Opinion: Invading Gaza, but to what end? Netanyahu’s incompetent government has no answers
Image source: The Nation
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
MODI'IN, Israel —
In the days since Hamas terrorists launched an attack in southern Israel of shocking brutality and lethality, Israelis have been asking their leaders some increasingly urgent questions.
How could they have let this happen? How could entire towns and thousands of people have been left to fend for themselves for hours and hours while Hamas terrorists carried out a large-scale, multipronged assault virtually unimpeded?
Now, with over 360,000 Israeli military reservists mobilized and a possible ground war in the offing, what’s next? Among all those Israeli reservists and soldiers are friends of mine, children of friends, a brother. Are they going to be sent into Gaza to fight? To what end?
We’re not getting answers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu famously avoids taking questions, especially from Israeli journalists, and most senior members of his Cabinet have been studiously avoiding the public all week.
So let me ask these questions here. What are Israel’s objectives in this war?
Important Related Article ( About the so-called "Israeli Occupation of Gaza" )
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In the days since Hamas terrorists launched an attack in southern Israel of shocking brutality and lethality, Israelis have been asking their leaders some increasingly urgent questions.
How could they have let this happen? How could entire towns and thousands of people have been left to fend for themselves for hours and hours while Hamas terrorists carried out a large-scale, multipronged assault virtually unimpeded?
As the unusally barbaric attack by Hamas terrorists unfolded, I had the same questions. Being quite familiar with the area having lived in Israel several times over decades, as well as being familiar Israeli politics, I had a hunch that a key element here was Netanyahu's actions.
After further investigating, I'm now certain-- if not for Netanyahu's incompetent stupidity, it never would have happened.
P.S: That wasn't sarcasm. I do seriously believe that while there were several factors at play of course, Netanyahu's words and actions were the main factor in actually triggering the Hamas attack.
[Test comment removed at poster's request by charger]
How could FDR let Pearl Harbor happen? How could Bush let 9/11 happen?
There's between a debate about that in the Arab world for some time now. Actually an argument-- there are two competing theories there about who was behind 9/11:
1. Re: your comment: They do believe that Bush let it happen. (Although some of these maroons believe that Bush actually even planned and executed the whole thing!)
2.. Some believe that in fact it wasn't Bush but rather the evil Joos were actually behind 911. (At the time those crazies published articles claiming that there were no Jews in the WTC on 9/11 because they were warned in advance and there every Joo stayed home that day.
Yes, the questions concerning the IDF ability to prevent the terror attacks by Hamas are appropriate. But do not ignore the backdrop of improving diplomatic and commercial relations between Israel and a number of Arab Gulf states. Israel had an incentive to avoid antagonizing those Arab Gulf states. And those Arab Gulf states had an incentive to place less emphasis on Palestinian issues.
Yes, Israel appears to have been unprepared for a terror attack by Palestinian Hamas. But it appears that the Arab Gulf states were also unprepared to respond. Who has been rushing to support the Palestinian cause following the terror attacks?
The situation in the Middle East really has changed. And it seems that all interested parties are trying to avoid backsliding into the confrontational politics and policies of the past. The Middle East is trying to turn the page. Those changes have also heightened the fact that Iran is becoming more isolated within the Middle East. Iranian support for Hamas and Hezbollah has always been about obtaining broader influence within the Middle East. While it's still early, the indications suggest that Iran may be beating a dead camel.
Was Israel complacent? Or was Israel trying to protect green shoots of diplomatic and commercial relations with its neighbors? Don't use the failure of the IDF to excuse and ignore that Palestinians are stuck in a past that has no future. Palestinian terror no longer elicits kneejerk attacks on Israel by Arab Gulf states.
What makes you think that Israel had any intention of antagonizing the gulf Gulf states? Their rapproachment was so considerably beneficial to those countries as well as to Israel.
For the first time, the Abraham Accords held out the promise of actual peace between the Arabs and the Jews.
(Well, at least the Gulf states-- countries such as Lebanon and Syria continue to be officially at war with Israel-- the have adamently refuse to end their state of war since 1948!
Palestinians have been ramping up conflict with Israel while the Arab Gulf states have been deemphasizing Palestine in diplomatic relations with Israel. So, Israel doesn't want to create a perception of exploiting a softening position by Arab Gulf states to crack down on Palestinians.
