by Zvika Fogel
The real evil comes from the south, from the state of murderers in the Gaza Strip. That's the one that keeps the wheels of the conflict turning and decides just how hot things will get in Judea and Samaria.
The need to be
everywhere at once, all the time, is what prompted Israel's security
apparatus to outfit the main axes and hot spots of the conflict in Judea
and Samaria with cameras to record difficult events and supposedly make
it possible to analyze them later and show the world who the instigator
was.
We're losing the camera
war, unequivocally. No camera has yet been invented that can stop
robbers or speeding drivers, much less deter masked members of Hamas and
Islamic Jihad. Cameras won't prevent the next incident. At most, they
can help us catch the murderers.
Every branch of the
security establishment is asking itself what will bring about a change.
What will stop the current wave of terrorism, and what will prevent more
wounded? The answer we're accustomed to hearing is "deterrence," but
it's wrong. There is no deterrence in the ongoing conflict between us
and the growing threat in our region. Deterrence is impossible in a
conflict between an existing state and undefined entities that hold an
ideology and strategy devoted entirely to establishing a state of their
own on the ruins of ours. The security apparatus has been tasked with an
almost impossible mission -- almost.
These days, our gaze is
fixed on Judea and Samaria, and particularly Jerusalem. That's a
mistake. The real evil comes from the south, from the state of murderers
in the Gaza Strip. That's the one that keeps the wheels of the conflict
turning and decides just how hot things will get in Judea and Samaria.
That's the one that breathes life into terrorist elements in the Sinai
Peninsula and that's the one that is pressing Hezbollah to keep
threatening us from the north.
In Operations Cast Lead
and Protective Edge, we missed an opportunity to defeat Hamas and
Islamic Jihad. We need to forget what was and take advantage of the
chance to create a new security reality. Either we turn Gaza into the
world's biggest parking lot, or we beat Hamas and Islamic Jihad there,
on their own turf. This isn't just what Israel wants -- it's the wish of
the Palestinians who want coexistence and of every Arab head of state
in our region. There is no need to demolish the home of a single
terrorist; we must raze the palace where terrorism reigns.
The heads of Israel's
security branches have a constant obligation to map out a new path that
will lead to a different reality. We cannot adhere to the same line when
the other side knows us and always beats us to the punch. In this
ongoing war of attrition, we must not be the ones who respond, condemn,
and weep. The safety of the people who live in Israel, which rests in
the hands of the security establishment, demands that our enemies be
prevented from racking up any success, without us apologizing or
preaching.
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=13915
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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