Reading into the Implications of Operation "Gideon's Chariots

In every war, a story hides behind a name. The Israeli occupation excels at choosing titles that recycle ancient myths in a modern guise. Yet in Gaza, where modern chariots collide with the stones of the humble, the falsehood of the symbol is exposed. The “Gideon’s Chariots” operation is nothing more than another chapter in the occupation’s attempt to forge a mythical image—an image that quickly crumbles before a resistance that recalls the “stones of David.

But the irony did not end with the choice of the name. Just as the occupation invoked “Gideon’s Chariots,” the resistance, in turn, summoned another symbol no less present in memory: David’s sling and its stones. Thus, the scene was cast in a renewed historical image—chariots laden with weapons facing nothing but simple stones.

And yet, the question remains: Does Israel truly embody the image of Gideon and the few believers who overcame the Midianites? Or is it merely distorting the symbol to portray itself as the “oppressed,” while in reality it possesses the largest military arsenal in the region, backed by the greatest destructive power in history—the arsenal of the United States? And why does Israel not remind us of what befell the Israelites after Gideon’s death, when they returned to corruption and rebellion, and their victory faded away, turning instead into a historical curse?

Who is Gideon?

Gideon lived during the period of the “Judges,” a time in the history of the Israelites marked by turning away from God and political turmoil. During this period, the Israelites fell under the control of other peoples as a punishment for their sins. In Gideon’s story, the Israelites suffered under the oppression of the Midianites, who invaded their land and plundered their crops and livestock, causing them famine and extreme poverty.

It is mentioned that the Midianites were an ancient nomadic people descended from Midian. They were known for raising camels and sheep, and they engaged in trade between the East and the West, with their caravans passing through the old trade routes.

During the period of the Judges, they invaded the land of the Israelites and plundered their crops and livestock, which caused a severe famine.

The Period of the Judges

In that era, the Midianites were not the only ones who dominated the Israelites; other tribes such as the Amalekites and the people of the East also took part. They would raid their lands during the harvest seasons, plundering their crops and livestock, leaving them in extreme poverty and weakness. It was in this historical scene that Gideon emerged as a savior leader for his people.

“Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza, and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.” (Judges 6:3–4)

Gideon musters the army:

Gideon began to look around and saw his people crushed under the feet of the Midianites. He had no choice but to gather men to stand against this flood. He first called upon his household, then sent messengers to the neighboring tribes—Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. Thirty-two thousand men responded to his call, forming a large and enthusiastic army ready for battle.

The army dwindles

First stage: In the first stage, Gideon commanded that any man who was fearful or trembling could return to his home. As a result of this announcement, 22,000 men went back to their homes, and only 10,000 remained.
Second stage: In the second stage, Gideon led the remaining men to the water for a test. The Lord told him to observe how each man drank. Those who knelt on their knees to drink were many, but the men who scooped the water with their hands and lapped it while staying alert were 300 men.
Thus, the ranks began to diminish, revealing the wisdom behind it, and making everyone realize that victory is not achieved by numbers alone.

“So, Gideon brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon: ‘Everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself; likewise, everyone who kneels down to drink.’ And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.” (Judges 7:5–6)

By Deception, Gideon Defeats the Multitude

The story of the battle between Gideon and the Midianites is a striking example of an unconventional military strategy that relied on deception and intimidation rather than force.
Gideon divided the army into three groups and gave each soldier a trumpet to produce a loud and sudden sound, an empty clay jar to conceal the light, and a burning torch to shine brightly at the signal.
At midnight, when the Midianite camp had just fallen asleep, Gideon’s three groups moved quietly until they surrounded the camp from different sides. They blew the trumpets, creating a tremendous noise, and shouted loudly: “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!

The Midianites, who awoke to this tremendous sonic attack, were struck with panic and confusion. They thought they were surrounded by a very large army, and so they began attacking one another, which led to the killing of a great number of them. In the end, the Midianites were destroyed.
Gideon’s army was victorious, but did the Israelites remain faithful, or did they break their covenant as they did with the Prophet Moses when he went to meet his Lord? ( But for breaking their covenant We condemned them and hardened their hearts. They distorted the words of the Scripture and neglected a portion of what they had been commanded to uphold.) (Al-Ma'idah:13)

The Return to Misguidance After Salvation

After the death of Gideon, who had ruled them for 40 years, the Israelites abandoned true worship and returned to idolatry, especially the worship of Baal, the Canaanite god. They did not honor the family of Gideon who had saved them, which led to internal conflicts.
“And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal- their god.” (Judges 8:33)

The Israelites’ return to disbelief and idol worship led to a new enemy being set over them: the Ammonites, to whom the city of Amman, the capital of Jordan, is attributed. They oppressed the Israelites severely, which shows that God’s punishment always came after they broke His covenant and turned away from faith.

The Real Gideon vs. Israel’s Gideon

It remains for us to ask: Was Israel right in naming its operation "Gideon’s Chariots"?
Did it truly rely on wit and cunning rather than weapons and equipment?
Was it founded on steadfast faith in God, as was the case with Gideon and his men?
And has the Israeli entity ever truly represented the image of the oppressed and besieged Israelites who once suffered hunger and plunder?

All the evidence points to the opposite. The name itself carries within it a stark contradiction; for anyone who reads Gideon’s story in the Old Testament realizes the depth of the irony between an ancient symbol tied to weakness followed by victory, and the reality of an entity overflowing with power and weaponry, backed by the mightiest force in the world, yet failing to create true meaning.
The choice of the name is not a mark of success, but rather an exposure of the historical and spiritual contradiction, and a revelation of the chasm between an old story rich with lessons and a contemporary reality empty of wisdom and drowning in the arrogance of power.

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