In a world increasingly clouded by moral confusion and selective outrage, one country has shown the clarity, conviction and courage to confront evil head-on: Israel.
While much of the international community dithers, equivocates or outright appeases, Israel is doing what must be done Ƶ dismantling the infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the greatest sponsor of global terrorism. This is not just a regional issue, nor is it solely a Jewish issue. This is a matter of global security and moral leadership. And whether the world realizes it or not, it owes Israel a debt of gratitude.
Iran is not just another authoritarian government. It is a regime built on theocratic extremism and imperial ambitions. Its tentacles stretch far beyond its borders Ƶ arming Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq, and terrorist proxies from Syria to South America. Iranian drones and missiles have targeted Americans, Saudis, Emiratis, Israelis and Europeans. From Buenos Aires to Baghdad, TehranƵs fingerprints are found on some of the worst atrocities of the last four decades.
And yet, the world has largely looked away Ƶ paralyzed by bad diplomacy, short-term energy needs, or fear of escalation. Until now.
IsraelƵs campaign against Iranian terror infrastructure is not wanton or reckless. It is surgical. It is strategic. It is rooted in the fundamental Jewish value of tohar haneshek Ƶ purity of arms. No other country on Earth takes the level of precaution that Israel does to avoid civilian casualties. From Ƶknock on the roofƵ warnings to precision-guided munitions, Israel has embedded moral restraint into its military doctrine. That level of care is especially astonishing when fighting enemies who embed themselves in schools, hospitals and residential buildings.
Critics often focus on counting bodies and overlook context. Context is everything: Iran and its proxies have turned civilian life into a human shield. Israel, by contrast, has turned warfare into a painful, reluctant last resort Ƶ fought with conscience, even against an enemy that has none.
Perhaps the most underreported aspect of IsraelƵs current operations is the reaction of ordinary Iranians. The people of Iran Ƶ hostages of a brutal regime Ƶ are not mourning the degradation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or the elimination of nuclear facilities. On the contrary, many are celebrating.
Across Persian-language social media, voices of dissent are growing louder, not quieter. Israelis are not seen as enemies but as liberators from afar. For decades, the Iranian regime has painted the United States and Israel as ƵThe Great SatanƵ and ƵThe Little Satan,Ƶ but the people know better. They know that the real enemy is not Jerusalem but Tehran.
And they are beginning to believe that change is possible.
Israel is not just weakening a military threat Ƶ it is empowering a grassroots revolution that could bring freedom to 88 million Iranians and finally end the reign of the ayatollahs. That alone should earn the worldƵs thanks.
At a time when Western democracies are entangled in political dysfunction and moral relativism, Israel is proving that courage and clarity still matter. While some wring their hands about ƵescalationƵ or Ƶdisproportion,Ƶ Israel is acting. It is defending not only its citizens but the principle that terror must never be appeased, tolerated or normalized.
Israel understands what too many others have forgotten: Evil, when left unchecked, metastasizes. The Iranian regime doesnƵt want peace; it wants dominance. It doesnƵt want coexistence; it wants submission. And it doesnƵt stop at IsraelƵs borders; it targets Jews in Los Angeles, dissidents in Berlin, and Americans in Iraq. To fight it is not just self-defense Ƶ it is a defense of civilization.
History will judge how the world responds to this moment. Those who remain silent Ƶ or worse, critical Ƶ of IsraelƵs actions should ask themselves: What would you have us do? Wait for Iran to test a nuclear bomb? Allow another Oct. 7? Accept permanent insecurity as the price of false peace?
Israel refuses to play that game. It is choosing to act, not react. To lead, not cower. To say, in no uncertain terms, that state-sponsored terror will not go unchallenged.
So yes, the world should thank Israel. Thank Israel for being the only country willing to confront Iran head-on. Thank Israel for defending the values the West claims to hold dear Ƶ human rights, freedom and the sanctity of life. Thank Israel for reminding us that moral clarity still exists, and that it is still possible to distinguish between right and wrong, between the fire starter and the firefighter.
The cost to Israel has been steep Ƶ on the battlefield and in the court of global opinion. Ƶ always, Israel fights not because it enjoys war but because it cherishes peace. It fights not because it wants vengeance but because it values life.
And because it does, the world is safer, even if it doesnƵt yet have the wisdom to see it.
Steve Rosenberg is the Philadelphia regional director of the North American Values Institute. He wrote this column for .
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