This is John Batchelor. From a much longer conversation with Jonathan Schanser of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy,

discussing the multiple threats to peace on earth right now, for capitals, the axis of opportunism, says Jonathan, Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, Pyongyang.

We came to Gaza and what needs to be done for the Israeli forces gathered around the Gaza Wire.

Jonathan recommends, slowing it down.

Jonathan recommends consider what you want to achieve, what is the vision of victory

Jonathan considers the

negative which would be going in there and being surprised again by

whatever booby traps and ambushes are available in a city that is

as crowded as Gaza City, a Mosul times 10, but also that there is no hurry. The Israeli Defence Forces

know that they're going to win and how they win is critical for world opinion.

This is an opportunity.

The same time the war will continue all around them, but

going slow, says Jonathan, knowing the Americans are watching,

knowing public opinion is watching,

there's an opportunity for victory.

Hamas will be destroyed, but here's Jonathan.

Sure, look, the big question I think for Israel

has the Israeli public and some of the security establishment has been clamoring for an immediate response to what happened in Southern Israel on October 7th. I think there's slowly been a

realization that this is not something that can be thrown together quickly.

There is no quick and easy answer to trying to dislodge a well-armed

terrorist organization that has embedded itself in the civilian structures of 2.2 million Gazans in one of the most densely populated places on earth.

This is not an easy thing. Compounding the problem is the fact that the hostages, 222 of them are now being held below ground in a catacomb of tunnels and rooms that are buried well beneath the ground, hard to target from above.

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