I'm John Batsch with Jonathan Schanser, the foundation for the defensive democracy,

who in addition to all his other work does a morning broadcast three times a week the

morning brief on the headlines from the Middle East and from across the region

and interviews and in a conversation in these last hours I recommend with Congressman Brad Schneider,

that's 10th Illinois, who just returned from the Holy Land from Jerusalem visiting with survivors.

One particular survivor is just going back into the IDF,

but also the families of and also observing the mood

and the business model of Israel.

And Jonathan I say the congressman looked to be upbeat as possible, but it sounds like this

is a culture that is profoundly threatened right now. What is your measure? My sense is that

Israelis are defiant. They are animated. They're excited about the prospect of

the way in which the People's Army, a reservist Army, largely has performed.

And they have done really great work, I think, in dismantling Hamas and doing so with minimal casualties,

despite what you hear often thrown around in American media.

But I think the real concern truly is twofold.

One, the potential for a multi-front conflict during Ramadan.

Ramadan is of course, it is not an excuse for violence, but it is used as one, it's not a legitimate

excuse for violence, but it's been used as one by by Palestinians

in inside Israel outside Israel and of course this is all stoked on by the Islamic

Republic of Iran they've created a holiday that they call

Al-Qud's day, which is the last Friday of Ramadan, which is supposed to be a flashpoint

between Israelis and Muslims. But you know, I think that's kind of one broader concern and that's

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