A lovely story to take with me to the gym:
Maneuvering the enemy: The Israel government reportedly employed several measures in order to lead Hamas into a false sense of security and ensure the operation against the Islamist group would take the organization by complete surprise.
The tactic called for Defense Minister Ehud Barak to allow trucks carrying humanitarian aid into the Gaza, despite the ongoing rocket fire on the western Negev.
So glad I didn’t write that outraged post I was going to write. Actually, I believed the cover story of why they were letting in the aid—to build up international credit to attack Hamas. I knew it wouldn’t work. But I didn’t know that the real reason they sent in the aid was cover for the attack. That totally worked. Bravo, IDF!
However leaks to the media prompted Hamas officials to go underground in anticipation of the operation, forcing Israel to rethink its strategy and attempt a three-stage deception maneuver.
 Stage one called for the press to learn that the cabinet was only briefed on the situation in Gaza, but that no operational decisions were made.
 Stage two called for Barak to announce that humanitarian aid would be let into the Strip on Friday.
 Stage three had the media learn that the “kitchenette” – the narrow forum comprised of Olmert, Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni – would be meeting on Sunday to discuss future options.
These steps, said political sources, bore fruit.
Yes, they did. Boy, did they ever.
“Hamas pulled its people out of hiding and resumed normal operations,” said the sources. “It would seem that Hamas believes the Israeli media, and thought it had a few more days before Israel launched an operation… once the tactical opportunity presented itself, the prime minister called Barak and Livni to his home on Friday night and they made the decision.”
You see what happens when you create an army out of smart Jews? They tend out outthink the enemy, adapt their tactics as needed, and ultimately, win.
I take back all the bad things I said about Olmert in the last week. But not the ones before. And I pray that no more kassam rockets find a mark in Israel. Stay safe, cousins.
“They tend out outthink the enemy, adapt their tactics as needed, and ultimately, win.”
Militarily and tactically, they are better, smarter, and more experienced. But strategically, I don’t see returning fire as a good long term solution to solving the Israel-Palestine conflict.
It’s not a long-term solution, nor is it intended to be. Read the full article for what the IDF is trying to accomplish.
The problem, Harrison, is that the Palestinians don’t want peace, and have never accepted that they were defeated—mostly because the world keeps letting them act like the victors, insisting on dictating terms to Israel, instead of dealing with the reality that Israel will never give up Jerusalem.
Long-term, the Palestinians need to stop teaching their children to hate Jews, stop dreaming of returning to what are now Israeli towns, and stop trying to get their way with bombs and rockets. But you already knew that, I’m sure.
Also, though, Israel needs to make sure all of their settlers are out of the Gaza Strip and that they give the peace process a chance to work. Long term, this requires concessions from both sides, and more from the Israelis then they deserve to be asked for. The price of peace is high.
Harrison,
I’m sorry, Israel doesn’t have to do anything except defend itself.In fact, Israel has done more than enough to try to appease the terror thugs that inhabit gaza.Your canard of ‘settlers out’ doesn’t hold validity.Can I say bullshit?
Unfortunately the only way that true peace will take hold in the area, is when the terror apparatus in gaza is crushed as it should have been years ago.
Israel has my complete support!
Harrison, the last settlers were forcibly removed from Gaza in 2005.
There is no peace process when there is no partner in peace. Abbas has stated, many times, that he’s perfectly willing to go back to terrorism if he doesn’t get what he wants through negotiations.
Harrison, not only are you out of date on the fact that Israeli settlers were out of the Gaza Strip three years ago, you haven’t noticed that Israel has been trying to make peace, and giving concessions, for many years. Remember the Oslo Accords? That was a try by Israel at peace with the Arabs. The result was ramped up terrorism by the PLO under Arafat’s command.
The Arab treachery was deliberate. Arafat told Edward Said that the Oslo agreement was a Treaty of Hudabiya, the deceptive peace treaty Muhammed made with his Meccan enemies until he was strong enough to massacre them. Said was not satisfied, he wanted continued attempts at overt genocide, not a pretend peace treaty, so he resigned from the Palestinain National Council in protest. Israel went into that agreement in good faith, the Pali Arabs did not. That more or less sums up the whole history of Israel’s attempts to make peace with them.
