A predictable setback in Gaza
Gaza War’s disastrous diplomatic implications were easy to predict
Were we surprised by the Goldstone Report and its implications? Did it hit us out of the blue? I, for one, was not surprised. In the midst of Operation Cast Lead, I wrote the following:
“The operation’s objective had been secured: Israel ‘responded recklessly’ to Hamas’ rocket fire, and it’s a ‘good thing we did,’ said Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in an interview…if a ‘reckless response’ was the main means utilized during Operation Cast Lead, it is no wonder that so many Palestinian civilians and so few Hamas leaders were killed during its course. If a ‘reckless response’ was the proper means, it is no wonder that at the end of the operation, Israel will find itself handing over control over Gaza back to Hamas.
Israel won the second Intifada not by bombing Palestinian cities, neighborhoods, and refugee camps, but rather, by gradually and methodically eliminating terror leaders. So we wanted to win…if we don’t defeat Hamas now, but rather, merely ‘respond recklessly’ and punish – unintentionally but in practice – the civilian Palestinian population, Israelis will be seen as wild creatures that have no place among civilized nations. Hamas will end up being the victor.”
I regret to say it, but this is precisely what happened. Operation Cast Lead did not prompt Gilad Shalit’s release, did not topple Hamas, did not boost the moderates (they were boosted by the economic recovery in Palestinian cities,) did not put an end to the Qassam fire, (the fire ended after Israel agreed to hold its fire and in fact reconciled itself to the arms smuggling tunnels,) and did not secure even one of its declared goals – with the exception of the one characterized as “reckless response.”
In diplomatic terms, Operation Cast Lead’s implications are destructive: Our diplomatic standing had not been so lowly for years, and at the end of the day we may very well end up at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
In praise of Sharon’s way
We can continue raising a hue and cry about the “injustice! Hypocrisy! Anti-Semitism” for however long we wish, yet the screaming won’t help us. The snowball is already rolling, and it is doubtful whether anyone can stop it. I hope I’m wrong, but an international arrest warrant for some of Israel’s leaders during the Gaza operation is no longer a bad dream. This may happen, as Prime Minister Netanyahu made clear in his Knesset speech.
Even if no Israeli ends up facing justice at The Hague, the Goldstone Report will remain etched in the consciousness of the intellectual elites in the West and the incited masses in the Muslim world. This indictment against Israel – among the gravest ever drafted – will hurt us for years to come. There is no erasure that can erase the mark of Cain this report left on our forehead. It is an outrageous report that constitutes a crude blood libel – but it’s a fact.
I have no doubt that had Ariel Sharon served as prime minister, Operation Cast Lead would never have been launched. Sharon led the State of Israel during a particularly brutal Palestinian terror war, and was able to win it. To that end he utilized a comprehensive strategy – ranging from targeted eliminations (which in my view are the most moral and effective means in the fight against terror leaders and ideologists) to isolating the leadership in Ramallah and Operation Defensive Shield, which was cautious, purposeful, resulted in few casualties, and secured its objectives.
Not once during his war against the Intifada did Sharon consider or order the utilization of massive firepower vis-à-vis the Palestinians as was the case in Operation Cast Lead. When many around him urged and encouraged him to “respond recklessly” after every murderous terror attack, he continued to object to massive bombings and continued to approve the targeted eliminations of senior Hamas figures. Restraint is power, said Sharon before he fell ill; restraint, rather than a “reckless response.”
