by Zvika Fogel
The current response
policy of the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet against Hamas terrorist
activities in the Gaza Strip may produce short-term deterrence, but it
will not bring an end to the terror threat that disrupts our lives. The
targeted killing of one terrorist operative or another is not enough to
ensure the security of a country that is supposed to defend its
sovereignty. Only a series of pro-active Israeli actions will get Hamas
to understand that sitting at the negotiating table is its only
remaining option.
To bring about normal
lives for people on both sides of the Gaza border fence, Israel must
deal a fatal blow to those who dispatch the terrorists on their
missions. These terror organizers would not dare to carry out the
attacks themselves, as they do not believe 72 virgins are awaiting them
in paradise, and they have something to lose.
With all due respect to
those involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, I believe a
long-term deal could be reached with Hamas in Gaza much quicker than the
uneven tango that Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are conducting. Hamas, the only
sovereign entity in Gaza, is susceptible to pressure that threatens its
grip on power. Egypt, which under Mohammed Morsi was Hamas' guardian,
now views Hamas as a bitter enemy and treats the group like a leper.
Abbas continues to
travel around the world promoting the peace sham, while completely
ignoring Hamas, which for him is a hot potato in a fire that he does not
intend to put out.
Syria, which used to
host the Hamas "Foreign Ministry," is busy with its own troubles and
understands the internal threat posed by terrorist groups. Even Turkey's
ruler, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who sent every possible
ship toward Gaza, has begun to shy away from fanatical terrorists.
Also, in Gaza in recent
years, many groups have opposed the "soft" manner in which Hamas has
fought the "Zionist entity." This opposition threatens Hamas' military
and civil leadership in Gaza.
All of these factors
have forced Hamas to make calculations in terms of what its priorities
need to be to survive. Mostly, Hamas has tried to figure out what price
it needs to pay to maintain control of Gaza. The optimal solution it
found was to give the green light to fire rockets at Israel to extremist
factions within Hamas, as well as other jihadist groups in Gaza. This
green light, which also applied to smuggling operations, the planting of
explosive devices on the border with Israel and the digging of tunnels,
permitted terrorist pressure to be relieved in exchange for Hamas
receiving "civil quiet" in Gaza. Hamas also approved the establishment
of terror bases in Sinai, to be used every few months for "dry runs"
against Israel, holding many swathes of land hostage.
I think that we could
all learn from how King Abdullah deals with terrorist groups that try to
set themselves up in Jordan and how Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sissi is
treating Hamas in Gaza. I am also anxiously waiting to see how Sissi
handles the terrorists who launched rockets from Sinai toward Eilat on
Monday night. There is nothing to do but admit the unpleasant truth --
Arab leaders understand the potential threat and know how to deal with
Arab terrorism better than U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama and U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry do.
Terrorist groups are
being choked off from their supplies and are having their
maneuverability space reduced due to a number of regional developments,
including the expected survival of the Assad regime in Syria and its
reliance on Russia, the political situation in Lebanon, the
uncompromising leadership of King Abdullah in Jordan and Sissi in Egypt,
and the nuclear agreement between the West and Iran.
Yet the potential for a
wave of terror is getting larger. Abbas still does not understand that
terror represents a greater threat to the Palestinian Authority than
compromising on Jerusalem and the right of return would be. And Hamas
has not internalized that we are becoming fed up with conducting a major
operation in Gaza once a year.
Now is the time for us
to take the initiative and vanquish those who seek to harm us. We should
not wait until their rockets exact casualties in our cities.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Zvika Fogel is a former chief of staff of the IDF Southern Command.
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=7105
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment