My title is of course a reference to those ringing words of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes): Hevel havalim amar Kohelet (“Folly of follies says Kohelet”). After reading today’s stinging Haaretz editorial about what we’ll soon be calling the Gaza debacle, I thought the title appropriate for today’s post.
The newspaper begins by noting the contradiction between Israel laying blame at the feet of Khaled Meshal and Syria; while also blaming those local Hamas political leaders who not even Israel claims knew about or condoned the kidnapping:
On the face of it, Israel wishes to exert increasing pressure both on Hamas’ political leadership and on the Palestinian public, in order to induce it to pressure its [military wing] leadership to release the soldier. At the same time, the government claims that Syria – or at least Khaled Meshal, who is living in Syria – holds the key. If so, what is the point of pressuring the local Palestinian leadership, which did not know of the planned attack and which, when it found out, demanded that the kidnappers take good care of their victim and return him?
A few days ago I wrote about parallels I saw between Gaza, 2006 and Lebanon, 1982. The editorial conceives of some new and very salient ones which I hadn’t thought of:
The tactic of pressuring civilians has been tried before, and more than once. The Lebanese, for example, are very familiar with the Israeli tactic of destroying power stations and infrastructure. Entire villages in south Lebanon have been terrorized, with the inhabitants fleeing in their thousands for Beirut. But what also happens under such extreme stress is that local divisions evaporate and a strong, united leadership is forged.
In the end, Israel was forced both to negotiate with Hezbollah and to withdraw from Lebanon. Now, the government appears to be airing out its Lebanon catalogue of tactics and implementing it, as though nothing has been learned since then. One may assume that the results will be similar this time around as well.
Israel also kidnapped people from Lebanon to serve as bargaining chips in dealings with the kidnappers of Israeli soldiers. Now, it is trying out this tactic on Hamas politicians. As the prime minister said in a closed meeting: “They want prisoners released? We’ll release these detainees in exchange for Shalit.” By “these detainees,” he was referring to elected Hamas officials.
The editorial writer here introduces some very telling Zionist movement history and notes parallels between it and the political points we’re scoring on behalf of imprisoned Hamas leaders in the eyes of their constituency:
The prime minister is a graduate of a movement whose leaders were once exiled [this refers to Etzel and Lehi members exiled by the British for their violent nationalist politics during the Mandate], only to return with their heads held high and in a stronger position than when they were deported. But he believes that with the Palestinians, things work differently.
As one who knows that all the Hamas activists deported by Yitzhak Rabin returned to leadership and command positions in the organization, Olmert should know that arresting leaders only strengthens them and their supporters. But this is not merely faulty reasoning; arresting people to use as bargaining chips is the act of a gang, not of a state.
The government…must return to its senses at once, be satisfied with the threats it has made, free the detained Hamas politicians and open negotiations. The issue is a soldier who must be brought home, not changing the face of the Middle East.
A gang, not a state. An uncharacteristically savage and caustic characterization by Haaretz of this government. But certainly apt. I also like the closing phrase: Forget about changing the face of the Middle East. Can there not be a clearer lesson for George Bush as well in Iraq? And could there not be a clearer message for Ariel Sharon who invaded Lebanon with grand ambitions to remake that nation so it would become a quiescent neighbor. By the time Israel left southern Lebanon with its tail between its legs, it realized that Sharon’s grand plan was based on lies and deceit and never stood a remote chance of working as its creator had hoped. If Ehud Olmert and Amir Peretz are not very careful, Gaza 2006 could turn around and bite them and their political careers in much the same way as Iraq did Bush and Lebanon did Sharon.
Oh Condi, Oh George–Where are you?
In wondering what the hell the U.S. is doing while the Middle East threatens to burn, the situation reminds me of the early computer game, Where’s Waldo? Look for him in the crowd. He’s not there. Look for him here, look for him there. Not a trace. That’s pretty much the impact we’re having on some of the most dangerous developments in this part of the world since the second intifada.
