What to pray for on Hoshana Raba - opinion

• Published date: 23 September 2021
• Author: DAVID M. WEINBERG
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Pray that the dangerous deterioration of American resolve, prestige and power under US presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden will come to a halt.

Pray that Afghanistan doesn't fall into the Iranian orbit after President Joe Biden's withdrawal of American troops from that country. Iraq too. Pray that Pakistan's nuclear weapons can be absconded by the US before they fall into radical Islamic hands. Pray that Biden will now redirect US resources and energies into tough and winnable strategies against Iran and China.

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Pray for global leaders with clarity of thought who understand the challenges of our times and appreciate Israel's heroic struggle. Pray that the global riffraff and their corrupted international institutions – such as the UN Human Rights Commission, the International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice which seek to try Israeli leaders for "war crimes," to boycott our academics, and to impose sanctions on our trade – be vanquished.

Pray like this: "Give Israel good friends, honorable allies, and the resources to be as self-reliant as possible. Make Israel strong enough to work with the world, not fight with it; free enough to contribute creatively to the world, not be crushed by boycott and demonization; stout enough to set its own red lines and to defend them, not be hobbled by feeble red (or Green) lines blithely set by others; brainy enough to be respected by the world, not bullied by it. And if necessary, give us the fortitude to go it alone (against Iran)."

Pray for the expansion of the Abrahamic circle of peace in the Middle East. (I hope that Niger, Oman, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia can be steered next toward reconciliation with Israel.) Of course, this would be easier if accompanied of US military and diplomatic backing; stiff American resolve in opposing Iran's hegemonic designs; and an understanding that over-prioritizing the Palestinian issue is a mistake.

Pray that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz act to boost Israeli deterrence, brooking no terror. This means zero tolerance for border rushes, booby traps on the fence, missile fire, incendiary kites, and the like. It means targeting Hamas leaders if they fail to maintain the current lull; striking deep inside Syria the minute IRGC bases are identified; and knocking out more Iranian nuclear sites...