “soil” (אדמה) – a metaphor for humility. Adam is also a derivative of the Hebrew word for blood (דמ) – the body’s primary transport and immune system, delivering essential oxygen and nutrients while removing waste. Adam is, also, a Hebrew acronym of Abraham, David and Moses, who were role model of humility.
*The Hebrew word Rosh (ראש) means first/head/beginning and Hashanah (השנה) means the year. Rosh (ראש) is the root of the Hebrew word for Genesis (בראשית), which is the first Hebrew word in the Book of Genesis.
*Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishrei – “The Month of The Strong Ones” (Book of Kings A, 8:2) – when the three Jewish Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and the Prophet Samuel were born. Tishrei means beginning/Genesis in ancient Acadian. The Hebrew letters of Tishrei (תשרי) are included in the Hebrew spelling of Genesis (בראשית), that includes the first two letters in the Hebrew alphabet (אב), a middle letter (י) and the last three letters (רשת) – representing the totality of the Creation.
*The late Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, the iconic Talmudic scholar, compared the calendar year to a human body, consisting of the head/brain, the heart and the liver. Thus, on Rosh Hashanah (head/brain) one contemplates the vision of the coming year, while the rest of the year facilitates the implementation of the vision in a balanced coordination between the head/brain, heart and the liver of the year.
*Rosh Hashanah is announced and celebrated by the blowing of the (bent/humble) Shofar, which is the horn of the humble and determined non-predator ram. The initial blowing of the Shofar is indicated in Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1-6: “a day of blowing the shofar.”
The Hebrew spelling for Shofar שופר)) is a derivative of the verb to enhance and improve שפר)).
The sound of the Shofar was used to alert people to physical challenges (e.g., military challenges). On Rosh Hashanah, the Shofar alarms people to spiritual challenges – a wakeup call for enhancing one’s behavior.
The Shofar represents “peace-through-strength,” as demonstrated by the peaceful ram, which is equipped with powerful and deterring horns.
In ancient times, the blowing of the Shofar was employed to announce the (50th) year of the Jubilee – a Biblical role model of liberty: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land and unto all the inhabitants thereof (Leviticus 25:10).” The Jubilee inspired the US Founding Fathers’ concept of liberty, as inscribed on the Liberty Bell. It also inspired the US Abolitionist movement.
The English word Jubilee is derived from the Hebrew word Yovel, which is a synonym for horn-Shofar.
*The 100 blows of the Shofar commemorate the creation of Adam, the first human-being; the almost-sacrifice of Isaac, which was prevented by a ram; the receipt of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai; the tumbling of the walls of Jericho upon re-entering the Land of Israel, which was facilitated by the blowing of the Shofar; Judge Gideon’s war against the Midianites, which featured the blowing of the Shofar; and the reaffirmation of faith in God, the Creator (“In God We Trust“). The blowing of the Shofar underscores the transformation from despondency (the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem and the ensuing exiles) to fulfilled optimism (the ingathering to – and the reconstruction of the Land of Israel).
The 100 blows of the Shofar are divided into three series, honoring the three Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), the three parts of the Old Testament (the Torah, Prophets, Writings) and the three types of human beings (pious, mediocre, evil).
*Pomegranate. On Rosh Hashanah, it is customary to eat seeds of pomegranate, which is one of the seven Biblical species of the Land of Israel (wheat, barley, grapes, dates, figs, olives and pomegranates), representing health (high in iron, anti-oxidants, anti-cancer, enhances cardiac and digestion systems), righteousness, fruitfulness, fertility, longevity, learning and wisdom.
*Honey. Rosh Hashanah meals include honey, sweetening the coming year. The bee is the only insect which produces essential food. It is a community-oriented, constructive and a diligent creature. The Hebrew spelling of bee (דבורה) is identical to “the word of God” (דבור-ה’), and Deborah דבורה)) who was one of the seven Jewish prophetesses, as well as a distinguished military and political leader.
Wishing you a New Year top heavy on enhanced mutually-beneficial US-Israel cooperation and low on US and Israeli casualties.
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative”
September 3, 2026
*The assumption that “D-Day” like economic sanctions can force the collapse – or a dramatic moderation – of the Ayatollah regime, overlooks the centrality of theological fanaticism in the shaping of the Ayatollah’s vision, strategy, policy and education system, as well as its 47-year-war on the US. The Ayatollah’s war against the USA has been conducted – unrelated to Israel’s existence – in the Middle East, Latin America and on US soil.
