Due to concern over global warming, some have argued that the world needs to reduce its population, and have even encouraged people to stop having children. In the Jewish state, a small country whose population this year surpassed 9.3 million, the argument becomes a more specific claim that “Israel is full.” Sam Lehman-Wilzig thinks such predictions of doom are all wrong:

First of all, from a global standpoint, Israel’s population is a drop in the bucket. Moreover, around 2050 or 2060 the world’s overall population numbers will start to decline! Some countries have already started on this downward slide: Russia, Japan, Portugal, [for instance]—and many others (China, most of Europe) are not far behind. Second, the naysaying Cassandras (of every generation) tend to disregard completely original solutions that human ingenuity—driven by economic necessity—comes up with to resolve “existential” problems.

After offering some concrete suggestions for how the Israeli government could handle growing demand for housing, Lehman-Wilzig admits that such technical solutions miss the bigger picture, which is that there is no population crisis:

In my opinion, the biggest benefit of increasing population numbers lies elsewhere: social psychology. [Those] countries whose population is growing are upbeat about the future; countries with stagnant or declining population represent (and are felt by the populace to be) stagnant societies. It is no coincidence—although it is impossible to “prove” any direct causation—that Israel is one of the few Western countries with a rising population, and simultaneously has one of the most vibrant economies, with close to the strongest currency in the world today. When people subconsciously feel that they are living in the midst of a vibrant society, they will be happier (Israel is near the top of international “happiness” surveys) and more productive.

Twenty million Israelis living in the country by 2050? Bring it on. Yes, it will offer challenges, but it also means doubling the country’s brainpower to meet those challenges.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.