You speak of concessions from both sides. Israel has given them. Israel has pulled out of Gaza and parts of the West Bank, reduced patrols and checkpoints, handed over authority to the PA for most areas, given the Palis goods and services, like electrical power, even as the Palis stiffed them for the price of the power, not paying their bills. The Palis have not actually fulfilled a single thing that they agreed to do under Oslo or the several other “agreements” Israel has made with them. These Hamas truces are a perfect example of how it works. Israel is supposed to stop fighting back and the Arabs continue to kill Jews. How long do you think that excrementum tauri should go on?
Where Israel has had a real “peace partner” Israel has fulfilled whatever was required of her in the agreements Israel made. Witness the return of the Sinai to Egypt. Nor has Jordan had any occasion to fear Israel since the two countries made peace. If the Arabs stopped trying to destroy Israel and kill the Jews they would have nothing to fear from Israel. But it seems the Arabs are too wrought up in their own psychopathology to contemplate such a thing. Outsiders do not help bring peace about when they damn Israel for defending herself and her citizens while continually giving a pass to the Palis for their violence, bad faith, and genocidal ambitions.
I hear occasionally about “confidence building” measures. Curiously, that seems to refer only to Israel. Three years ago Israel withdrew unconditionally from Gaza, leaving the Palestinians there to their own devices. This was a chance to build confidence with the Israelis, to show that when given their own land, full control of it, the Palestinians could deal with it and build confidence towards further Israeli concessions.
We see what that led to. So what other concessions should Israel make and what should the Arabs offer, except promises?
I do not mean to be flippant; I am genuinely sorry that innocent people will be caught in this. As far as I can tell the IDF goes to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties, as opposed to its enemies, for whom civilian casualties are the point.
But for my part, not that it should detain Israeli decision makers in the slightest, I’m OK with whatever the IDF and the Israeli government sees the need to do.
My apologies on the factual error.
Israel is dealing with an enemy that is neither rational nor logical.
Hamas has denounced the Oslo accords, and, as we know, refuses to recognize Israel. It’s hard to get a group like that to the negotiating table, especially when your side “doesn’t exist”. But that is the most important thing to do in this case. When Israel has negotiated (Fatah, for example), there has been great success. In response to the attacks, we got this:
“We spoke to them and told them ‘Please, we ask you not to end the cease-fire. Let it continue,'” Abbas said.
That quote directed to Hamas.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230456495581&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Am I saying Israel does not have a right to defend itself? No. Am I saying that Israel was unjust in firing the missiles? No. But do you all honestly think that retaliating for missile attacks actually solves anything?
Think of what needs to be achieved. Ten years down the road, if we just keep retaliating, nothing will be different.
Side note: When Israel signed peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, it was after defeating them in conventional warfare.
Harrison, you need to read the Hamas charter. There is no negotiating with them. In fact, every month or so, a major Hamasnik repeats their insistence that they will destroy Israel.
When there is absolutely no basis for negotiation, then your only recourse is to war.
By your own admission, it is Israel’s show of strength that gets its enemies to negotiate peace deals. So what, exactly, are you arguing here?
Lastly, yes, retaliating for missile attacks solves things—when the “retaliation” (it’s called self-defense) is done correctly. The Gaza War is showing every indication of Israel doing it correctly.
Watch for Hamas to fold in the coming weeks.
If Hamas folds, then I will be proven wrong. Israel’s show of strength in conventional warfare has shown to be effective in achieving peace, but would you put this type of fighting in the same category as say the 1967 war?
My premise is that Hamas will not fold. If that’s wrong, then I am wrong. But if I am right, and Hamas will only keep firing missiles and receiving support from other Arabs we don’t like, then we are in serious trouble. I would argue that the more effective way is to appeal to the people of Gaza, not the government, to show them that Hamas is not the best governing entity. If the people of Gaza see that there is a better way, then Hamas will no longer be able to stay in power.
Harrison, that’s what the Gaza blockade was all about.
Worked really well, didn’t it?
And you’re ignoring the dictatorship part of the computation. While Hamas pays lip service to elections, there will be no elections, if Hamas comes through the current operation intact.
And even though Hamas’ popularity has fallen in the Strip, they’re still pretty popular.
The people of Gaza, when polled, consistently vote for “resistance” rather than negotiations. Feel free to search my archives, in which every single one of your suggestions has been fully refuted.
The thing you overlook most of all: This is a religious war. Muslims consider “Palestine” an Islamic waqf until their version of Judgment Day. Therefore, it can only be ruled by Muslims.
Read the Hamas charter. Read the translations of the Arab press. It’s not a territorial war. It probably never was.
“Harrison, that’s what the Gaza blockade was all about.
Worked really well, didn’t it?”
I don’t understand – Israel did not do that to increase their public opinion. Hamas simply blamed Israel for all of the problems, and it only helped Hamas.
“Muslims consider “Palestine†an Islamic waqf until their version of Judgment Day. Therefore, it can only be ruled by Muslims.”
You make it sound as if all Muslims refuse to acknowledge Jews living in Israel.
Yes, the Hamas charter does not leave much room for confusion, but, are you that convinced that Hamas cannot be ousted?
Harrison, you need to make up your mind. First, you say we should do what was done. Then you say that it didn’t work. Then you say, what? That I think Hamas can’t be defeated? Um… what?
Hamas can be defeated. But not overnight, and not all at once. I don’t think the IDF’s objective now is to defeat Hamas—but it is certainly to make Hamas stop sending rockets into Israel.
And the other objective is to make the people of Gaza realize that they made their bed, and now they are lying in it. They voted in Hamas, after all.
“First, you say we should do what was done.”
I don’t think I ever said that. I said:
“Am I saying Israel does not have a right to defend itself? No. Am I saying that Israel was unjust in firing the missiles? No.”
There is a big difference between firing the initial missiles and what the conflict has no grown into.
I did not say Hamas can’t be defeated – I just feel it is near impossible to do so using solely the IDF.
I will return full circle to the beginning of my comments:
“Militarily and tactically, they are better, smarter, and more experienced. But strategically, I don’t see returning fire as a good long term solution to solving the Israel-Palestine conflict.”
I don’t think that statement has any conflict with your thoughts:
“Hamas can be defeated. But not overnight, and not all at once. I don’t think the IDF’s objective now is to defeat Hamas—but it is certainly to make Hamas stop sending rockets into Israel.”
I’m not sure I see an inconsistency or disagreement.
In the past few days, I’ve been doing a lot of reading and thinking and my views have been changing on this topic. Reviewing what I’ve said, I obviously would change some of it (especially the factual error), but I largely stand by the thought that the military will not succeed in singlehandedly defeating Hamas.
This is a very complex and complicated subject, and I am still learning.
I think Harrison gets two things right. First, I agree with him that Hamas will not fold. They will fight and must be killed. So be it. As Alex quotes Uncle Billy Sherman, they chose war and now they are getting what they chose. And as a certain Confederate commander of cavalry said, war means fighting and fighting means killing. Arabs should be more careful what they wish for lest they get it.
Secondly the IDF alone cannot provide the lasting security, there must be a political settlement. I have suggested such before. Israel should partition the Gaza Strip among the Arab tribes there, and hold the sheikhs responsible for governing their territories. If any attacks come out of a particular territory Israel goes in and kills the sheikh, appointing another. As long as they keep things peaceful the sheikhs will have nothing to fear. Cross Israel and they die. That will speak to the Arabs in language they can understand. After all, that’s the way both Fatah and Hamas speak to them.
But Hamas in the Gaza Strip must be destroyed. If Israel leaves them in power there after this operation it will be a Hamas victory, and seen as such around the world.