Brig. General (US Army retired) John Adams: Israel is fighting civilizational War with Hamas and Iran

by Jerry Gordon and Brig. General (US Army Retired) John Adams

Jerry Gordon, a Senior Editor of The New English Review, invited retired US Army Brig. General John Adams to discuss Israel Defense Force military doctrine and strategic options in the conduct of the Jewish state’s civilizational war with Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. He addresses the conflict given his extensive background as a 30-year veteran of combat, staff and international military diplomatic assignments and post-service informal analysis and discussions with former Senior IDF commanders.

Watch the YouTube interview with Brig. Gen. (US Army retired) John Adams here.

Background of General John Adams

John Adams retired as a Brigadier General from the U.S. Army in September 2007, after more than 30 years of active-duty service. His final military assignment was Deputy United States Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee in Belgium. John is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm (1991), where he earned the Bronze Star Medal, of Operation Guardian Assistance in Rwanda (1996), and served throughout the Balkans from 1998-2003. He served as a military attaché with the U.S. Embassies in South Korea, Croatia, Belgium, and Rwanda. In 2004, he served on temporary duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was deployed outside the United States for eighteen of his thirty years of active-duty service, including duty in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

He was stationed at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and participated in disaster recovery operations at the crash site.

During the past five years, he has participated in unofficial fact-finding missions in Israel, Egypt, Turkey, the Balkans, and Cuba. He has close business relationships with retired officers of the Israeli Defense Forces, several NATO Allies, and is a strong supporter of the U.S. alliance with the State of Israel and NATO.

 Among the major findings in this wide-ranging discussion are:

1. The morality of IDF military doctrine based on Jewish religious doctrine.
2. The constraints on IDF operations in Gaza and regionally in the Middle East.
3. The threats posed by an Iran – backed coalition of Islamist terror groups: Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi Rebels in Yemen, Shia Militia Groups in Iraq, IRGC echelons and the remnants of ISIS in Syria.
4. The irrelevance of major media and military commentary from US and foreign former commanders on IDF conduct of complex urban warfare against Hamas fighters in Gaza. as it detracts from war aim- destruction of Hamas.
5. Why requests for a Humanitarian Pause and Cease Fire are questionable when more than 230 plus Israeli Jewish Hostages are held in underground tunnels by Hamas in Gaza.
6. His evaluation of the war strategy proposals of former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, cited in a recent New York Times Bret Stephens column. Bennett has extensive special operations experience as an officer with the Sayeret Matkal and Maglan Brigade. His recommendations appear to being followed by IDF commanders fighting Hamas in Gaza. They offer the benefits of potential reduction of IDF forces, isolation of Hamas fighters while minimizing civilian casualties.
7. The wisdom of former Russian Refusenik and former Israeli Deputy Prime Minister, Natan Sharansky, a voice of moral authority, who foresaw growth of Hamas terrorism when he advised Prime Ariel Sharon against Gaza disengagement in 2005 and left. (See his recent Wall Street Journal interview.) He also opposed the Oslo Accords under late Prime Minister Rabin because of support for corrupt Yassir Arafat as Palestinian Leader which did not resolve Palestinian refugee status. Sharansky supports the current strategic object of destroying Hamas and suggests post-war an international peace force be deployed in Gaza to prevent the reversion to Islamist doctrine which may facilitate international redevelopment. Sharansky believes behind all of this is Iran stoking the current and regional conflicts. He believes the US should go after them directly, if necessary.
8. General Adams ends this discussion addressing why this conflict has sparked Global Antisemitism. He suggests that Jews are the ultimate target, as these terrorist groups feed on Islamist doctrine- killing Jews. He contends the Israeli war objectives in Gaza have been hampered by the lack of Human Intelligence. It should be coordinated with electronic intelligence. There should be no compromise with Hamas in this existential battle by the Jewish State. Based on his own experience in the Bosnia-Kosovo conflict, the end state may require the deployment of an international force for an extended period.