by Maj. Gen. (ret.) Gershon Hacohen
We must give serious consideration to whether ending Hamas rule in Gaza and handing the Strip over to the PA truly serves Israel's interests.
The
criticism over the early conclusion of the last round of hostilities
in the Gaza Strip, "before a decisive result was achieved," is not new
and is similar to the disappointment of a crowd watching a boxing
match that failed to end with a knockout.
In light of this disappointment, one must
ask whether there is now even a need to quash Hamas' rule because,
unlike in the boxing ring, the results of a military campaign must be
judged in a wide, strategic context.
Hamas leaders may have been eager to
conclude the fighting, but unlike in Israel, their eagerness had
nothing to do with a desire to resume their public's normal routine.
Gaza has not seen a productive daily routine in years and Hamas has
done nothing to help its rehabilitation.
This illustrates the core difference
between Israel's interests and those driving Hamas: As far as Israel
is concerned, the ability to resume the public's daily routine
nationwide – and especially in the border-adjacent communities –
represents victory. Hamas and Iran, for their part, seek to
destabilize life in Israel by any means necessary and care very little
about how that might affect the Palestinians in Gaza.
Those urging the government to topple
Hamas' regime share a desire to see the IDF deal the terrorist group a
final blow, and warn that any cease-fire will be temporary – as if
anything lasts forever.
The issues plaguing Gaza are highly complex
and complex issues cannot be solved by temporary solutions. Renowned
American diplomat Henry Kissinger once said, "Each success only buys an
admission ticket to a more difficult problem." So let's say we follow
those who urge Israel to seize control of Gaza, topple the Hamas
regime, and hand the Strip back to the Palestinian Authority to rule.
Is that really in Israel's best interest?
Answering this question requires addressing
three questions: First, is making a decisive move desirable for
Israel under the existing strategic circumstances? Second, what are the
chances of such a move yielding the desired result of a stable
Palestinian government in Gaza? And third, does it truly serve
Israel's interest to potentially spill the blood of its own soldiers to
reinstate Fatah's rule in Gaza?
In October 2001, for example, the Americans
succeeded in dismantling Taliban forces in Afghanistan within three
weeks. Since then, despite huge investments, the area has remained
largely destabilized. The American-led war on the Islamic State group
in Mosul took nine months – who's to say a similar battle in Gaza would
be any shorter?
Perhaps we should focus on a more burning
question – deciding between the proponents of the two-state solution
who advocate returning to the 1967 lines and dividing Jerusalem, and
those who argue that the two-state solution poses a strategic threat –
before we focus on whether or not Israel should defeat Hamas in Gaza.
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Gershon Hacohen
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/is-toppling-hamas-an-israeli-interest%e2%80%8e/
Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment