Israel seems to have forgotten how to defend herself.
The security cabinet announced Wednesday it would recommend the government refrain from launching a wide-scale operation in Gaza, opting instead to continue with targeted IDF operations.
The cabinet thinks the small operations are successful.
Data given to the cabinet revealed that the IDF has held 115 operations aimed at destroying terror infrastructure and Qassam cells in the Strip since the beginning of the year, and killed 260 Palestinian terrorists.
They are wrong.
Still, some 970 Qassam rockets and 1,200 mortar shells were fired from Gaza towards Israel since the beginning of 2007. Israel suffered five related casualties – three IDF soldiers and two civilians.
Eighteen more rockets were launched today.
A Qassam barrage hit the western Negev Wednesday, as Palestinians fired 18 Qassam rockets at Sderot. One girl was lightly wounded in the leg by shrapnel, and several other people suffered shock.
The Palestinians are bragging, and why shouldn’t they? Their tactics are working. They murdered Israelis in Gaza, tried to murder Israelis from Gaza, and succeeded in driving out all Israelis from Gaza—from where they now launch attacks that wound and murder Israelis. And the Israelis are in utter denial about their ability to stop these attacks.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni briefed the cabinet on the political efforts made in regards to the situation in Gaza. The world, said Livni, understands Israel’s need to defend itself against terror.
Really? Tell that to the New York Times editors.
In the meantime, the Israeli generals that aren’t running for office and haven’t served in office, and are only concerned with protecting Israel, and not their reputations, say that there’s no way the current situation can continue.
The current situation in Gaza cannot continue, and ongoing Qassam attacks on Israel may force the IDF to launch a large-scale operation in the Strip, IDF Chief of Staff Lit.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Wednesday.
“You cannot defeat a terror organization without eventually taking control of the territory,” he said, “the only reason we have been successful in Judea and Samaria is because we control the area.”
Speaking at a conference hosted by the Institute for National Security Studies at the Tel Aviv University, Ashkenazi said that while the current limited army operations in Gaza impair the capabilities of terror organizations, they would never completely curb all attacks against Israel.
Funny how the generals in the trenches keep saying this, and the politicians keep on saying something else. It’s almost as if the politicians care more about their image than about their people’s safety. But no. That can’t be.
One final thought: When Israel went on the offensive against Hamas, and targeted their leadership, killing most of it, the Hamas suicide attacks ended. Why the current leadership seems to think that same tactic won’t work now is beyond me.