On June 4, 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered a speech to the House of Commons after the successful evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk, France. It is famous for its ending lines “we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender,” as shown remarkably in the movie Darkest Hour (2017). It is remembered as a call to arms and a pivotal turn for the people of England to shift from a demoralized retreat to a unifying rally to defeat the Nazis.
But there is more to Churchill’s famous speech, and potential lessons for Israel in the wake of the horrific attack by Palestinian Arab terrorists on October 7. It covered the narrative of the battle; rallying the home front for war; moving the battle from defensive to offensive; addressing a ‘fifth column’; preparing for a long war; and an appeal to other allies.
The speech was around 3,800 words which dealt primarily with the battle in Europe and the evacuation of British soldiers who were surrounded by German troops. Churchill leaned into the situation with lots of detail, as in the era before the Internet, cellphones and Go Pros, Churchill was able to control the narrative to his countrymen.
He particularly focused on the air battle, even though the evacuation was by sea: “The enemy attacked on all sides with great strength and fierceness, and their main power, the power of their far more numerous Air Force, was thrown into the battle or else concentrated upon Dunkirk and the beaches.” He continued to lay out the picture of the skies above before the massive evacuation effort. “Meanwhile, the Royal Navy, with the willing help of countless merchant seamen, strained every nerve to embark the British and Allied troops; 220 light warships and 650 other vessels were engaged,” using statistics to give a sense of scale.
Roughly half-way through Churchill’s recounting of the battle, he began to debunk a counter-narrative he feared would be shared by those who assisted in the evacuation. “Many of our soldiers coming back have not seen the Air Force at work; they saw only the bombers which escaped its protective attack. They underrate its achievements. I have heard much talk of this; that is why I go out of my way to say this. I will tell you about it.” Churchill’s goal was to boost morale and give the British confidence in the nation’s ability to fight the Germans. “When we consider how much greater would be our advantage in defending the air above this Island against an overseas attack, I must say that I find in these facts a sure basis upon which practical and reassuring thoughts may rest. I will pay my tribute to these young airmen.”
After admitting to the losses incurred in the fight, Churchill directed his attention to the war effort at home: “How long it will be, how long it will last, depends upon the exertions which we make in this Island. An effort the like of which has never been seen in our records is now being made. Work is proceeding everywhere, night and day, Sundays and weekdays. Capital and Labor have cast aside their interests, rights, and customs and put them into the common stock,” reviewing the unity in fighting the terrible foreign foe.
Churchill would go on to discuss rumors of a German invasion of England and said “The whole question of home defense against invasion is, of course, powerfully affected by the fact that we have for the time being in this Island incomparably more powerful military forces than we have ever had at any moment in this war or the last. But this will not continue. We shall not be content with a defensive war. We have our duty to our Ally,” which was France’s battle against the common German foe.
Churchill then directed attention to German sympathizers. “We have found it necessary to take measures of increasing stringency, not only against enemy aliens and suspicious characters of other nationalities, but also against British subjects who may become a danger or a nuisance should the war be transported to the United Kingdom. I know there are a great many people affected by the orders which we have made who are the passionate enemies of Nazi Germany. I am very sorry for them, but we cannot, at the present time and under the present stress, draw all the distinctions which we should like to do. If parachute landings were attempted and fierce fighting attendant upon them followed, these unfortunate people would be far better out of the way, for their own sakes as well as for ours. There is, however, another class, for which I feel not the slightest sympathy. Parliament has given us the powers to put down Fifth Column activities with a strong hand, and we shall use those powers subject to the supervision and correction of the House, without the slightest hesitation until we are satisfied, and more than satisfied, that this malignancy in our midst has been effectively stamped out.”
While Churchill understood that Britain’s setting up internment camps for Germans in the UK – including many Jews who had escaped the Nazi regime – was an unfortunate matter which the pressure of war necessitated, he intended on using “a strong hand” against “this malignancy in our midst,” those in the UK who were effectively German agents.
Churchill concluded his speech that the UK should have the means to defend itself as well as come to the aid of its ally. “I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty’s Government-every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation.” He noted that should the government and army fail in its war effort, it would hope that allies in the New World – the United States – would come to its aid. “we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old,” that is, the United States coming to the aid of England.