Here’s how Reuters characterized our ‘muscular’ foreign policy:
The United States has privately urged Israel to be careful over its military action, worried that tough moves in Gaza will boost Palestinian support for Hamas and further escalate tensions.
A senior State Department official said on Thursday a firm message had been delivered to the Israelis,
We delivered a ‘firm message’ behind closed doors to the Israelis giving them ‘what for’ as the Brits used to say. Yes, that’s certainly going to have a dramatic and immediate impact. You see we understand Israel’s frustration. We understand how one nation can arrest fully one-third of the elected cabinet ministers and parliamentary representatives of a neighboring statelet:
Publicly the United States, Israel’s staunchest ally, has said Israel has the right to defend itself and actively seek the release of the soldier, while urging restraint on all sides.
But there is a fear among some Bush administration officials that Israel might go too far.
“The Israeli measures might not only affect innocent civilians but could build support for Hamas,” said the senior official in an interview with Reuters.
“We have told them to be careful because plainly when you have this kind of military force deployed close to civilian populations there is a very high risk of accidents and I think that can further worsen this crisis.”
Why certainly Israel has a right to defend itself and seek Shalit’s release. That’s precisely what it’s doing by telling the residents of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya to run for their lives. And precisely what it’s doing by arresting Palestinian legislators who had nothing to do with the kidnapping. And precisely what it’s doing by bombing power plants and PA infrastructure like the Interior Ministry building. This is all certainly plainly defensive action and done with the sole purpose of winning Shalit’s release.
And when, I’d like to know, WOULD Israel go “too far” in Bush’s book? When it carpet bombs Rafah or Khan Yunis? Or when it carpet bombs Damascus to teach Assad a lesson?
Israel “runs a very high risk of accidents” when you deploy military force “close to civilian populations.” Duh, I think the U.S. would’ve already learned the IDF has no capability or interest in distinguishing between militants and civilians given the history over the past month even before the latest incursion.
The absolute torpor of the American response is breathtaking. But it gets worse:
Asked about arrests of Hamas officials and whether President George W. Bush endorsed that, White House spokesman Tony Snow replied: “We are going no further than what we’ve said, which is we are encouraging both sides to practice restraint.”
RESTRAINT?? You’re asking jailed Hamas hostages to show restraint? They’re already being restrained…in Israeli shackles. So Tony Snow can’t actually say anything meaningful in response to the outrage of arresting Palestine’s elected government. I’d like to know if the British had actually captured James and Dolly Madison during the War of 1812 and brought them to the brig in chains, whether Tony Snow still would’ve urged the U.S. to show restraint?
What’s wrong with this picture?
U.S. diplomats, in a bid to secure the release of the soldier and ease the crisis, are shuttling between the Israelis and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
There has been no U.S. contact with Hamas and Egypt is the go-between with the militant group, which the United States and others refuse to deal with until it renounces violence, recognizes Israel and accepts past agreements between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
“The Egyptians are playing the most important role of any of the outsiders and they are directly in touch with the Israelis and all the Palestinians,” said the senior State Department official.
The U.S. is talking to Israel and Abbas. Yet the kidnappers are Hamas. There’s something wrong here. Of course you have no capability of talking to the party that’s actually responsible for the kidnapping thanks to our stupid anti-Hamas policy and Aipac, which has tied the Administration’s hands on this score. So who do we rely on? The Egyptians. Instead of showing our own leadership and vision in the midst of crisis, we must take a back seat to a tinpot megalomaniac Egyptian virtual dictator who may or may not represent our best interests, but who certainly will represent his own. If I were George Bush, I’d sleep well knowing we’re in the best of hands.
Why do you feel that you or the Editor of Ha’Aretz has a better grasp ofthe issues than the Government ??
All concessions have been viewed as weakness. We are dealing with a different mindset.
