Israel Unchained
Terrorists are stupid.
When you get right down to it, the only way terrorists survive is by maintaining a low-level of violence – setting off a few bombs here and there that put your name into the papers for a few days or makes your enemy think that it’s easier to give you what you want than to crush you.
It’s hard to maintain that level of violence: enough to keep your fanboys drinking the kool-aid but not too much that tips your enemy into coming at you with guns blazing. In fact, most terror organizations fail. The Red Brigades. Bahder-Meinhoff. FLN. ETA. IRA - a whole slew of acronyms filling up the dustbin of history.
Hamas and Hezbullah are no different. Following quickly on the heels of al-Qaeda whose recruiting slogan should be “Guaranteeing you 72 virgins in 30 minutes or less” , both organizations have left the realm of “acceptable level of violence” that allowed the IRA to survive until the Irish realized that they would rather drink in pubs than blow them up. In short, they have really, really pissed off their enemy who now realizes that it has more to gain by crushing them than in putting up with them.
So as the katyushas fall like rain in Northern Israel, rest assured that once this is over neither organization will resemble what they looked like three weeks ago. Both organizations don’t seem to understand the Rubicon they have crossed, bleating that all they want are some prisoners released. However their actions have convinced Israel, the US, and even their sympathizers the EU and Egypt that they have gone too far and awoken a tiger that they now must face.
Israel is unchained. The United States has removed its bindings on its sibling. Even the EU seems resigned to picking up the pieces – literally – once Israel has done what it must do. The only thing holding Israel back now is itself: Does it have the will to do what must be done? And can it do it quickly – before the anti-Semitic press and human rights organizations gain traction from the dead Arabs.
What must Israel do? The most likely strategy Israel will follow will decapitate the leaders of its enemies, and convince those that survive that Israel’s withdrawal from Southern Lebanon and Gaza were not from terror attacks.
To that end,
1. Hamas leader Khalid Meshal must be killed.
2. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya must disappear.
3. Hezbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah must die.
4. Beshir al-Assad must be weakened – most likely through the destruction of military equipment and bases – if not Syrian infrastructrue.
Beyond that? The ultimate solution would be to ethnically cleanse the West Bank and Gaza – forcing the Palestinians into Jordan and Egypt. This would be the most dangerous strategy politically, but it would force the Palestinians to choose between nothing and something, ending their dream of everything.
Israel must do what it must do and ignore international opinion. It is already a pariah state in the eyes of some, and those who are its friends will continue to back them no matter what it does. International opinion only matters if one cares what foreigners think. Does Iran, North Korea and Cuba care about international opinion? Israel must protect itself, and it has every right to do so. Therefore it must act as the tiger acts.
A tiger does not attack to wound: It attacks to kill.
I don’t think the Jewish people has the stomach for this, but it would end the problem once and for all. Will the Israeli leadership consider this strategy? Only the coming days will tell.
PoliticalCritic:
Unfortunately, I don’t think the aggressiveness will end the problem once and for all. They tried that years ago with the occupation of Lebanon and other areas. These people have been fighting against each other for decades and it’s not going to stop anytime soon. Even if you kill the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, they will simply replace them as they have done in the past.
13 July 2006, 8:25 amligneus:
On to Iran!
13 July 2006, 8:22 pmHuge miscalculation by the mad mullahs, this has been coming a long time.
I’m sticking to my guns that Sharon knew exactly how the withdrawal from Gaza would work out. He gave the Palis a choice, build a state or go to war. Anyone with half a brain knew they would choose war, and having been given the chance of a state, the critics of Israel are left hung out to dry.
And the election of Hamas further clarified the situation, though it gave those with BDS a chance to mock his promotion of democracy.