Churchill brilliantly readied his nation for war against an evil enemy.
Over one year later, as Churchill learned the extent of the barbarity of the enemy, regarding Nazi atrocities against Jews. He called for finding justice for individuals: “It is quite clear that all concerned in this crime who may fall into our hands, including the people who only obeyed orders by carrying out the butcheries, should be put to death after their association with the murders has been proved.”
Churchill’s words echo in 2023 for the Jewish State.
Israel Post-October 7
Israel was terribly unprepared when its people were sadistically butchered on October 7 by Palestinian Arab terrorists. Not only were 1,200 people massacred and 240 taken hostage, it took the army a long time to respond to the attack. The powerful army failed miserably and needed to unite to fight back.
Israel had been bitterly divided for months before the attack regarding judicial reform which pit “Capital and Labor” against each other. The horrific 10/7 carnage brought everyone together to fight the common foe, as a speech by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu was not needed, as everyone saw the images and heard the news on phones in their pockets.
The Jewish State slowly formed a broad government to include military leaders to help prosecute the war against Hamas in Gaza, as well as prepare for possible other fronts, including against Hezbollah in Lebanon in the north, various terrorist groups in the east in Area A of the West Bank, towards the southeast from the Houthis in Yemen, and the main sponsor of all of them, the Islamic Republic of Iran in the northeast, which is on the verge of nuclear weapons capabilities.
The threats surrounding Israel are large and existential.
Despite the threats, Israel has not taken the course of the UK above nor of the United States after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, of setting up internment camps for people “who may become a danger or a nuisance,” such as 26% of the country which is non-Jewish. Fortunately, Israeli Arabs have not repeated their attacks on Israeli Jews as they did in May 2021. Hopefully that spectacle will never be necessary and there will be no need to confront “Fifth Column activities” inside Israel.
Churchill knew the enormity of the battle, as does Israel.
Immediately after the October 7, 2023 Massacre, Israel assembled a force of 350,000 troops to respond to Hamas, determined to destroy it. The Jewish State received support from its key ally, the United States, which quickly sent a strong naval presence off the coast of Lebanon in an effort to limit the Israeli battles to a single front in Gaza.
It appeared that Israel would not be left to fight its enemies alone.
But the United States has a deep rot, a “malignancy in our midst” to quote Churchill, of allies of Hamas who celebrated the rape of Israeli women and burning families alive under the banner of “any means necessary.” The Insidious Jihad in America is pressuring the Biden Administration in an election year to cave to the wave of Jew hatred, to leave Israel to fight Iran and its proxies alone.
Natan Sharansky, a famous Zionist Jew imprisoned in the Soviet Union who ultimately was freed, spoke (16:30) in Washington DC at a 300,000-person November 14 rally against antisemitism, for Israel and for a release of the hostages. He did not reserve his condemnation solely for Hamas but also American universities which celebrated the “liberation” of Gaza and slaughter of innocent Jews. He channeled Winston Churchill’s famous remarks and said (22:15) “We, together, will fight against those who try to give legitimacy to Hamas. We will fight for Israel. We will fight for every Jew. We will fight against antisemitism. We will fight for the values and against corruption of those values which are at the center of our Jewish identity and American identity.”
It was a speech by a man without portfolio, without an army. He called on the Jewish people to fight Hamas’s Willing Executioners in the halls of Congress, in university lecture halls and those storming the streets.
A month later, President Biden gave Israel until the end of the year to end the war, even if Hamas remains functional and able to carry out the October 7 massacre again as it has promised to do, and even if hostages are still trapped in Gaza. It will test Israel’s resolve to continue to fight against the evil on its borders, “if necessary for years, if necessary alone.” It remains to be seen if the American government will similarly leave diaspora Jews alone in their fight against antisemitism, or put it down aggressively whether coming from the alt-right or the alt-left, the radical jihadists or Black antisemites.
The war against the existence of Israel in the Middle East has reared its head again, just like 1947, and against global Jewry as it did in the preceding decade. The prosecution of the war for the Jewish State is being led by the Israeli government. Who will lead the fight against global antisemitism remains frighteningly uncertain.
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