Battle Plans
July 14, 2006 9:24 by BackSpin Editor
In the New Republic, Yossi Klein Halevi argues that Israel’s two-front war is really the start of a longer-term struggle with Iran and radical Islam. A must-read commentary.
Battle Plans: Israel’s next war has begun
by Yossi Klein Halevi
July 12, 2006
The next Middle East war — Israel against genocidal Islamism — has begun. The first stage of the war started two weeks ago, with the Israeli incursion into Gaza in response to the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier and the ongoing shelling of Israeli towns and kibbutzim; now, with Hezbollah’s latest attack, the war has spread to southern Lebanon. Ultimately, though, Israel’s antagonists won’t be Hamas and Hezbollah but their patrons, Iran and Syria. The war will go on for months, perhaps several years. There may be lulls in the fighting, perhaps even temporary agreements and prisoner exchanges. But those periods of calm will be mere respites.
The goals of the war should be the destruction of the Hamas regime and the dismantling of the Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Israel cannot coexist with Iranian proxies pressing in on its borders. In particular, allowing Hamas to remain in power–and to run the Palestinian educational system–will mean the end of hopes for Arab-Israeli reconciliation not only in this generation but in the next one too.
For the Israeli right, this is the moment of “We told you so.” The fact that the kidnappings and missile attacks have come from southern Lebanon and Gaza — precisely the areas from which Israel has unilaterally withdrawn–is proof, for right-wingers, of the bankruptcy of unilateralism. Yet the right has always misunderstood the meaning of unilateral withdrawal. Those of us who have supported unilateralism didn’t expect a quiet border in return for our withdrawal but simply the creation of a border from which we could more vigorously defend ourselves, with greater domestic consensus and international understanding. The anticipated outcome, then, wasn’t an illusory peace but a more effective way to fight the war. The question wasn’t whether Hamas or Hezbollah would forswear aggression but whether Israel would act with appropriate vigor to their continued aggression.
So it wasn’t the rocket attacks that were a blow to the unilateralist camp, but rather Israel’s tepid responses to those attacks. If unilateralists made a mistake, it was in believing our political leaders — including Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert — when they promised a policy of zero tolerance against any attacks emanating from Gaza after Israel’s withdrawal. That policy was not implemented — until two weeks ago. Now, belatedly, the Olmert government is trying to regain something of its lost credibility, and that is the real meaning of this initial phase of the war, both in Gaza and in Lebanon.
Still, many in Israel believe that, even now, the government is acting with excessive restraint. One centrist friend of mine, an Olmert voter, said to me, “If we had assassinated [Hamas leader] Haniyeh after the first kidnapping, [Hezbollah leader] Nasrallah would have thought twice about ordering another kidnapping.” Israel, then, isn’t paying for the failure of unilateral withdrawal, but for the failure to fulfill its promise to seriously respond to provocations after withdrawal.
Absurdly, despite Israel’s withdrawal to the international borders with Lebanon and Gaza, much of the international community still sees the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers as a legitimate act of war: Just as Israel holds Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners, so Hamas and Hezbollah now hold Israeli prisoners. One difference, though, is that inmates in Israeli jails receive visits from family and Red Cross representatives, while Israeli prisoners in Gaza and Lebanon disappear into oblivion. Like Israeli pilot Ron Arad, who was captured by Hezbollah 20 years ago, then sold to Iran, and whose fate has never been determined. That is one reason why Israelis are so maddened by the kidnapping of their soldiers.
Another reason is the nature of the crimes committed by the prisoners whose release is being demanded by Hezbollah and Hamas. One of them is Samir Kuntar, a PLO terrorist who in 1979 broke into an apartment in the northern Israeli town of Nahariya, took a father and child hostage, and smashed the child’s head against a rock. In the Palestinian Authority, Kuntar is considered a hero, a role model for Palestinian children.
The ultimate threat, though, isn’t Hezbollah or Hamas but Iran. And as Iran draws closer to nuclear capability — which the Israeli intelligence community believes could happen this year — an Israeli-Iranian showdown becomes increasingly likely. According to a very senior military source with whom I’ve spoken, Israel is still hoping that an international effort will stop a nuclear Iran; if that fails, then Israel is hoping for an American attack. But if the Bush administration is too weakened to take on Iran, then, as a last resort, Israel will have to act unilaterally. And, added the source, Israel has the operational capability to do so.
For Israelis, that is the worst scenario of all. Except, of course, the scenario of nuclear weapons in the hands of the patron state of Hezbollah and Hamas.
bernarda
12:20 pm
Jul 23, 2006
I don’t know if this forum is now closed or not, but in any case my last post was not presented.
In the meantime I got this lovely email from fanatic zionist fool Daisy. Why do these idiots not just make their comments here?
subject: “Respond to my comments Idiot!” That has a certain convincing ring to it.
Then for the message,
“It’s obvious you are mentally ill and one of the most uneducated people I’ve encountered but you are actually funny in absurd way with your crazed rantings and lies about Israel. You are truly psychotic and need help!
