The Book: The Unified Body | The Blog: Am Echad | |

 

"It is better to take refuge in Adonai than to trust in human beings; better to take refuge in Adonai than to put one's trust in princes." -Tehilah 118:8-9



Pushing Onward and Looking Upward

In her latest JPost op/ed, Caroline Glick says what we've known for years:
Israel is fighting a war with Hamas today because Israel withdrew from Gaza three and a half years ago. If Israel had not withdrawn its military forces from Gaza and forcibly expelled 8,000 Israeli citizens from their homes and farms in September 2005, it would not be fighting this war today. If Israel had not withdrawn, if it had retained its forces in Gaza and retained its communities - on whose ruins the IDF now fights - in Gaza, Hamas would probably never have taken over. And even if Hamas had taken over, it would never have been able to threaten a million Israelis with missiles and rockets and mortars.
Now, the JPost is reporting, "The dropping of the leaflets appeared to be partly a psychological tactic. Defense officials are prepared for a third stage of the offensive, in which soldiers would push much further into Gaza, but are waiting for approval from the government. The officials said the army had also planned a fourth stage that called for a full reoccupation of Gaza and toppling Hamas."

Glick ends her op/ed by stating:
TODAY THE IDF owes its operational competence to the public's humiliation and sacking of Halutz, Peretz and Olmert. On the other hand, Israel's diplomatic incompetence, and our leadership's continued refusal to accept that Sharon was right when he said, "As goes Netzarim so goes Tel Aviv," is rendering a true victory over Hamas impossible.

If we are ever to get on the right path in Gaza, as well as in Judea and Samaria and beyond, our first order of business as the public must be to force the politicians who brought us to this point to pay a price at the ballot box for their blind and dangerous incompetence. It is only by humiliating them in elections that we can be sure that their successors will be too frightened to repeat their mistakes.
In short, Israel must re-take Gaza and the decision to reconquer and re-inhabit the land belongs to Israel's voting public.

According to Israel National News:
Several Jewish nationalist groups have come together to sponsor a massive PR campaign calling to return to Jewish towns in Gaza. "There is a solution: Going back to Gush Katif," the campaign's posters say.
Advertisements bearing the slogan have been placed on 1,500 buses, and soon will go up on billboards throughout the country.
Will it be enough? This morning, both CNN and Fox News reported that the "end" of the "crisis" (because they can't call it a "war" because that's "mean") may only be a few days away. Of course, they also reported that more IDF Reservists have been called up to go into Gaza. Which, of course prompted me to check the LiveBloggers. First, IsraellyCool:
5:39AM: Aussie Dave here.

Ynetnews reports that Defense Minister Ehud Barak has ordered the military to broaden its activity in the Strip, given that Hamas has suffered a severe blow.

...

12:30PM: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has vowed to press on with our offensive against Hamas in Gaza, and stated that Israel is close to achieving its goals.

My inner cynic says this means Israel will accept a ceasefire in the very near future.
And then, The Muqata:
9:50 AM Cabinet considering expanding Gaza operation even further. IDF wants to continue operations until at least the end of January.

...

10:35 AM BREAKING NEWS. Phase 3 of the attack on Hamas may have begun with tanks moving into Gaza neighborhoods.

...

5:18 PM IDF Censor releases for publication; About an hour ago, Gunfire from Syria directed at Israelis at workers in the area of the village of Alonei HaBashan on the Golan Heights. Israel has raised a formal complaint with the UN. No injuries reported.
I trust the opinions of these guys more than the mainstream media. Maybe it's because they're Israeli. They're there. And they aren't a bunch of left-wing propagandists plagued with Jewish self-hatred and/or bent on Israel's destruction. So, when one of them expresses cynicism at Olmert's comment, I tend to be on guard. At the same time, the IDF's continued desire to push in and table a time frame give me encouragement. As I understand it, the IDF must receive approval from the Israeli Security Council (Livni-Barak-Netanyahu) before they make a move. However, since all three of the ISC players are up for re-election in a month, they'd be stupid to go against IDF recommendation now. Especially since the Israeli public has given this offensive an approval rating solidly in the 90th percentile.

Comprehend this: The fate of the civilized world is in the hands of the Israeli people. I hope they know this. I think they do. I hope Americans know this. I think a lot of average people do... but I'm sure that large minority is dwindling as we get closer and closer to Inauguration Day. I wonder, will the American people have to go through an Oslo and a few Intifadas before they realize that giving in is not an option?

Labels: , , , ,

posted by Shoshana @ 11:32 PM

<< Home