The IDF’s head spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, recently claimed that Hamas can’t be defeated because it’s “an idea rooted in the hearts of the people,” and we can’t destroy ideas. But Glenn has a few questions: Does that mean we shouldn’t have destroyed Nazi Germany? Should we have allowed Hitler or Stalin to take over the entire world? Naziism hasn’t been eradicated…but its government has. What about theft and looting? Those are “ideas” that we haven’t defeated. Should we just stop policing? Because that worked great after the BLM riots! Hamas, just like Nazi Germany, is more than an idea, Glenn argues. It’s a GOVERNMENT that MUST be defeated.
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: So this is trending on X, right now. And it's about rear admiral, Daniel Hagari.
He's the IDF spokesman. And you've seen him possibly in press conferences and interviews. And video clips. Trying to show the world what Gaza really is like.
The terror tunnels under the houses and the streets. And the yards of deep and hundreds of miles long, and filled with weapons and workshops and schools.
And the weapons and the UN facilities, the command posts under the hospitals. Missile launchers everywhere.
That's what he's been doing. And he's seemed really solid. Until last week, he was in, doing an Israeli TV interview.
Sorry, it wasn't last week. It was this week. And he said, whomever thinks it's possible to destroy Hamas, is wrong.
Hamas is an idea. Whomever thinks it's possible to make it disappear, is wrong.
What? No.
You're wrong. First of all, Hamas isn't just an idea.
Ideas grow and grow, until they become almost an entity.
This is the demonic embodiment of timeless, ageless hate. It is a culture of death and child sacrifice.
It is one of the worst evils humanity has ever produced.
And it starts with the Nazis!
Yes. Its core ideas.
But Hamas is more than just an idea.
It is like the Nazis!
That was more than Mein Kampf.
Stalin's USSR was more than Marxist ramblings. Yes, all of the ideas were at their core.
Yes. Naziism is an idea. And we haven't wiped Naziism out.
After all of this time, it's still here. And it's thriving in Hamas. And other places, in the Middle East.
Yes. Hatred dies hard. And, no, we're -- we no longer need reminders that anti-Semitism is incredibly difficult to get rid of. Thank you very much.
Yes. We still had murder. We still have violence. We still have rape. We still have theft.
Not even the Ten Commandments could do away with those. Not even God himself might have something to do with the way God created us and gave us freedom of choice. It has something to do with human nature, I'm pretty sure.
But should we have given up on eradicating the Nazi part of Nazi Germany?
Should we have stopped at Berlin's gates? You know, we can't win. Naziism is an idea. It can't be eliminated. There's really no point.
We should stop this. Should we have done that?
Should we have allowed Stalin to take the whole world? Should we end all policing, like they're starting to here in America? Because someone will always steal and murder.
I don't know if you've seen that. Where they're trying to do things like that.
It's not going real great.
I'm up here in the mountains.
The mountain West.
And we're mowing our lawn, in front. We just have field grass.
We mowed the front of the lawn around the how. So no rattle snakes are right up against the house. Well, there will always be snakes.
Yeah. But shouldn't we at least try to keep the snakes away?
Couldn't we try to -- I don't know. Take them at least remove those that are right at your -- the feet of your children? Or under your children's bed for the love of Pete?
Or will you just say, you know, there's always snakes.
Honey, I'm not going to mow the lawn. There will always be snakes.
Are you seriously suggesting that we're not better off, than we would be, had we left the Nazis in power?
Or if the USSR hadn't lost the Cold War Are you Seriously trying to say, that we wouldn't be better off? Yeah you're right.
Their ideas are not dead, and maybe they will never be.
But Nazi Germany is dead. And the world is immeasurably better for it.
It's not just an idea. It's not just an entity now.
It's a government!
Shouldn't we not try to take Hamas?
Take out every last member, we can.
Deny it both rule over territory. And the ability to harm anyone ever again?
You know, well, it's just Israel. Israel. Israel. Really? Really?
Do you think that when they're done with Israel, they'll stop with the Jews? History has shown that we can. You know why we fight communism so hard now?
Because the left infiltrated our -- our schools, our media, and everything else.
And white-washed the Soviet Union. Stalin was worse as Hitler as far as death toll.
But we don't watch documentaries about Russia all the time. Do we?
I don't know why.
But, boy, they've made quite a killing on the Nazi stuff. And maybe it's because the Nazis had snappy uniforms designed by Hugo Boss.
Maybe it's because a -- a -- a country we could relate to, was one of the scientific wonders of the world. Suddenly went dark and insane.
But we've taught it over and over again, how bad that is. And, yes. That idea still is around.
But we're not fighting a government.
This, I think was a huge boost to Hamas' morale. And that of its friends.
And poison for the Israeli morale.
Are they in a fight that the IDF itself doesn't think it can succeed and win?
If you're fighting and you don't believe that you can and will prevail, then you will not prevail.
Think about all of those who have fought and died and bled. The hundreds of thousands of Israelis, still displaced from their homes, almost nine months in.
The millions who fear and pray for their relatives and friends in uniform. The millions more who understand, that if Hamas doesn't die today. If we don't take out this snake and mow the lawns and cut the heads off of all of them we can find, it will come back tomorrow. And maybe bring some trends. And do worse than last time.
Was this message approved? By his government?
Because the government is supposed to be in control of the army.
The government said, the security cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has defined the destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities as one of the goals of the war.
The IDF, of course, is committed to this. Okay. This should terrify everybody, not just Israelis. Because at best, this is politics.
Israelis trust the IDF, to the rank of colonel. Anybody above that, is political appointments. You know, at least as much as their military merit appointments.
They don't trust them, just like we don't trust ours.
We trust our soldiers.
But when you get on top of the Pentagon. It's all politics.
Same thing.
Except, Israel's government is in real trouble.
It may fall, the parliamentary system and all.
Netanyahu's chief rival has left the war cabinet now, during a hot war, for obviously political motives.
At worst, this is a sign of one more very serious breakdown in the West's moral fiber.
This time, it's -- it's the last useful fighting force in the area!
This isn't about refugees.
This isn't about territory.
This is about good versus evil.
Civilizational. Existential.
Not just for Israel. The West is riddled for supporters of Hamas.
And they're clones. They're marching in our own streets!
Do you think if Hamas is reenergized it's going to be good for America?
Our common enemies there are a openly and often, that they intend to take down the great Satan.
Not just the little one.
Israel is the little Satan.
We are the great Satan.
They will come for the -- as they say, the Sunday people. Not just the Saturday people.
If Israel fails in this, the world will be darker for it.
But it will not stop there.
They will come for the rest of us.
This -- I don't even. Spokesperson is all I can.
It's wrong!
We must stand.
We have to take out the monsters. And defend the house.