by Zvika Fogel
The only way to end the suffering on both sides of the Gaza border is with decisive victory followed by an offer to coexist. This requires a courageous land operation.
The
events of the past few days in the Gaza sector are the product of a
faulty situational assessment that stems from an inability to translate
reality correctly and admit the simple truth: None of the parties
involved is willing to resolve the insufferable living conditions in the
Gaza Strip.
The familiar refrain that Hamas, Israel and other elements are uninterested in war is irrelevant.
Everyone, it appears, is content to live
with and carry out varying tempos of skirmishes. Each side is trying its
hardest to exhaust the other and to create problems where solutions can
be found.
Our mistaken approach to Hamas as a
terrorist organization prevents us from using full force against it. In
the years since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas has transitioned
from a terrorist group to the sovereign power in Gaza. Hamas controls
civilian institutions of governance and an army, allowing it to manage
the daily lives of Gazans. It's time to internalize that Hamas, like any
other neighboring Arab country, has something to lose. For the past few
years, Hamas has forced us to counter its weapons and military
infrastructure, which it has sought to use to perpetrate large terrorist
attacks on our homefront and to undermine the daily lives of Israeli
civilians.
Hamas, like Hezbollah, is a foreign Iranian
outpost. If we aspire to a normal life, and if we truly intend to
create a shared future here, the time has come to exact the price of
true loss from Hamas and for us to pay the cost of real victory. We
require strategic understanding and internalization. What happens in the
southern arena will have implications for all of our borders. We can
continue destroying tunnels, intercepting rockets and mortars, building a
sea obstacle and fences in an effort to fortify ourselves to the gills.
We can and should continue to attack targets deep inside Syria, Lebanon
and Gaza.
However, more than anything, we must sever
the hands that orchestrate and eliminate the minds that plan and give
orders. This cannot be achieved solely with the air force; it requires a
smart and courageous land operation.
None of us wishes for war. But it's
important to remember that war is a means to achieve diplomatic
objectives, and it is prudent to wage it when there is no other option.
Our enemy does not recognize our right to live. Despite this, we are
prepared to accept him as a neighbor.
To end the suffering on both sides of the
border, I do not see any way other than decisive victory followed by an
offer to coexist in peace. Similar to my enemies in the Middle East, I
too want to have the last word, which in my case is: cease-fire.
Zvika Fogel
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/sever-the-hands-that-orchestrate/
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