DON SHIFT: Lesson’s From Israel’s 9/11, Part 2

While many gun owners, preppers, and patriots have fantasies about being Wolverines in their own personal “Red Dawn,” the stark brutality as seen in Hamas’ 7 October raid into Southern Israel should douse those daydreams. Words cannot capture the abhorrence and dreadfulness of what was done. Those who are concerned about the state of affairs in the United States degenerating into a situation where something similar is possible need to confront within themselves the viciousness of civil conflicts.

Having examined how the events unfolded and were so bad, let’s look at some of the lessons Americans can apply when similar events happen here. Biggest lesson: you’re on your own, no one is coming to save you. The second lesson is that the fight will be harder and more horrible than you imagine.

A Failure of Intelligence and Imagination

Let’s start with complacency. On the Israeli side, many of the troops were on leave for the holiday. As in October of 1973, clearly the military thought their intel indicated the risk of attack was low. With the completion of the Gaza barrier and the subsequent decline in cross-border terror attacks, it seems that Israel and the communities in the south assumed the threat of raids was virtually gone. As we know today, that was a fatal mistake.

One Israeli expressed his frustration with a “digital army” that became over-reliant on remote sensors and remote machine guns, meaning that when the digital element failed, the defenses were down. A pop culture example of this kind of hubris is in Jurassic Park where when the virus hit, the electric fences failed. The assumption seems to have been that the border was impregnable. It was assumed that the barrier would never be breached, so containment measures weren’t taken into serious consideration.

Years of relative peace, aside from rocket barrages, may have lulled Israel into a false sense of security. Likewise, millions of Americans assume that we are invulnerable from terrorism or foreign attacks because of the two oceans astride us. Thankfully, only a handful of US communities are proximate to cartel-ridden border towns, but we do have a problem with potential enemies being deep inside. Israelis seem to have forgotten that they are on the frontier. Americans seem to have forgotten that our current degree of peace and prosperity is an exception in history.

Intelligence is vital in preparing a defense. Israel probably expected that there would be greater warning from human assets or other pre-attack indicators allowing troops to be ready, rather than be taken by total surprise. How many crime victims are lost in their own bubbles oblivious to an imminent assault? Far too many so-called preppers also have little or no understanding of the human factors that might lead to conditions of violence or unrest in their community.

There is also a consistent failure to properly appreciate the capabilities of one’s enemy. Facetious country songs are good for morale but a terrible strategy. Hamas “[Tried] That in a Small Town” and may have started World War III, so stop thinking a half-dozen good ol’ boys in the back of a F-150 is the antidote to everything. Underestimating an enemy is always suicidal and I’m afraid that Americans figure they will be going up against clowns in SHTF who will never learn.

Terrorists like Hamas, inner city gang members, or the sicarios of Latin American cartels have a capacity for ruthlessness restrained Americans who like to talk about honor don’t understand. Your enemy is likely to be indifferent to his own survival, lacking any interest self-preservation. He doesn’t care if he dies. What appears to us as a suicide mission is merely an operational risk he is willing to take.

Oops, sorry I breached your compound, bro.

Many kibbutzim (traditionally collective farms) are isolated communities sort of like a large fort on the frontier. A small, close-knit society that is sited strategically and surrounded by walls or fences might seem like an ideal place to ride out SHTF. Many preppers have or dream of such compounds. Indeed, the kibbutz idea was partially influenced by a need for mutual defense against Arab hostility. Proper defensive positions and fighters increased as Israel moved towards independence and depredations on kibbutzim grew.

Unlike during the 1948 conflict, it appears that the defenses at these vulnerable locations on the Gaza border were pitifully weak. Video from the conflict shows many of these places little better than a gated community in the United States. While their walls may be topped with barbed wire and the driveways gated, these are easily defeated with cutters and ladders. Any obstacle that is not covered by fire is not a speedbump, not a barrier.

At Kibbutz Be’eri, about three miles from the border, a mile and a half from its nearest neighboring community, militants killed a security guard at the front gate. Video shows terrorists being stopped by the entrance gate, however, rather than attempting to climb it, they simply waited in ambush until a resident’s car approached. The car arrives, the gate begins to open, and the terrorists run from cover, opening fire, killing everyone inside the car.

Once inside, over 70 militants went door to door seemingly randomly alternating killing and kidnapping. Some families saw their children killed and the parents abducted or vise versa. As was covered in Part 1, while many kibbutzim have internal QRF forces, they do not maintain a true 24/7 watch and weapons are kept collectively. Like a combat outpost in Iraq, compounds in SHTF need to have armed fighters in OP/LPs around the clock.

A security guard who runs a gate is not a credible deterrent to a serious attacker. At best, he is a pair of eyes who can sound an alarm or challenge suspicious characters. While in a time of relative peace, one can forgive the kibbutzniks for assuming they would have enough warning from the IDF to muster a defense, clearly that cannot be taken for granted any longer. In a failure of civility, civilian defenders must maintain a constant armed watch that can put up a credible defense long enough to delay the attack until all defenders can turn out.

