The Dumbest Thing Golda Meir Ever Said

In 1969, Golda Meir famously said: “When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.”

These words have become a moral weapon wielded against Israel’s attempts to defend itself. In the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks, liberal Jewish intellectuals frequently quote Meir’s statement. They argue that protecting ourselves by forcibly removing the Palestinians from Gaza would spiritually compromise Israel.

Their implication is clear: defending ourselves by inflicting pain upon our enemies is worse than the brutal murder of our own people. They believe that by taking decisive action, we risk losing our moral high ground. To act like our enemies, even in self-defense, would mean abandoning our ethical standards. We must not become the very monsters we fight, they argue. To preserve our souls, we must absorb the blows, no matter the cost.

But is Golda Meir’s quote true? Are her words—about forgiving Arabs for killing our sons and about the spiritual cost of defending ourselves—actually correct?

The answer lies in the life of King David, a warrior-king who was both a legendary military leader and a supremely righteous man. David slaughtered thousands of Israel’s enemies, yet he remained the most spiritually elevated king in Jewish history. Despite being a warrior who shed more enemy blood than any other king, he was simultaneously the most holy and beloved figure in our tradition.

The Hebrew Bible provides unequivocal testimony to David’s character:

Another passage declares that:

The Sages reveal God’s direct response to David: “When David was told that he could not build the Temple due to the blood that he had shed, he became frightened, and said: ‘I am not worthy of building the Temple!’ God replied soothingly to David: ‘Do not fear! Those [whom you killed in battle]… are like holy sacrifices before me'” (Yalkut Shimoni, Shmuel II, Remez 145).

Let’s examine Golda’s quote point by point. Will we forgive the Arabs for killing our sons? Absolutely not. The Gazans who raped, mutilated, and murdered our brothers and sisters have committed atrocities so barbaric that forgiveness would itself be a moral crime. They do not merit forgiveness—they merit total destruction. The October 7 massacre revealed a culture of pure evil, a bottomless pit of hatred that cannot be redeemed. Every terrorist, every supporter, every silent bystander who allowed these monstrous acts to occur deserves nothing less than complete elimination. To suggest forgiveness is to betray the memory of our murdered children, our slaughtered families. The pain, the loss, the stolen futures—these demand not just justice, but total annihilation. We will not forget. We will not forgive. 

What about Golda’s second point? Will killing the Arab terrorists cause us irreversible spiritual damage? King David proves otherwise. Was David’s soul ruined? Was he ethically or morally inferior to today’s self-righteous Jews who are so disgusted by President Trump’s proposal to transfer Arabs out of Gaza? Certainly not! He was a warrior who killed without remorse when necessary, and yet he remained the most spiritually elevated king in our history. 

Today, self-righteous Jews gasp at the thought of expelling those who danced in the streets as our children were butchered. They clutch their pearls over the “moral cost” of erasing the monsters who burned families alive. Their cowardice masquerades as ethics.

Sorry, Golda—I will never forgive the terrorists who murdered my brothers and sisters. And the souls of our holy soldiers who rid the world of this evil? They’re just fine, thank you very much.

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This moment demands new leadership—leaders who won’t shrink in the face of evil, but who will stand firm in defending our people and our land. The failures of establishment Jewish leadership have left us vulnerable, but we have an opportunity to change course.

Israel365 Action, our party in the upcoming World Zionist Congress elections, is committed to restoring biblical values to Jewish leadership. We believe that standing up to evil isn’t just a political necessity—it’s a divine imperative. The World Zionist Congress elections offer a historic chance to bring bold, unapologetic Zionist leadership to the forefront.

Your vote can help us redirect Zionist resources toward strengthening Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, deepening alliances with Israel’s true friends, and ensuring that Jewish leadership is guided by faith, not fear. The time for action is now. Register to vote today and help us reclaim the future of Zionism.