The two are related. If Israel negotiates to free its soldier, it gives Hamas incentive to do it again. Hamas has had plently of time to renounce violence against Israel. How long should Israel wait? Until more soldiers are captured? Until they start blowing up buses and shopping malls again? Israel does not have an obligation to respect the integrity of a government that won’t acknowledge its existence.
Actually, Israel HAS negotiated with kidnappers, inlcuding a massive prisoner exchange with Hezbollah in 2004. In fact, the Israeli Supreme Court explictly legalized kidnapping as a bargaining tactic in South Lebanon. Just the day before the kidnapping of Shalit, the IDF snuck into the Gaza Strip to kidnap two Palestinians it claims are terrorists. So it’s not as if the renegage Hamas cell did anything new.
I would say that the best way to ensure Hamas resumes violence and terrorism is for Israel to continue on its current path.
Hmmm. I would think the answer to that question should be self-evident. But just to spell it out for you: the IDF & the government have proven themselves over many decades to be brutal, incompetent & ineffectual in realizing their stated & legitimate goal of ensuring security for the Israeli people. In addition, the current government has shown itself to be rather weak & lacking in vision or leadership in carrying out the same task. I’m in favor of trusting governments which show themselves transparent, competent & effective, none of which qualities this government has displayed.
Besides, the purpose of the opposition press is to criticize when a government is going wrong (& this one clearly is) & point out better policy alternatives. We’re all just doing our jobs, that’s all.
As Peter H. told you, Israel has negotiated with “terrorists” several times to gain the release of both Israeli soldiers & civilians. Gee, I’d have thought you’d know better the history of a nation you’re so eager to advise as to what its policies should be.
And we have a racist to boot. You know aboslutely nothing about Arabs or Islam other than the stupid generalizations rattling around in yr brain.
David: I’m rather disappointed in the narrow-mindedness of yr response. First, as I said here even the Israelis acknowledge that the political arm of Hamas had nothing to do w. the kidnapping. It’s the military arm that’s to blame and which should be punished if anyone is. Second, Hamas had largely observed a ceasefire against Israel for the past 16 months until the last month of errant IDF attacks killed nearly 20 Palestinian civilians & the IDF murdered the head of the Popular Resisatnce Committees (which prob. spurred the attack on the Israeli outpost). Third, since when does one nation get the right to destroy another because the latter’s government refuses to recognize the former? That’s ridiculous.
i fail to see the racism in Jeffrey’s three-sentence comment. The sentence you jump on – “We are dealing with a different mindset” – plainly isn’t racist. Whether you agree with it is besides the point. When you throw “racism” around like that, you belittle it. You ought to give the benefit of the doubt, especially for a comment as non-aggressive as Jeffrey’s. Has he commented here before that indicated his animosity towards Arabs and Muslims?
I refuse to believe that Hamas had nothing to do with the qassam rockets. At the very least, they didn’t take measures to prevent them. If a rogue Israeli group was launching rockets into Gaza on a regular basis, would you not blame the government for its failure to take action? Moreover, when other terrorist groups did attack Israeli civilians, Hamas openly gave their blessing. Again, if a group of kach-niks blew up an Arab market and Olmert responded with “well, they have a right to defend themselves against Palestinian terror”, would that not be tacit support??
I didn’t say that Israel has the right to destroy another government. Hamas still refuses to recognize Israel as a legitimate government, so why should Israel recognize Hamas as legitimate? Hamas continues to treat Israel as an enemy, not as a partner for peace. Why should Israel treat Hamas any differently?
David:
The Israeli government, who have failed BIG time to take any action, already protects the unlawful settlers. You should know that!
And what about Likud?
Do they recognize a Palestinian state? Please tell me…
And its telling to see that you haven’t put a single creative idea on the table what to do, instead of the, oh so boring, whining about Israels “right” to defend itself & and “we can’t negotiate”.
Especially when you are complaining about Richard “throwing “racism” around like that”!
