Lieberman's Gaza scheme unrealistic

There is currently no question as to the extent of damage caused by the appointment of Amir Peretz to the post of defense minister, a man void of any security or political background. His performance during the second Lebanon war makes this statement all the more poignant.

The squabbling he initiated with regards to the latest round of appointments at the IDF general staff is further testimony of this man's character. He is a party dealer whose strength lies in personal deals and power struggles over appointments, positions and the fostering of his own candidates, which he tends to do with superficial, populist rhetoric.

Something very similar has now occurred with the appointment of Avigdor Lieberman to the minister charged with strategic affairs. Lieberman, albeit different than Amir Peretz, resembles him in that he too lacks experience in matters of strategy and defense. He gained public recognition primarily due to his belligerent and impassioned statements, yet this has nothing to do with politics.

Let's ignore for a moment the moral aspect of his statements and the damage they have inflicted on the State of Israel so far. Judging by the traditional belligerent background he comes from, his statements mean absolutely nothing. However, he recently proposed a concrete idea pertaining to the Gaza Strip and the way Israel should deal with this challenge - which is undoubtedly a highly complex matter.

Lieberman proposed taking an example from Russia and the way it is dealing with the Chechnyan revolt. Again, let's ignore the moral aspects and examine the political reality.

Chechnya not exactly Russian success story 

Firstly, Russia is a superpower whose strength is somewhat less than that of the former USSR, yet it is indeed a world power. What a world power can permit itself, the State of Israel, with its relative superiority in the region – cannot. Even Europe, for whom it is not easy to swallow Russia's brutal conduct in Chechnya, has recently moderated its criticism of Putin in face of its increasing dependence on Russia's oil supply. Israel does not have the freedom of action Russia does in its capacity as a world power.

Secondly, Chechnya is under Russia's sovereignty, and no one is questioning this fact - even those who are critical of the way Moscow is handling the situation and who believe that Chechnya has a right to self determination.

This is not the case in Gaza: The Gaza Strip and the West Bank do not fall within Israel's sovereignty, a stance accepted by the international community, international law and even Israel. Chechnya is an internal Russian affair - Gaza is an international issue.

Those who do not understand these fundamental differences, lack an acute understanding of reality.

And finally, Russia has been unable to - despite its fierce war and almost total physical destruction of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, to suppress the uprising. The revolt and deaths inflicted on both sides continue unabated. Chechnya is not exactly a Russian success story.

The strategic challenges facing Israel are indeed complex, but we don't need a second Amir Peretz, who tends to resolve problems by mere words.