I'm John Bachelor. I welcome my friend and colleague Peter Berkowitz, the Tad and Diane

Tau, senior fellow at the Hoover

Institution at Stanford University, to present in several parts his thinking over these last years

about Israel. The book isn't called Explaining Israel. It is a collection of Peter's columns for real clear politics

from 2014 till the end of 2024. In that time period, everything happened, and here we are in a

crisis mode, summarizing everything happening. At this moment, there is a large, very large,

global scale fleet off of Iran.

The United States of America and its allies are direct to Tehran to say,

your suspect nuclear weapons program is unacceptable, surrender it.

Iran at this point has not answered adequately. At the same time, we know that the Iranian regime is using brutality, fear, and mass murder against its own population these last weeks.

That's where we are right now. However, we begin the story that Peter tells in his real clear politics week-to-week column.

October 11th, 2023.

This is within days of the attack on Israel by the Hamas gangsters.

And Peter had just returned from Israel.

I spoke to him that week for our weekly conversation.

This column is written with quotes from the leadership of Israel, preparing for what we know now

to be a successful operation to neutralize Hamas's offensive skills, but not to end Hamas. There were two remarks that I

underline especially for Peter to explain now these many months later. One by the Prime Minister

Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Netanyahu used the word avenge. And Yoav Galan, the Minister of Defense

at the time, said, unlike in the past,

Israel will act with full strength. He went on to say that Israel would, quote, change the face

of reality in the Gaza Strip 50 years onward. Very angry language. Peter, I come to you because those remarks are understandable,

...