*47 years of US-led economic sanctions and negotiation have transformed Iran from “The American Policeman of the Gulf” to a leading anti-US epicenter of war, terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering. Moreover, it has catapulted the Ayatollah regime from a secondary/tertiary power in 1979 to a global power in 2026, with a strategic footprint from the Persian Gulf through Africa to Latin America and the US homeland.
*Furthermore, economic sanctions and negotiation have bolstered the Ayatollah’s tactic of stalling for time, expecting the mid-term election to weaken President Trump, diverting his attention away from international issues, softening US policy toward Iran, and leading to a non-hawkish Administration in Washington.
*The assumption that the Ayatollah regime is driven by the Western “Money Talks,” ignores the fact that in Tehran Ideology Walks, outweighing financial and diplomatic inducements.
*Refraining from regime-change in Iran has been interpreted – regionally and globally – as indecision and weakness, benefitting China, Russia and North Korea, emboldening them to expand their strategic footprint throughout the globe, including Latin America. The focus on the cost of regime-change has led to underestimating the following catastrophic cost of no-regime-change:
^Eventual emergence of the first ever apocalyptic nuclear power;
^Erosion of the US posture of deterrence;
^Emboldened Ayatollah regime, China, Russia and anti-US Islamic terrorism; ^Growing instability of pro-US Arab regimes, especially the oil-producing; ^Frustrated Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait getting closer to China and Russia.
*The apocalyptic nature of the Ayatollah regime has produced exceptional resilience in the face of economic and military adversity. The entrenched belief in a cataclysmic divine intervention is embedded in the Ayatollah’s Constitution, school curriculum (which is the most authentic reflection of the Ayatollah’s state of mind), mosque sermons and official media. Thus, the Ayatollah is mandated to conduct Jihad (Holy War), bring the “infidel” West to submission, and expand the Islamic Revolution globally. This must be stained with “infidel” blood, requiring “believers” to assume suffering and martyrdom. These are actionable and operational doctrines, culminating in chaos and conflict, paving the way for the Deliverance – the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who disappeared in the 10th century, and is currently represented by the Ayatollah, the “Supreme Leader.” In 2026, Iran’s Twelver Shia is embraced by a vast majority of Shia Muslims: a 60% majority in Iraq, 35% minority in Lebanon and a 12% minority in Saudi Arabia, mostly in the oil-rich Eastern Province. Martyrdom has been underscored by Islam, with martyrs promised a place in heaven, as documented in Quran 3: 169-171 – “Never think of those martyred in the cause of Allah as dead; they are alive with their Lord, well provided for….” It has been supplemented by Ayatollah Khomeini’s legacy, which has promoted the deliberate-martyrdom (Istishhad), heralding “the great martyr Imam Husayn ibn Ali,” who was killed in the 680 AD Battle of Karbala. In fact, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)has incorporated the Mahdist apocalyptic ideology into its training programs, preparing the ground for the Mahdi’s return, and confronting the “apostate” Sunnis and the “infidel” West.
*The “Economy of Resistance” has resulted in a 60% control of the Iranian economy by the IRGC and state-linked foundations, featuring black-market smuggling, illicit land and sea oil trade, and bypass mechanisms, consolidating the domestic economy into the hands of the ruling apparatus.
*The “axis of sanctions evasion/circumvention” has leveraged Chinese, Russian and North Korean anti-US strategy, including deep barter and non-dollar trade systems, Chinese purchase of discounted Iranian crude via land, export via the Caspian Sea ports, “ghost fleets” and third-party (trade-triangulation), shell companies, ship-to-ship transfers, while Russia trades critical military hardware, satellite intelligence, and nuclear technology in exchange for Iranian drones and ballistic systems. 47 years of economic sanctions have developed deep Iranian institutional expertise in sanction evasion.
*When applied to totalitarian, ideologically-entrenched regimes – certainly apocalyptic regimes – economic sanctions have caused severe hardship on the population (not the regime!), but have failed to generate either regime moderation, or regime collapse. For example, the 1979-2026 US and UN maximum-pressure-economic-sanctions against the apocalyptic Ayatollah regime has resulted in expanded commercial and military Iranian capabilities, and exacerbated the repression of protestors and religious and ethnic minorities; the 1990-2003 UN economic boycott and oil embargo against Iraq’s non-apocalyptic Saddam Hussein resulted in intensifying domestic oppression; the 1950s-2026 US/UN financial and trade embargoes activated against the non-apocalyptic North Korea have yielded famine, upgraded thermonuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as more ruthless despotism; the 1960-2026 US trade and financial embargo on the non-apocalyptic Cuba, has resulted in severe economic decline and a more brutal central authority; the 2022-2026 comprehensive Western sanctions against the non-apocalyptic Russia rerouted energy trade to Asia, transitioned Russia to a wartime economy controlled by Putin’s solid authority, but has failed to stop or slowdown the war against Ukraine.
