Written by Montgomery J Granger @mjgranger1
I’ve never played three-way chess before, but the conflict between Israel and Hamas seems to have become even more complex than that crazy game, with Hamas, Israel, and a host of other interested parties—including but not limited to the US, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the UN, European Union, et al—chiming in about this and that, ad nauseum! I would prefer Chinese checkers, Risk, or even Monopoly if I were to play a multiplayer game, but not three-way chess!
Chess requires thoughtful contemplation, vision, creativity, courage, patience, grit, and an expert appreciation for each piece on the board in order to exploit an opponent’s weaknesses.
But my game analogy, even of three-way chess, vastly oversimplifies the current Israeli-Hamas conflict. It is not as simple as pieces on a board, taken off by rule here and there, one at a time, and then neatly placed “away” on a table until the match is over. This conflict sees multiple players making multiple moves simultaneously.
But worse, these are not inanimate tokens on a play surface. These are real human beings, mostly innocent ones, young, old, infirm, and pregnant, who are being slaughtered. And there appears to be no holds barred.
The goal of Israel, which should be the goal of all civilized nations on earth, is the eradication of the terrorist gang called Hamas. But even if all the Hamas murderers were destroyed, Israel and her allies sadly cannot destroy an idea, in this case, the idea that Israel should be wiped off the map and, with it, all Jews.
That is the idea that is implanted in every “Palestinian” brain almost at birth. It cannot be eradicated. No matter how horrible, how destructive, or how absurd the enemies of Israel become, they will always have the idea that Israel deserves any and every evil that can be inflicted on it. The attacks by Hamas on hundreds of innocent Israelis, as well as those from other nations, on October 7 prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.
This is an eternal conflict, not a sometimes conflict, an accidental conflict, or a fly-by-night conflict. These terrorists, at least since 1979 in the modern era with the Iranian Hostage Crisis, are seriously coming not just for Jews but for us – you, me, our parents, our children, our friends and neighbors, and even our adversaries if they do not ascribe to the terrorists’ narrative.
Recently, on social media, I listened to an apparent phone conversation between an ecstatic Hamas terrorist and his parents, extolling his accomplishment of having just “killed ten Jews with [his] own hands,” and brutally so. His mother apparently shed tears of joy, and his father praised his son and asked when he was coming home so that they could properly celebrate this wonderful achievement.
Then, I saw a social media post from an all-female Israeli military unit bragging about having just slain “100 Hamas” terrorists.
And so, it goes. As Hamas members are taught from a young age to kill all Jews, so, too, young people in Israel are taught and trained in how to defend their land against terrorism.
This is a vicious, ugly cycle of death and destruction, like the “death roll” of a crocodile, which locks its jaws around its prey and then rolls on the ground, tearing away chunks of flesh and smashing bones until the prey dies, and is then consumed.
Although an oversimplification, comparing the Israeli-Hamas conflict with chess can be instructive. Moves must be thought out in advance of actually touching, moving, engaging, and then releasing the piece, which signifies the end of a sortie or mission. Before each move, the player must first consider a probable counter move by his opponent and the consequences of each, weighed against the goal of eventual victory, whatever that looks like.
The possible moves become numerous and potentially overwhelming. And there is pressure: the clock is ticking, and each moment spent thinking about the next move allows the opponent time to do the same. Best to move quickly in order to seize the initiative and keep the opponent on the defensive and reacting to your moves instead of making their own, forcing them into a defensive posture and, therefore, a reactive instead of an offensive mindset.
The late martial artist Bruce Lee, still considered to be the undisputed master of all masters of the ancient Chinese art of self-defense and the progenitor of today’s mixed martial arts or MMA, used ancient Chinese Taoist philosophy of yin and yang to evolve martial arts into a simple but effective way of life.
In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang are fundamental concepts that represent the dualistic nature of existence. Yin is associated with qualities such as receptivity, softness, passivity, and yielding. Yang, on the other hand, embodies qualities like activity, hardness, aggressiveness, and dominance. These two opposing but complementary forces interact in a dynamic balance, and their interplay is fundamental to the natural order of things.
Early in his career, by challenging and then sometimes being defeated by a foe, Bruce Lee evolved martial arts into a physical manifestation of the Taoist philosophy, combating an opponent with simultaneous offense and defense. This was a turning point in his growth and dominance in martial arts.
Opponents were too embedded in one form of martial arts or the other. Bruce would identify a weakness in the art form and then exploit it to his advantage since he himself was not tied to one form of fighting or the other.
Bruce Lee synthesized the most effective moves of each martial art he encountered and then applied the Taoist philosophy of yin and yang in order to create the most effective form–a free form–of physical dominance.
His favorite analogy to illustrate his beliefs was water. Water can be shapeless and yielding but can also be powerful and overwhelming, like yin and yang. He believed that martial artists should be able to adjust their techniques and tactics based on the situations they are facing.
The Israeli-Hamas conflict has evolved as well, but both sides are grappling with predictable and ineffective methods that may feel good at the time (reference the Hamas terrorist and female IDF unit mentioned previously) but will lead nowhere in the end. They are trapped in the idea and belief that violence is the only solution or at least the only thing that feels good at the time.
In order to emerge victorious, meaning ‘the last person standing,’ both sides must contemplate the best and worst possible outcomes, and then plan moves to accommodate the solution while avoiding defeat. But victory is looking more and more like defeat.
It is perhaps too easy to fantasize about an eventual peaceful outcome and more difficult to actually achieve it. In order for Israel and the nomadic Arab tribes that make up what many call Palestine to end the violence, there must be an understanding and appreciation of the need for balance. Peace and love are also states of mind, along with hate and violence.
A violent state of mind leads only down the road to ruin and is out of touch with reality. One must envision peace and harmony before one can achieve it like playing out chess moves in one’s mind or anticipating an attacking fist in mortal combat.
The discipline of sports psychology can provide instruction here as it uses guided imagery with great success. These techniques help elite athletes remember and replay in their minds their “perfect performances,” and then use all five senses to cue a recall and application of these winning performances.
These same techniques can be used to teach belligerents how much better peace, love, and harmony can be over violence, destruction, and death. But there must be an example, a leader, a master, with enough respect and influence to show the way.
Who will this master be? Who can it be? Who will both sides listen to with the awe and respect necessary for victory?
Montgomery J. Granger is a Christian, husband, father, retired educator, retired US Army Major, and author of “Saving Grace at Guantanamo Bay: A Memoir of a Citizen Warrior.” Find him @mjgranger1 on ‘X,’ GETTR, GAB, TruthSocial, Bluesky, RallyPoint, Instagram and FB.