It appears that the Arab Gulf states and Israel want to protect whatever gains have been made by the Abraham Accords. The criticism directed toward Israel has been very tepid compared to the not too distant past.
WTF?
Do you actually believe that countries that recently wanted peace with Israel should necessarily go to was when Israel is attacked?
Should the U.S. put boots on the ground to defend Israel? Should all the NATO countries go to was just because a friendly country is attacked?
What about remote countries in Africa who are friends of the U.S.?
Well, the kneejerk response in the not too distant past has been Arab Gulf states expressing unity with Palestine and threatening Israel with a violent response.
LOL. We don’t need boots on the ground. The carrier USS Gerald R Ford is off the coast already, and the carrier Eisenhower has also been ordered into the Eastern Med. Everyone else will politely mind their own business while Israel cleans this mess up.
Think of them as two enormous sea-boots.
The US has 3,000 troops in Jordan currently and units of the 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles) are headed to Jordan as we speak. Additionally I believe that US Marines are headed to the area as well.
Where have you been? The news is filled with videos of demonstrations-- worldwide-- of many, many people demonstrating in support of the "Palestinians".
PALESTINE SHALL BE FREE
FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA!
_____________
FREE FREE PALESTINE!
_____________
Any of that sound familiar?
The videos of demonstrations seem to be coming from Eurocentric liberal conclaves. The list of countries criticizing Israel (that I posted in @4.1.1) seems have sparse representation by Arab Gulf states.
Well that's certainly true of Netanyahu.
And also Hamas.
(Is it really necessary to put the /sarc label on those comments?)
Do bears shit in the woods?
Does the sun come up in the morning?
Is water wet?
As someone who has a bias (that Israel has a right to exist, Palestine from the river to the sea not withstanding) despite that I've come to realize that most of the recent ghoulism terror attacks was Netanyahu's fault.
True. And I'm sure that an intelligent guy such as yourself is well aware of the fact that it it never has in the past!!!
Better clean that woody bearshit off the boots because it's being tracked all over the place. Cleanup on aisle 3.
As far as I recall, the Gulf states never attacked Israel. Sure, they gave lip service to condemning Israel-- you have to do that in the Arab world.
And they have so much money it never hurt to send a few million to the Palis.
But actually send their kids off to die in a foreign land? Nope, not the Gulf states!
(Especially countries like Saudi Arabia, who is notorious for getting other countreis to do their fighting for them-- while they bask in obscene luxury from all their oil money),
WTF?? Could you possibly repeat that in ordinary Emglish so that we can understand what you are trying to say?
Thanks!
Ok, so there should absolutely be some inquiry into what was an obvious failure of intelligence - eventually. But I have noticed that people in a rush to discuss this issue with such urgency are stretching this point into the the theory that the whole war is Israel’s fault for not preventing it.
That’s insane.
It presumes that Hamas and the Palestinians have no agency. No responsibility for their actions. They’re just helpless creatures operating on instinct and Israel should have done a better job of keeping them out - the way a responsible homeowner disposes of food so the ants don’t invade.
Hamas is doing this. Hamas started this. They are responsible.
But Israel is going to end it.
To end Hamas.
Actually I've thought about it a lot. And I'm still not totally sure whether they will succeed in that or not.
With the intelligence failure of knowing about this attack before it occurred, Hamas had to know Israel was going to respond, I wonder what they have planned for the expected counterattack.
Max casualties, that why they're trying to keep Palestinians from fleeing to the south as Israel warned them to.
One possibility: to put as many of their civilians in harm's way to gain the worl;d's sympathy.
Women and babies especially.
(Amd many are willing to die because they actually believe that if they die defending Islam they will go to paradise. Yes-- many actually believe that)
That leaves more virgins in heaven for the martyred men.
Makes me wonder with such a high fertility rate, how could so many Muslim women die a virgin.
Does it say the Virgins are women? Or are there going to be a lot of upset goats?
Good point, perhaps my ignorance of the Koran.
I'm wondering how many people in Gaza are starting to think:
"Ya know, maybe the barbaric attack we launched on Israel last week might not have been such a great idea after all"
????
I would bet alot more than are thinking,
"Ya know, maybe we should just hand these mofos over to the Israelis and start over?..."