*Economic measures alone have failed to induce ideologically entrenched, survival-at-all-cost, ruthless, apocalyptic regimes to abandon their core theological or strategic imperatives. They never considered sacrificing their ideology and strategy on the altar of an abundant windfall. In the arm-wrestling with the Ayatollah regime, “Money Talks” has been resoundingly defeated by “Ideology Walks.”
*Economic sanctions and negotiation do not substitute for regime change. They reinforce the Ayatollah regime, and undermine the strategic posture of the US, which is exposed as a sprinter, unable to sustain a required marathon. Sustaining such a US policy threatens the existence of all its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf and throughout the Middle East, who have had the machete of the Ayatollah at their throats since 1979.
US’ Leading Force-Multiplier: The Israel Factor
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettiinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative”
August 27, 2026
*The $3.8bn annual US investment in Israel – misperceived as “foreign aid” – has provided Israel with advanced US-made military systems, bolstering Israel’s performance as the leading force-multiplier for the US (as detailed by the milestones below).
*Israel is the hub of research and development centers of some 250 US high tech giants, which has solidified their global superiority, bolstered US export and expanded US employment. In addition, Israel has evolved into the biggest, self-manned, largely self-funded and cost-effective, battle-tested “US military base” with no combat US soldiers on the ground. The Israeli factor has amplified the US’ global posture of deterrence and constrained Chinese and Russian regional and global maneuverability, while enabling the US to minimize its military presence in the Middle East, which has never experienced intra-Muslim peaceful coexistence since the 7th century. It has, also, upgraded the battle tactics of the US Armed Forces (e.g., the US Army’s intellectual center at Ft. Leavenworth, KS is highly impacted by Israel’s war and counter-terrorism experience), dramatically enhanced the productivityof the US’ defense and aerospace industries (e.g., mega-billions of dollars of saving in research and development, increased exports, and growing income tax revenues), and has deterred anti-US Islamic terrorism.
Milestones:
*During the 2025 and 2026 US wars against the Ayatollah regime – which has conducted a 47-year-war on the US irrespective of Israel’s existence – Israel has provided the US with strategic benefits, which no other ally could have provided. Israel has operated as a technologically sophisticated regional ally, conducting complex intelligence, cyber, and air operations. It has been highlighted by disabling Iran’s air defenses and air force, which has minimized the threat to US soldiers and has reduced the need for US ground forces, enabling the US Air Force to bomb Iran’s three major nuclear facilities, unimpeded by Iran’s military. Israel’s human intelligence (HUMINT) and signals intelligence (SIGINT) networks in Iran have provided CENTCOM and the CIA with critical operational data, reducing the US’ blind spots.
*Israel’s strikes exposed the vulnerabilities of Chinese, Russian and North Korean air defenses, combat aircraft, ballistic missiles and underground fortifications, which are deployed throughout the world.
*By systematically clobbering the Ayatollah proxies, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Yemen’s Houthis and pro-Iranian terror organizations in Syria and Iraq, Israel has significantly degraded the Ayatollah’s threats to US military installations in the Middle East and reduced the existential threats to all pro-US Arab regimes.
*The 1981 Israeli destruction of Iraq’s nuclear reactor spared the US a potential nuclear confrontation during the 1991 Gulf War. It saved the pro-US oil-producing Arab regimes from the jaws of the pro-Russian Saddam Hussein.
*The 2007 Israeli destruction of the Syria-North Korea-Iran nuclear reactor, spared the region and the globe the consequences of nuclear capabilities in the hands of the pro-Russian “Butcher of Damascus” and a potential nuclearized civil war in Syria.
*The June 1967 Israeli military victory devastated the Soviet-supplied and Soviet-trained Egyptian military, which aimed to topple all pro-US Arab oil-producing regimes, at a time when the US was heavily dependent on Persian Gulf oil. Israel’s victory discredited Soviet combat doctrines and equipment, generated vital intelligence on the principal adversary of the US, and spared the US a huge economic and national security setback. It also, denied the USSR a geo-strategic gold mine, and transferred to the US Israeli-captured Soviet military hardware – all at zero cost in US lives or treasure.