David: I’m surprised that someone with as much intelligence as you clearly have doesn’t understand the subtext conveyed by the statement that Arabs “have a different mindset.” Here are a few of the unspoken comments that almost always accompany such statements (whether they are stated explicitly or not):
1. You can’t negotiate with an Arab because ‘they’ only understand force
2. Arabs lie, cheat, steal, etc. for their own purposes
Marlowe’s dumbass statement above fits clearly in number 1 above. I’m goddamn sick and tired of reading such ignorant comments from people who know nothing about Arabs or Muslims. This mindset is based on hatred & extreme prejudice.
You can believe whatever you like, but such a belief would be erroneous. Every article I’ve read for months in the Israeli press acknowledges that Hamas largely maintained the ceasefire (until last week). I did read that there may’ve been a very few instances in which splinter Hamas cells engaged in Qassam attacks. But the vast majority of attacks were perpetrated by Islamic Jihad & the PRC.
Interesting that you blame Hamas for not stopping attacks which it didn’t initiate; yet you don’t blame Abbas for the same reasons. Why single out Hamas for blame? Second, has Israel allowed ANY Palestinian government to function in the ways that normal governments do? Has Israel attempted in any way, shape, or form to encourage such governments to stop the rocket attacks? Has it opened checkpoints to allow food shipments & other essential items into Gaza? Has it transferred any of the $50M/mo. it essentially steals fr. the Palestinians in withheld excise taxes so that the Palestinians can run their government? Has it agreed to consider releasing Marwan Barghouti or any Palestinian prisoner as a sign of good faith? When has Israel shown Hamas or any Palestinian government good faith?
Do I wish that Abbas & Hamas would take the bull by the horns & stop terror attacks?? Sure. But I’m not going to do what you’ve done which is take the issue completely out of the context in which it’s embedded. You get yr enemy to do something you want it to when you agree to do something it wants you to do. I’ve seen nothing whatsoever fr. Israel along those lines.
Also, you compare Israel’s authority to stop terror to Hamas’. Interesting that you neglect to mention the many terror attacks (both inside & outside the Green Line) by Israeli Jews against Israeli Arabs & Palestinians. While the very most heinous of them may end in some form of punishment for the Jewish perpetrators, the thousands of lesser attacks are almost never punished. What message do you think that sends to Palestinians? That they should trust the rule of law within Israeli society?? I’d say that Palestinians view Israeli society, esp. in the Territories, as equally out of control as Palestinian society is vis a vis Qassam attacks.
Come on, David. You’re trying to argue the chicken came before the egg. Neither one of these issues developed independently of the other. Hamas doesn’t recognize Israel. Israel doesn’t recognize Hamas. It’s all ridiculous posturing on both sides. There will come a time (& may it come soon & in our days) that both will recognize ea. other. It will start out w. tacit recognition or perhaps secret negotiations. But it will happen because it has to happen. Just as Nature hates vacuums, human society abhors artificial barriers between peoples. The war will end. But let’s not split hairs to try to determine whose fault it is that it hasn’t done so yet.
I hope the IDF will use the tragic kidnappings and bombings as an opportunity to clean house in Gaza and Lebanon. Half way measures will only cause more misery for everyone in the long run.
“Clean house,” a lovely euphemism for shelling, bombing, strafing & general mayhem. And you think that Israel hasn’t been trying (& failing) to clean house even before this tragic mishap of an invasion?? Your approach is a perfect example of what got Israel into the jam it’s in now.
Came across your blog looking for more background on the situation in gaza, given that it is now two weeks after you wrote this I am very disturbed by how prophetic it was.
One thing I dont understand is how anyone thinks that this will ‘clean house’ in Gaza or ‘crush’ or ‘annihilate’ Hamas, Hezbollah etc. There is an entire generation of Palestinian youth who have known nothing but violence and fear. Even if the quest to get rid of Hamas is successful, the deep bedrock of sentiment that *made* Hamas, allowed it to become a stable organization, and then *elected* them, is hardly going to vanish in a puff of rubble.