Michael Freund is Founder and Chairman of Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org), which reaches out and assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people. He writes a syndicated column and feature stories for the Jerusalem Post. Previously, he served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Israeli Prime Minister´s Office under former premier Benjamin Netanyahu.
Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:01 am They had their chance. Now take back Gaza
Israel continues to pay the price of its 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, as Palestinian rocket attacks intensify against southern Israeli towns and cities. In response, the Olmert government undertook a small incursion into the Strip, which failed to halt the barrages and only strengthened Hamas politically.
As I argue in the column below from the Jerusalem Post, it is not too late to the correct the error of withdrawal and to finally put an end to the terrorist threat. It is time for Israel to retake Gaza, topple Hamas and assert complete control over the area. And while we're at it, let's rebuild the destroyed Jewish communities of Gush Katif.
Comments and feedback may be sent to: letters@jpost.com or to me directly.
The Jerusalem Post, March 5, 2008
By Michael Freund
There is a certain country which has been the target of fierce terrorist attacks in recent years, leaving untold thousands of citizens living along its southern border exposed to ongoing violence and cruelty.
After enduring ceaseless bombings, killings and abductions, the country's leadership decided to take bold action, crossing the frontier over the weekend and eliminating the terrorist group's top echelons, including its second-in-command.
In case you haven't been following the news, the country in question is Columbia, which sent troops on a cross-border raid into neighboring Ecuador, where they tracked down and killed some of the leading thugs of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) terror organization.
The audacity of the move led Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who backs the FARC brutes, to invoke the Jewish state in his denunciation of Bogota.
"The Columbian government has turned into the Israel of South America," Chavez said during his weekly Sunday talk show on Venezuelan television. "Columbia is a terrorist state that is subject to the great terrorist, the government of the United States and their apparatus," he added.
Now with all due respect to Mr. Chavez (and quite frankly, not all that much is due him), he could not be more wrong in his comparison.
For while Columbia's weekend counter-terror operation was indeed effective, Israel's was anything but.
Unlike Columbia's raid, Israel's foray into Gaza left it in a worse position than before.
A quick recap: last week, after months of dilly-dallying, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert finally mustered the courage to send tanks and troops to pursue Palestinian terrorists who have been firing rockets indiscriminately at the Negev.
"Israel is at the height of this battle and we will pursue it until the danger threatening residents in the south is over," Olmert vowed shortly after the operation began.
But then, sure enough, just five days after it had begun, Israel turned tail and pulled out.
Not surprisingly, a few short hours later, the Palestinians were gleefully firing rockets at Ashkelon, striking a seven-story apartment building and a playground on Monday.
Naturally, Hamas celebrated Israel's retreat with a large rally in the streets of Gaza, declaring "victory" in what they wryly termed "The Five Day War."
SO NOW let's consider what exactly Mr. Olmert accomplished with his little operation.
From a military point of view, the maneuver did not halt the Palestinian rocket attacks or even deliver a punishing blow against those behind them. Politically, Hamas emerged stronger than before, with Gaza's Palestinian population rallying to its defense. And diplomatically, Israel botched efforts to make its case to the international community that it was fully justified in resorting to force to stop the violence being directed against it.
In other words, Olmert blew it once again, failing miserably to provide Israel and its citizens with the safety and security they so rightly deserve.
Worse yet, he reinforced the dangerous impression among our adversaries that Israel does not have the will, or the wherewithal, necessary to wage a protracted war for its survival.
The fundamental problem, of course, is that the government is effectively playing games with the lives of Israel and its citizens. Instead of undertaking a large-scale ground invasion in Gaza to clear out the terrorists and their infrastructure, Olmert seems to favor small, "ping-pong" style strikes, even though these have proven entirely ineffective.
But merely tapping the ball ad nauseam over the net is not going to solve things. The only way to break out of this deadly mess is for Israel to hit the equivalent of an overhead smash in tennis. We need to strike a decisive and winning blow against the terrorists, and not merely volley back and forth with them at their leisure.
Let's be honest: after years of retreat, it is time to try something else. For far too long, Israel has been seeking to run away from the Gaza problem, and that has gotten us nowhere. We must stop fleeing and finally face this threat head-on.
Israel tried turning the territory over to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, and he ended up scampering off to Ramallah to save his life when Hamas took over.
The government then sought to give the Islamists a chance, and that too has resulted in disaster. Those who preached concessions and disengagement have been proven painfully wrong, time and time again, but it is the people of Israel who have been made to pay the price for their folly.
We need not accept the present situation, nor should we. It is not too late to correct the error of withdrawal, and to finally declare an end to the delusions of reaching a false peace with those who seek our demise.
Simply put, Israel should reassert complete control over Gaza, topple the Hamas-led regime, arrest and try its leadership, and finally declare that this land is rightfully ours and we shall never again abandon it.
We should then move quickly to rebuild the rubble of Gush Katif and its once-thriving Jewish communities. This would send a clear message to our foes that they will never succeed in uprooting the Jewish presence from this region. And it is the least Israel can do for the thousands of Jews who were expelled from their homes for nothing in the 2005 pullout from Gaza.
The Palestinians had their chance for autonomy and independence, and they blew it. Israelis should not have to continue paying dearly in blood just to give them another shot.
