Yonah Bob discusses Israel under attack on all fronts

By Regan Lipes

(AJNews) – When world renowned journalist Yonah Jeremy Bob spoke at Beth Shalom Synagogue at the invitation of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton on October 29, it was five years to the day since his last local appearance. The charismatic and brutally straightforward Jerusalem Post journalist began the evening by saying that he wanted to let the audience know that “It’s all going to be okay.”

“Now I’m going to tell you why it’s not okay right now,” he continued, “but I’ll cycle back by the end of the evening, and I’ll remind you: It’s going to be okay.” This was met with muffled chuckles and a few quizzical faces, but despite the grim state of affairs in Israel right now, Bob was able to clearly situate listeners within the detailed context of how things have progressed to this point, and where he, objectively speaking, forecasts they will head from here.

Bob divided his in-depth analysis into three fronts: the situation in Gaza, threats to Israel in the North, and the constant danger posed by Iran. Despite the fact that just one of these topics could fill an entire lecture series on its own, Bob’s examination synthesized these imminently critical issues understandably. All this was framed by his book-end statement that “It’s going to be okay.”

In his extensive work with the Jerusalem Post, Bob has his finger on the pulse of Israel’s ever evolving circumstances. His previous work in the military’s international law division, at the Israeli embassy to the United Nations, and at the Israeli Justice Ministry means he brings a wealth of experience and understanding to the job. Really, there is no better person to comment from a place of knowledge about the current political turmoil in the Jewish Homeland than Bob. Addressing such sensitive issues as national security can be a tricky business though, and if the evening could have had its own catchphrase it would have been: “According to foreign sources.” Frequently, when Bob alluded to sensitive information, he would preface the statement this way to disassociate the details from any one official body – far more endearing than cryptic.

According to Bob the events of October 7 represented a massive fail for Israel on every level – military, intelligence, security and political. He cited his personal opinion that the events of October 7 could have been “less successful” for Hamas terrorists had there been even “just slightly” more of a military presence along the border. They were unprepared on every level that day, he stated sadly.

Bob described the tragic number of deaths of Gazans that followed, the extreme difficulties that the IDF had executing dense urban warfare where Hamas enclaves were located under and adjacent to schools and residential areas. He discussed that the Israeli intelligence and military was much more prepared for the fight with Hezbollah, who began firing missiles at Israel that very day. He described his experiences as a journalist witnessing the effects of war, respecting the humanity of everyone involved.

Bob was unapologetic of his evaluation that Israel needs a strong and sizeable defense force. In his work as a journalist, he has toured Northern Israel and was categorical that for displaced residents still unsure when they will be able to return home there is no end in sight.

Audience members were able to purchase Bob’s book Target Tehran: How Mossad is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination – and Secret Diplomacy – to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Realign the Middle East. The title may be a mouthful, but it is as exciting and thrilling as it sounds – an edge-of-your-seat kind of read: just with real life stories.

“The narrative also keeps the bigger picture in view, a picture not only involving Israel’s goal of stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons, but also the broader mission of preventing it from providing sophisticated weapons to other countries and groups in the region,” writes Bob and co-author  Ilan Evyatar.  Even in his lecture, it all cycled back to Iran. Not the Iran of pre-1979 cosmopolitanism, but the radicalized powder-keg of international tension and radicalism fueled by a battle-cry of antisemitism enforced by the government.

“In Iran, for Khamenei and his advisors, the main goal was to prevent Israel from being able to act on the intelligence it had seized,” write Bob and Evyatar.  As an expert on the Mossad and special operations, he was able to speak from a reliable place of knowledge during his lecture, and his book read with much the same expertise. “Whatever the outcome of the current Gaza War, and however the Middle East aligns in its wake, Iran remains the greatest threat to Israel and its only existential threat.”

Bob is an eloquent and engaging speaker with grace and authority. It is no wonder that such an elegant intellectual has been asked to appear on CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera despite his unwavering dedication to Zionism and the Jewish people. As an Israeli journalist, there may be no more relatable a figure than Yonah Jeremy Bob, and the Edmonton Jewish community was certainly happy to welcome him back.

In his book he writes the Mossad promise: ’Iran will not have nuclear weapons’ he vowed, ‘not in the coming years, not ever. That is my promise. That is the Mossad’s promise.’  Despite this categorical declaration given by the Mossad, Bob concludes by saying: “Our book ended with the Mossad’s promise never to allow Iran to become a nuclear weapons state. With everything that has happened since October 7, 2023, will the Mossad be able to keep that promise?”

Regan Lipes is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter