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The Problem with Washington's Offer to End the Conflict

(Jerusalem Post) David M. Weinberg - Washington is working overtime to sanitize a series of failed concepts and press them on Israel, such as a "revitalized Palestinian Authority," "international security guarantees," "accommodation with Iran," and "regional integration." The first is a fantasy, the second ridiculous, the third ruinous, the fourth premature. Relying on Mahmoud Abbas's terror-glorifying Palestinian Authority as a ruling alternative to Hamas would be insane. The PA is both incapable and unwilling to be the moderating force in Palestinian politics that everybody is yearning for. The main problem with these concepts is that they sideline the most important strategic goal of the moment, which is Israeli victory - the necessity of a crushing Israeli victory over Hamas. Without that, Israel's deterrent power is forever shot to hell, and no stable peace can come. Who will rule Gaza once Hamas is annihilated? What is the endgame? I don't know. This is going to be a long war, as Israel peels away and destroys layer after layer of Hamas's military capabilities. Israel is rightfully fixated on its victory strategy, not on exit strategies and Palestinian rehabilitation. Demands that Israel answer these questions now are meant to prevent Israel from doing what needs to be done in Gaza. The world seems hell-bent on emasculating Israel. Insisting that Israel's "primary goal" must be the provision of humanitarian aid to an enemy population in wartime is an absurdity never broached before in history. It continues further with American attempts to micromanage IDF operations. At issue is the regional and international perception of Israel as a country capable of resoundingly winning an existential war of self-defense against a state that has genocidal plans for Israel long into the future - unless eliminated. At issue is the perception of Israel as a nation that cannot be steamrolled into diplomatic or military defeat; that is able to act on its essential security imperatives and free all of Israel of terrorist violence and rocket attacks. The writer is a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Israel office director of Canada's Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).
2024-06-04 00:00:00
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