Like it or not, it is time to take Gaza back. Only this time, we must never give it up again. Let the Left mock the idea of returning to Gaza as much as they please. They were wrong then and they are wrong now.
Frankly, I'd rather be Right and alive, than Left and on the run.
Like it or not, it is time to take Gaza back. Only this time, we must never give it up again. Let the Left mock the idea of returning to Gaza as much as they please. They were wrong then and they are wrong now.
Frankly, I'd rather be Right and alive, than Left and on the run.
I agree. Olmert is a disgrace and I hope that he is out of the picture very soon!
Not only is there no good solution to the Gaza problem, there's no "solution" at all, But in the Middle East, solutions are rare; what's needed is the best, imperfect, option among five alternatives:
Current policy. Israel absorbs damage and casualties in Sderot and some other places. Few are affected; almost all the country functions normally. International pressure and casualties are limited. Israel hits rocket launchers, terrorist bases, and leading terrorists periodically. Eventually, there will be an anti-rocket defense.
But aside from government's duty to its citizens, things will change. Hamas will produce larger and longer-range missiles against Ashkelon and eventually Ashdod.
Another problem with this strategy is that Western criticism defines even minimal self-defense methods as disproportionate. If you get slammed for taking punches you might as well fight back. Moreover, the West basically protects Hamas' rule in Gaza, despite sanctions and diplomatic isolation, neither of which might last. As Hamas grows more aggressive, Western policies might become more appeasing. Meanwhile, being "soft" on Hamas doesn't make peace talks work but does make Hamas look more effective than the less violent PA and Fatah.
Finally, public opinion presses government to change policy.
There are three proposals playing off a thirst for neat solutions. A ceasefire is an ideal dovish solution, overthrowing Hamas appeals to hawks, and giving the mess to an international force makes both philosophies happy. Unfortunately none of these ideas work.
A ceasefire is riddled with problems, paradoxically bringing even more violence. Hamas won't observe it, letting both its own members and others attack Israel while inciting murder through every institution. The ceasefire won't last long; Hamas would use it to strengthen its rule and army while demanding a reward for its "moderation": an end to sanctions and diplomatic isolation; even Western aid.
Re-occupy Gaza; Destroy Hamas. Sounds good. But how? Israel isn't being hit hard enough to make such a huge undertaking worthwhile. Troops would face constant attack from all directions. Once again, Israel would be involved in the daily rule of more than one million hostile people. Too many soldiers would be tied up to permit proper security in the West Bank and Lebanon border. It would be high-cost in casualties, money, and international friction.
And in the end Hamas will not be "destroyed." To defeat Hamas is not to eliminate it but to keep it as weak as possible (through military strikes, isolation, etc.) and limit its ability to hit Israel.
There's also the plan's second fallacy of turning Gaza over to a "moderate" Fatah and PA. There is no chance of their accepting this gift. In fact, Fatah would rather make a deal with Hamas than fight it. And why believe they'd do a better job than last time?
The International Solution. But there's a gimmick: the idea of turning Gaza over to an international force. This is a fantasy. Countries are not going to send forces into a war there to be attacked every day, nor will they brave criticism from Arab and Muslim states as well as terrorist attacks for no benefit.
Besides, what will the force do? Certainly not arrest thousands of Gazans, kill those trying to attack Israel, hold mass trials of terrorists and sentence them to long prison terms. Definitely not disarm Hamas or stop arms smuggling from Egypt.
And when rockets keep falling that force would block Israeli military action there. The option would also be a political disaster, with the sponsoring countries rushing to establish a Palestinian state and negotiate with Hamas. Finally, as noted above, the PA and Fatah won't take Gaza from an international force.
Push Hamas Back: What is needed is the most realistic option based on reality, not wishful thinking. Israel's interest is to minimize attacks on its soil and citizens while limiting the cost of the response needed to achieve that goal. This can be best done by combining a more active version of current policy and the creation of a security zone in the "northern" Gaza Strip to push Hamas and its allies out of range.
Such a zone could be made relatively secure because it would be on a narrow front, with flanks protected by the sea on the north and Israel proper on the south and east, with Israel controlling the airspace. This is an interim policy until anti-missile, anti-rocket defenses can be implemented, perhaps three years.
Of course, there is risk. Israeli forces will be attacked, yet they would be in a strong, fortified position and know they are protecting the civilians behind them. Some rockets will fall on Israel but the numbers would be far reduced and the area affected limited. Israel would continue to operate within Hamas-held Gaza as needed.
Will the world--which claims Israel is occupying Gaza already--do much if Israel temporarily takes back ten percent?
This issue will not be solved by negotiations, concessions, appeasement, force, or anything else. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is right: "It's not the end, the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning."
The same logic applies to Gaza as for the West Bank and Lebanon border. The main goal is for the army to minimize danger and damage so people can go about their normal lives and build up the country, protected by their soldiers.
Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center http://www.gloriacenter.org and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal http://meria.idc.ac.il . His latest books are The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan) and The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley) .
The Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center
Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, P.O. Box 167, Herzliya, 46150, Israel
Email: info AT gloriacenter.org - Phone: +972-9-960-2736 - Fax: +972-9-960-2736
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