*Israel’s 1973 War provided the US real combat data of USSR vs. US military systems (e.g., surface-to-air and anti-tank missiles), supplying the US combat evidence it couldn’t get otherwise. These lessons were fed directly into the development of AirLand Battle doctrine, SEAD (suppression of enemy air defense) tactics, and TOW missile and armor upgrades that enhanced the US defense industries and Army doctrine. Just as in the 1967 precedent, instead of US forces having to fight Soviet-designed systems, in order to learn how they performed, Israel did the fighting and the US studied the results.
*In 1966 and 1989 Israel acquired MIG-21 and MIG-23 Soviet combat planes through defecting Iraqi and Syrian pilots. The planes were shared with the US, impacting the global balance of power, and enhancing the performance of the US Air Force and the US aerospace industry.
*In 1970, while the US was bogged down in Southeast Asia, Israel’s posture of deterrence forced a roll-back of the pro-Soviet Syrian invasion of pro-US Jordan with no exchange of fire. Thus, Israel denied Moscow a critical bonanza,while sparing the US the loss of an Arab ally, which could have triggered the toppling of pro-US oil-producing Arab regimes (when the US was heavily dependent upon Persian Gulf oil).
*Israel’s July 4, 1976 Entebbe Rescue Operation underscored Israel as a role model of pro-active, daring and innovative counter-terrorism, inspiring the US’ Delta Force and other US counter-terrorism forces.
*Israel’s October 1982 “Operation Mole Cricket 19” was the first time that a Western-equipped air force destroyed a Soviet-built surface-to-air missile network, eradicating 20 leading Soviet surface-to-air missile batteries operated by Syria, which were perceived to be impregnable. The Israeli battle tactics, including electronic warfare technologies, were shared with the US, bolstering its military edge over Moscow, serving (until today) as a cardinal element in the training program of US combat pilots.
The Bottom Line
*From the Cold War era until today, Israel has functioned as a forward strategic asset for US national security, combat-tested (against Russian, Chinese and Western military systems). Israel has provided a battle-tested laboratory for advanced US military systems, counterterrorism and missile defense testing ground, and intelligence collecting, with no presence of US combat troops.
*Israel has systematically provided the US strategic lessons that would otherwise have required a much greater US military exposure.
*Advancing US-Israel mutual interests in the face of mutual threats and challenges, Israel absorbs the military risk, provides the manpower, the intelligence burden and battlefield experimentation that the US otherwise might have had to undertake itself.
Beware of Middle East Accords: Tenuous Regime-Contingent
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative”
August 18, 2026
*Since the 7th century, the life expectancy of intra-Muslim/Arab agreements, as well as Muslim agreements with “infidels”, have repeatedly proven to be determined by Islamic – not by Western – norms and regime-contingent. Their survival has been decided by foundational Islamic precepts, as well as by the longevity of the specific (tenuous) regime, or the durability of their (tenuous) policies.
*The foundational precedent is the 628AD Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, and this is currently more significant than any other single agreement. It has become doctrinally paradigmatic rather than a mere historical event. Thus, the Prophet Muhammad concluded a ten-year truce with the “infidel” Quraysh tribe of Mecca. Within two years, citing a violation by a client tribe of the Quraysh, Muhammad abrogated the agreement, conquering Mecca and forcing the conversion of the Quraysh to Islam. Muslim/Arab regimes have treated the Hudaybiyyah Treaty as The Supreme Model-to-Emulate of a Hudna (temporary truce), legitimately and religiously revocable when the balance of power shifts, as distinct from Sulh (a fuller, more permanent peace concluded among “believers”).
*The Constitution of Medina (622AD) was a multi-tribal agreement – the highly regarded foundation of the first Islamic state – signed by the Prophet Muhammad with rival tribes, including Jewish clans. It was gradually dissolved by expelling and obliterating the rival tribes.
*The First Fitna (656AD–661AD civil war) was momentous, underscoringthe fundamentals of the Muslim polity. It evolved around an agreement that was concluded after the 657AD Battle of Siffin between Ali (the 4th Caliph) and Mu’awiya (the ruler of Syria who challenged Ali’s authority). The agreement collapsed summarily, leading to Ali’s assassination (3 of the first 4 Caliphs were assassinated!). It also led to the founding of Mu’awiya’s Umayyad dynasty by violence (“bullet”) rather than by a settlement (“ballot”), which is still a Middle Eastern norm. Hence, succession in the caliphates that followed was overwhelmingly resolved by civil war rather than binding accords, as demonstrated by the Abbasid overthrow of the Umayyads; the fragmentation into rival caliphates (Fatimid, Umayyad of Córdoba, Abbasid); and the recurring pattern of vassal agreements with governors that held according to the durability of the regime.
