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Israel's Security Depends on Rafah

(New York Times) Benny Morris - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is right that it's crucial for Israel to conquer Rafah and destroy the Hamas battalions ensconced in that city. If this does not happen, Hamas will survive to fight and murder and rape another day - and its leader, Yahya Sinwar, will emerge from his hiding place declaring victory. For Palestinian-Israeli peace to have any chance, Hamas must be obliterated. Assaulting Rafah will inevitably cause many civilian casualties, despite assurances by Israel that it will move the civilians out of harm's way before launching the offensive. The additional civilian casualties and the attendant disruption of humanitarian aid through the Egypt-Gaza border will ratchet up condemnation of Israel's conduct by its Western allies, led by the U.S. Yet, Israel must take Rafah if it wants to demolish Hamas as a military and governing organization. For Israel, that potential outcome outweighs the many risks. Above all, an Israeli failure to take Rafah and smash Hamas will paint Israel, in its enemies' eyes, as a weak, defeated polity, easy prey for the next potential assailant. Zionism came into this world some 140 years ago to end the 2,000 years of Jewish humiliation and oppression, and to provide the Jews, at last, with a haven. To now allow the badly mauled Hamas to emerge victorious will underline Zionism's failure. Invading Rafah is vital to eliminating Hamas and restoring that safe haven. The writer is professor emeritus of Middle Eastern history at Ben-Gurion University.
2024-04-11 00:00:00
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