Because of Israeli gun control, firearms are stored communally and not in the residence. The minuteman concept of being able to deploy ready to fight from the front door is absent, something that would probably shock those Enfield and Mauser toting defenders of decades past. One survivor opined that despite being a member of his kibbutz’s QRF, he was unable to get a weapon from the armory six feet away. This doesn’t mean that every kibbutz went undefended. Kibbutz Nir Am was able to deploy its 12-man team and kill over 20 infiltrators.

The number one “ballistic” lesson is the value of having firearms and knowing how to use them. Israel has stunningly harsh gun control laws, including “community” storage and concealed carry is uncommon. The images of people carrying rifles around are soldiers on duty, not civilians like American open carriers. Civilians were unable to put up any resistance because they didn’t have guns. This attack is perfect evidence that gun control will get people killed by their enemies.

If you do have a firearm, have plenty of ammo and know how to use it. You may be forced to create an ad hoc civilian militia to defend yourself against military-style adversaries. Be capable of defending yourself against assault rifle armed troops or at least put up meaningful resistance. Train with your friends, neighbors, or whatever mutual aid group you have in force-on-force dynamic situations, such as airsoft and paintball. Learn to make use of cover, concealment, and tactical movements.

Hostages and kidnappings

A major goal of the raid was to obtain hostages, resulting in methodical door-to-door searches for victims. One survivor realized that shelters were being targeted and hid with his family in the attic. Other survivors hid in a hallway whose entrance resembled a closet. Those who did hide in shelters that could not be penetrated were smoked out where terrorists set fire to the house. Overcome by smoke, the shelterees had no choice but to evacuate into the hands of their assailants.

If someone attempts to kidnap you, do everything you possibly can to fight or escape during the initial attempt. Even if you die in the process, it is better than being taken hostage. Never assume that as a hostage you will fare better than if they threaten or try to kill you in the initial attack.

Always fight back, no matter how overwhelming the odds or what threats they are making. It is better to try and fight or attempt to flee than put your fate in the hands of a criminal or terrorists. There are plenty of stories of potential victims who escaped from serial killers and terrorists by putting up token resistance or taking a chance to get away as soon as the attack began.

Don’t assume that you will be treated decently and either be rescued later or have a chance to get away. Too many victims have thought this, only to be taken to a second crime scene where they were tortured, raped, and/or murdered. Begging and pleading for mercy does not work on bloodthirsty terrorists. Some times they want to taunt, torture, beat, and humiliate their captives.

If you are going to die, you might as well do it while you can still have a chance. One man had a handgun his family agreed to shoot back, if necessary, acknowledging they would probably be killed, but they refused to be taken prisoner. Why not take one with you?

If you have been wounded and can at all move, continue to try to escape or move. Should you be unable to get away, at least crawl to cover or to a hidden position. Do not risk becoming a wounded hostage or waiting for the enemy to come around and give you a coup de grace.

Other considerations

In the initial attack, Hamas targeted military surveillance and communication facilities to blind the IDF. We’ve seen examples from South Africa in particular where jammers have been used to deny victims the ability to call for help, though it does not appear these were used by Hamas. Victims and survivors were communicating on cellphones, which allowed for silent communication via text message, but this forces reliance on Wi-Fi and the cell network.

Alternate forms of comms, like field phones or radios, should be utilized. Compounds need to have a central alarm system, which at least one kibbutz had. Rhodesian farms used a radio system called Agric-Alert to raise the alarm when terrorists attacked. This was tied into the police radio net for direct communication with authorities and other farms.

Hospitals were struck by rockets, sustaining various levels of damage. It must be assumed that your local hospital may be unusable. Also, EMS crews were attacked. In the US, firefighters and EMS will generally not respond to any area where they would be exposed to attack. CASEVAC may be up to you.

Expect that you will not be able to summon an ambulance or get people to a hospital for several hours. You must be prepared to staunch traumatic injuries long enough for whatever medical care you can get to stabilize the patient. Utilize alternatives like bringing your own trauma supplies to a physician in the neighborhood.

Be prepared to evacuate or shelter-in-place due to urban fighting, even in residential areas. If you live in an area of heightened danger or should such attacks become common in your area, have a bug-out-bag staged. Escapes may have to take place so fast that there is not time to do anything other than run. Be prepared to be displaced for long periods. Militants held out for hours and even days. The search-and-destroy operations or even just due diligence in clearing areas can paralyze daily life.

Conclusion

SHTF doesn’t look like complicated plots trying to overthrow some Machiavellian warlord or miraculously successful ambushes on foreign invaders. It is seeing over the rim of your coffee cup raiders shooting your dog, moving house to house, slaughtering innocents, and burning homes. You cannot assume that because you are a veteran or train with your firearm that you will be successful.

Most Americans, even vets and preppers, have the wrong idea about how things will go. They expect that they are the good guys and will inevitably win; that they will survive. Maybe they have expectations that they will see the attack coming or will be on the offensive.

The actuality is that of raiders at dawn or in the dead of night moving in and overrunning your position. It is seeing your neighbors killed, your homes burned, children executed before your very eyes, and loved ones being drug off to captivity. Expect to be fighting from the back foot. Assume the starting conditions are not victory, but a defeat. SHTF will be in “hard” mode.

About the author: Don Shift is a veteran of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and author of the Suburban Defense/Rural Home Defense series, a cop’s guides to surviving riots, civil war, or SHTF