Daisy
A proud Gentile Zionist”
All the charm I expect from a typical racist zionist(a pleonasm).
I thought I had already responded to her nonsensical ravings. Zionism was invented by white racist colonialist Europeans who believed into the whiteman’s right to take any darkman’s land. Don’t believe me? Read Richard Cohen in the Washington Post,
“The greatest mistake Israel could make at the moment is to forget that Israel itself is a mistake. It is an honest mistake, a well-intentioned mistake, a mistake for which no one is culpable, but the idea of creating a nation of European Jews in an area of Arab Muslims (and some Christians) has produced a century of warfare and terrorism of the sort we are seeing now. Israel fights Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south, but its most formidable enemy is history itself.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/17/AR2006071701154.html
He is too kind. Israel is not a mistake it is a crime against humanity. In my disappeared post linked to some pictures of Israel’s war crimes in Lebanon. Apparenty, that didn’t make the cut. But you can find them if you look up “fromisraeltolebanon”.
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Suzanne
4:21 pm
Jul 24, 2006
bernarda
Your posts ar typical of how most propoganda influenced islamists think. They are all taught from the time they can think that jews are their enemy and will believe anything. Patti, Daisy and Jeff are absolutely right. You are rediculously uneducated and are making statements by the seat of your pants. There is nothing worse then making and uneducated statement. Back it up with fact!!! Read “From Time Immemorial” written by Joan Peters, one of the worlds most reverred authorities on the history of the middle east conflict. Study the immigration habits of the arabs and census report after the “Belfore Declaration” (or do you not know what this is? I suggest you find out. Look at the Dehimi Jews and what the word means. Look it up. HOW WERE THE JEWS TREATED IN ARAB LANDS!!!
Above all, read the Bible. Having done all this and more; then you are qualified to make an educated comment.
To the educated individuals who have done their research, I pray for the peace of Isreal and pray that you too will ask “G” for his guidence and help. The Bible is 100% accurate and every thing it says will happen has and will into the future. “G” is true to his word.
“G” bless, and that includes you too bernarda.
Suzanne, Ontario Canada
G
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Sneakeasy's Joint
5:28 am
Jul 25, 2006
Israel, Lebanon, America, Iran, Genocidal Islamism and the Middle East
The great website called Honest Reporting has written a informative, link filled piece that explores some of the myths and facts following Hezbollah’s attack on Israel: It brings to the fore front facts to counter 6 Myths:Myth 1: Israel’s response
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Steve
7:32 pm
Aug 05, 2006
Let me begin by saying i am athiest, and have grown up with both jewish and muslim friends. There is indeed a severe problem with radical islam, there is no question that it needs to be addressed. There is also no question that Hezbollah kill civilians, and Israel kill civilians. There is a question, however, of how to prevent further death and whether Israel’s military action is appropriate.
Greater minds than mine seek to answer the first, i shall not try. The second question, however, let us consider.
Does Israel have a right to self-defense? Yes. Do they have the right to attempt to destroy Hezbollah? Yes. Does the government of Lebanon have a responsibility to deal with extreamist forces in its country? yes.
But. Consider this from the government of Lebabnon’s perspective. Their civilians are dying, public anger is GROWING against Israel. What will happen if the governement take Israel’s side? Civil unrest certainly, Hezbollah may even seize power.
Israel is making more enemies, not defeating them. Every child, husband, wife that dies creates several family members who swear revenge. Every civilian death makes it seem that Israel have not declared war on Hezbollah, but on Lebanon, and men will rise, if this is the perception, to defend their country.
Only dialogue can solve this crisis, Israel refusing a ceasefire only creates more enemies and make dialogue harder. Lebanon also need to act, but Israel should make the first step towards peace, because islamic extreamism means that Lebanon cannot. Israel needs to step back from its actions, further killing will only endanger israel, not protect it. Killing for peace is futile. Only the harder route, education, diplomacy, co-operation has any chance of success. Some argue that this isn’t possible, but if bombing Lebanon won’t work why not at least try the only method that has SOME chance of success
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Pauline
7:43 am
Aug 08, 2006
There is not only a terrorist war being fought by Arabs against the Isaelis, but an even more damaging propoganda war by the rest of the world.
Arab rulers have rejected every peace offering that Israel has ever offered. Even for land concessions, the leaders of those countries have never been happy and have preferred to let their people live in refugee camps, instead of holding or let alone agreeing to honest peace talks. It is in their agenda to keep the plight of the so-called Palestinian people as-is in order to garner worldwide support for the destruction of Israel. That is their final goal, absolute and final destruction of the only true peaceful country in the region.
Anti-semitism is at its highest point right now. The worldwide media wants to fill your head with lies about Israel, the same lies that have been told since 1947 and before. I encourage any person to read about the politics of the region and see who is in the right here. It is very obvious who wants peace and who does not, who is protecting a just society and who is trying win a religiously fanatical yet racially motivated and one-sided war. The truth speaks for itself.
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