An informative program, Israel in Focus: Hamas’ War – Truth and Consequences, featuring internationally respected scholar and military analyst MAJ. John W. Spencer, USA (Ret.), took place on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at the Sandler Family Campus. Presented as part of the 15th Annual Israel Today Series, this event offered insight into the realities of modern conflict and the challenges facing Israel and the world today.
Spencer, an award-winning expert on urban warfare with more than 25 years of service in the United States Army, brought clarity, context, and moral urgency to an often confusing landscape of war, media narratives, and misinformation. Drawing on firsthand experience and global research, he connected lessons from the battlefields of Israel, Ukraine, and beyond to explore the tactical, ethical, and humanitarian dimensions of modern warfare.
Throughout the evening, which was moderated by Jay Klebanoff, a past United Jewish Federation of Tidewater president, Spencer stressed that clarity and facts are essential during war. He examined the unique challenges of fighting in dense urban environments, including Hamas’s deliberate tactics that exploit civilian infrastructure and complicate military operations.
“No army in the world has ever had to face what Israel has faced. Israel has had to fight this war with the civilian population not able to flee the danger through border crossing,” said Spencer. “The law of war requires achieving the goal quickly to minimize harm. Every day, stopping the battle while their hostages are being tortured in tunnels to drop the leaflets and military maps, fly in speaking drones, and spend the time making phone calls into Gaza, warning the civilians to get out of harm’s way, which cost them the element of surprise. They chose to do so to minimize civilian casualties, even if it meant taking longer to achieve the goal.”
Spencer also addressed the intense global pressure on the Israel Defense Forces, noting that misinformation and incomplete narratives can obscure realities on the ground and shape public perception in ways that do not reflect the complexity of modern warfare.
“There are so many reasons why I say that there is an aversion to the truth on what Israel is supposed to be doing verses what Israel is doing, and the fact that they have done more to protect civilians than the law requires or frankly, than what we would have done, because they have the spirit of the IDF which has a moral and ethical code not to target civilians and do no harm. These morals are present in their actions and everything that I have seen,” Spencer said.
“There is always a balance between humanitarian concern and meeting the military mission. There has never been a military in the history of modern war other than the IDF that has fed the enemy’s population in enemy territory while the enemy is holding their hostages.”
“Mr. Spencer provided real-world, unfiltered examples of what is really happening in Gaza. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this eye-opening experience. Perhaps the best part of Mr. Spencer’s remarks came during his summary, where he explained his positive outlook for the future of not only the Middle East, but the entire world,” says Sean Adams, Deputy Chief, Virginia Beach Police Department.
“I truly wish the entire community at large had heard John Spencer in person,” says Megan Zuckerman, JCRC Israel chair. “We all see and hear the constant deluge of biased misinformation about Israel. John shed light on the conflict in an objective, informed, and refreshingly unbiased way based on decades of urban military expertise. He told the truth about Israel in a way everyone needs to hear.”
Klebanoff calls the discussion “an eye-opener for attendees. Major Spencer also described the unprecedented steps the IDF takes to let civilians know to evacuate before an area is bombed. Unfortunately, according to Spencer, in some cases, the civilians refuse to leave or are not allowed by Hamas to leave.”
While in Tidewater, Spencer also appeared on CBN’s 700 Club, where he expanded on these topics with Gordon Robertson, president of the Christian Broadcasting Network. During the interview, Spencer discussed the scale and sophistication of Hamas’s terror tunnel network in Gaza. He emphasized that fully dismantling Hamas is an extraordinarily complex challenge that extends beyond battlefield victories and requires sustained pressure, intelligence, and long-term strategy. Spencer also addressed the moral and operational dilemmas Israel faces in confronting an enemy that exploits civilian infrastructure, reinforcing his view that Israel’s actions must be understood within the realities of modern urban warfare. The interview may be viewed on CBN.com.
Israel in Focus was brought to Tidewater through a Jewish Federations of North America partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, American Jewish Committee, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
To learn more about the Jewish Community Relations Council of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, all area synagogues, and Community Partners’ 15th Annual Israel Today Series, visit JewishVA.org/IsraelToday or contact Nofar Trem, UJFT’s Israel engagement manager, at NTrem@ujft.org.
