Zalman Shoval
Hamas victory in Sderot
There is no greater triumph for Hamas than seeing entire town evacuated
What is taking place these days in Sderot and the western Negev is just as grave, particularly in terms of future implications, as the series of political and military failures identified in the Winograd Report.
Even if the Qassam rocket attacks are, among other things, part of Hamas' battle against Fatah, this could not take place without what is perceived by most Palestinians as Hamas' success in its struggle against Israel
(just like the Gaza disengagement was presented by Hamas as a "resistance" success.)
Indeed, there is a clear link between the Second Lebanon War and the current rocket offensive: Hamas, which is not controlled by Iran but is certainly tightening its diplomatic, financial, and operative ties with it, has been encouraged by Hizbullah's (relative) success, and is further encouraged by the State of Israel's lack of resourcefulness.
Relocation
Shmulik Hadad
While some residents request prolonged hotel stays, only 200 people choose to relocate temporarily to Tel Aviv; Sources attribute low number to small remaining amount population in Sderot
There is not greater triumph for our enemies (and no better way to cool off any desire to reach peace with us) than the depressing sight of residents evacuated from an Israeli town, even if we prefer to call it a "break." In their wild imagination, our enemies can already see the next step: Sderot first, then Ashkelon, and later, who knows, maybe even Tel Aviv.
We must not have reached the situation where even one Israeli is evacuated from his or her home. This of course should not be interpreted as criticism against the residents, who are the immediate victims of the governmental lack of action, but rather, against those who caused the situation.
False illusion
It is embarrassing to hear official spokespersons, or journalists instructed to say so, claiming that "we tried everything, and nothing works." First, because this is far from reflecting the truth, and second, because this boosts our enemies' audacity even more, while on the other hand boosting the sense of helplessness among the Israeli public.
An example of this was provided last week by a "senior defense official" who said "there's no use anyway" in a Gaza ground operation or paralyzing infrastructures there. The average Israeli asks himself: If this is the situation vis-Ã -vis Hamas' scorpion bites, how can we address the much greater threat posed by Iran?
The truth is there are answers, but it is doubtful whether the current leadership has the ability to translate them into action. Here too it is worthwhile examining the Winograd Report's conclusions, which make it clear that the Oslo agreements (and to a lesser extent the "disengagement") created the false illusion within the army and public that the war era was over.
Unsurprisingly, when it comes to the Qassam offensive on Sderot, just as was the case in the Second Lebanon War, Israel cannot boast impressive success in the diplomatic and public relations arena. We haven't even been able to leverage the almost-civil-war in Gaza in order to curb the growing trend of initiating ties with the Palestinian "national unity government," for example.
Particularly worrisome is President Bush's declaration that rocket attacks must indeed be condemned, but that Palestinian suffering must not be ignored. It's as though he said the murderous terror deployed against peaceful civilians in Israel stems from humanitarian problems in the Palestinian Authority. Let's hope he merely failed to express himself properly, and that this isn't a harbinger of negative changes in American policy.
