Above all, it is not decency or goodness of gentleness that impresses the Middle East, but strength.

The line argues that, in Kahane’s view, political outcomes in the Middle East are driven less by moral appeal—“decency,” “goodness,” or “gentleness”—than by demonstrations of power. It reflects a hardline, realist (and in Kahane’s case, militant) conception of deterrence: adversaries are presumed to respect only force, so restraint or conciliatory gestures are framed as weakness that invites aggression. The quote’s significance lies in how it encapsulates a broader ideological posture associated with Kahane and Kahanism: prioritizing coercive strength and uncompromising policies as the primary means of securing Jewish safety and political aims, while dismissing ethical persuasion as ineffective in the regional context.