Former Israeli ambassador discusses war, peace prospects for nearly year-old conflict
The Floridant/10282511

NAPLES, Fla. - Floridant -- Approaching the one-year mark of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack in Israel, the parallels with the Sept. 11 terror attack on U.S. soil more than two decades
earlier resonate for Israeli author, diplomat and historian Michael Oren.

A career in academia and government would follow, including a stint as U.S. ambassador from 2009-13 under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, election to the country's parliament and a more recent role as deputy prime minister.

As a veteran peace negotiator for both Israeli and U.S. leaders, Oren suggested that the growing calls for a permanent ceasefire amid mounting Palestinian casualties were unrealistic and would "mean Hamas wins. And they retake Gaza, and they rearm, and they mount the next Oct. 7, because that's what they say they're going to do 10,000 times over until Israel is destroyed.

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Oren's appearance was sponsored by Naples residents Richard and Camille Forman, as well as United Hatzalah, an Israeli humanitarian relief organization that provides free 24/7, emergency medical care through its network of ambulance motorcycles.

Following his remarks, Oren responded to audience questions—the first of which asked how to reconcile the ongoing war with what the questioner called "Judaism's highest moral value" of Pikuach Nefesh, or the obligation to save a human life in jeopardy.

In response, Oren described a divided Israel where criticism of the government's response to the war builds by the day—led largely by outspoken and anguished family members of the estimated 60 to 80 hostages who remain alive in captivity, out of the more than 250 captured nearly a year ago.

Those stark divides, and the two paths forward they represent—destroy Hamas but sacrifice the hostages or save the hostages at the cost of allowing Hamas to survive—reflect the war's continued toll on the country's collective psyche, said Oren.

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He noted how Israel's actions are more heavily scrutinized than those in similar circumstances—including the U.S. in the aftermath of 9/11.

Oren also shared an update on the continued conflict Israel faces with other combatants, including recent missile attacks by Houti rebels in Yemen and daily rocket fire across its northern border with Lebanon by Iran-backed Hezbollah that has displaced 100,000 Israelis.

Despite—or perhaps due to—the escalating violence, Israel and its people remain more resilient than ever, Oren said, offering the audience a glimmer of hope amid the sobering update.

Oren concluded with a reminder that while global events half a world away can seem distant from our everyday lives, the outcomes couldn't be more consequential.