*Ottoman-Safavid/Iran treaties (e.g., Amasya 1555AD, Zuhab 1639AD) were renegotiated roughly every generation as the frontier shifted militarily. They were durable only relative to the military stalemate, not as instruments of trust.
*In the post-Ottoman order, this violently-tenuous pattern was featured in the power-sharing 1943 Lebanese National Pact, which was in force as long as the demographic and regional balance of power persisted. It collapsed during the 1975-1989 civil wars, which still linger, as the 1989 Taif Agreement that supposedly ended the civil war is deeply frayed.
*Israel Peace Accords with Egypt Camp David (since 1979) and Jordan (since 1994) are holding for the time being, but the populations of both countries have been systematically brainwashed through anti-Jewish and anti-Israel school curriculum, mosque sermons and official media, which are the most authentic reflection of the long-term vision/strategy of non-democratic regimes. The potential toppling of the highly vulnerable General el-Sisi and King Abdoullah regimes could catapult the Muslim Brotherhood (Hamas’ “parent company”) to power in Egypt, while transforming Jordan into another platform of anti-US Islamic terrorism, dooming the peace process with Israel.
*The 1993 and 1995 Israel-PLO Oslo Accords were abrogated by the PLO before the ink dried. Thus, Arafat pre-recorded a message, aired on Jordan TV on September 13, 1993, while the Oslo Accord was signed on the White House Lawn, stating that the Accord was consistent with the PLO’s Phased Strategy – uprooting Israel in phases. On May 10, 1994, Arafat spoke in a Johannesburg mosque, announcing that the Oslo Accord was consistent with the foundational 628AD Hudaybiyya Agreement. As expected by reality-driven observers, the two Oslo Accords ushered in an unprecedent wave of Palestinian terrorism, as did 6 agreements reached with Hamas between 2007 and 2023.
*Tenuous Arab regimes and agreements:
^Since 1943, Libya’s Wheelus Air Force Base was the largest US military base outside the US during the rule of the pro-US King Idris. But, the base was evacuated in 1970 following the toppling of the King by the pro-Soviet Gaddafi.
^Iran was “The American Policeman of the Gulf” when ruled by the pro-US Shah, but has become a key epicenter of anti-US wars, terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering since the 1979 Iran takeover by the Ayatollah regime.
^Under the rule of King Faisal II, Iraq joined the US-backed anti-USSR 1955 Baghdad Pact, along with Britain, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. However, the July 1958 coup, climaxed by the hanging of King Faisal II, transformed Iraq into a pro-Soviet Persian Gulf country.
^The 1975 Iran-Iraq Algiers Agreement was annulled by Iraq in September 1980 (following the Ayatollah’s Islamic Revolution), leading to the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran War.
^The 1958 Egypt-Syria agreement to establish the United Arab Republic, combining the two countries into a single sovereign state, was dissolved in September 1961 in the aftermath of a Syrian military coup.
^From the 1960s-1980s, North Yemen was pro-US, while South Yemen was pro-USSR. During the pre-January 1991 Gulf War, United Yemen opposed the US-led war on Saddam Hussein. Since 2014, Yemen’s Houthis – a proxy of the Ayatollah regime – have joined the “Death to America” club, shelling the pro-US Saudis and Emiratis, as well as attacking Red Sea shipping lanes.
^Etc…..
The Bottom Line
*In the non-democratic Middle East, Islamic/Arab regimes do not ascend to power through the ballot. They tend to be tenuous, as are their policies and agreements, which are not anchored in democratic and legal structures, but in foundational Islamic precepts and precedents. The durability of agreements reflects the lifespan of the regimes, which are generally vulnerable, driven by religion and ideology, and which transcend financial and diplomatic considerations.
*The US attempts to negotiate agreements with the Ayatollah regime, Hezbollah and Hamas take lightly the fact that the 1,400-year-old DNA of these entities – as documented in their constitutions, school curriculum and mosque sermons – mandates them to topple all pro-US Arab regimes and bring the “infidel” West, and especially “The Great American Satan” to submission.
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