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A Matter of Timing

[US News] Mortimer B. Zuckerman - The American public understands what the war between Israel and Hizballah is about and what it is not about. It is not about territories; it is not about occupation; it is not about an effort by poor, oppressed Palestinians to get Israel out of their land; it is not about a two-state solution. What it is about is the fate of the democratic State of Israel, which was attacked, once again, by enemies dedicated to its destruction. No fewer than 83 percent of Americans say Israel is justified in its military action, while fully 76 percent disapprove of Hizballah's attacks on Israel, according to a Gallup poll. A CNN poll found some 57 percent are sympathetic to Israel, while only 4 percent are sympathetic to Hizballah. Another false peace, like the 1993 and 1996 cease-fire agreements with Hizballah, would be a betrayal of those who have died - and all those who will die in the future if Hizballah's threat is not eliminated. It must lose its capacity to take over Lebanon, given its genocidal ambitions as expressed by Nasrallah in 2002 when he said, "If they [Jews] all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide." There is, too, an important issue of perception. Hizballah must not come out of this with even a perceived victory. Otherwise, the Muslim Brotherhoods in Egypt and Jordan, as well as other jihadists, will look to Iran for leadership and to Hizballah for operational assistance. Over time this will pose an existential question for Israel and create still more havoc for the Middle East. If Israel is seen as victorious, Palestinian extremists will be weakened and Syria, and possibly Iran, might be forced to reappraise their approach. Rarely have the stakes been higher.
2006-08-07 01:00:00
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