Israel and its supporters have spent most of the weeks since the conclusion of the latest round of fighting with Hamas pointing to the great success of the Iron Dome missile defense system. The improved ability of Israel’s Defense Forces to render harmless the bulk of the rockets launched from the terrorist enclave in Gaza has enhanced the country’s security, even if the spectacle of a sizable portion of the population cowering in shelters cheered Palestinians. But the notion that the prolonged exchange of fire in November that saw hundreds of missiles fired into Israel during Operation Pillar of Defense was an unalloyed success is being undermined by the concessions that Israel has made since the cease-fire.
In the days following the dustup, it was clear that Gaza fishing craft were being allowed to sail further into the Mediterranean by the Israeli Navy, but this might have been dismissed as unimportant since the blockade of the region was still intact. However, the news that Israel is now allowing in construction materials that it had heretofore prevented from entering Gaza must be regarded as yet another indication that Hamas’s own claims of victory were not empty boasts. Though it may be argued that neither of these measures seriously degrades Israel’s security, they both make it clear that Israel paid a not insignificant price for the cease-fire brokered by the Obama administration and the Muslim Brotherhood government of Egypt.
At the time the cease-fire was arranged, both the Israelis and the Americans issued statements that were aimed at making it seem as if the shooting was ended with no concessions made by either side. But the looser naval blockade and the end of the ban on construction material gives the lie to the notion that Israel didn’t pay a ransom in order to get the Islamist terrorist group to stop shooting.
Given the flow of all sorts of material into Gaza via smuggling tunnels linked to Egypt, it’s not clear that the ban on gravel and cement meant much anymore. The rationale for the measure was that Hamas was using these products to rebuild the reinforced tunnels and hardened bunkers that make up the warren of defensive positions that had been destroyed in the fighting during the last big Israeli counter-offensive in 2008. While Israel did great damage to Hamas’s arsenal of missiles imported from Iran during the recent fighting, the maze of terrorist hideouts appears to be still intact.
Seen in that light, these concessions may be dismissed as meaningless in a military context. But they are one more indication that Israel has conceded what became obvious a long time ago: The Hamas regime in Gaza is an independent Palestinian state in all but name that no IDF offensive or defensive measures are going to erase.
If Hamas really did win the last war, or at least didn’t lose it as Israel had claimed, it is understandable that there will be consequences from this that will affect Israeli policy as well as public opinion. It may be that Prime Minister Netanyahu had no choice but to accept the deal that called for these concessions if he was to stop the shooting. But these revelations help explain why so many Israelis have not only given up hope for peace with moderate Palestinians but are also prepared to vote for parties to Netanyahu’s right in this month’s Knesset election.
Will we have to wait to see what Qatar does next?
in no sense other than in propaganda did Hamas win anything.
"…Israel paid a not insignificant price for the cease-fire brokered by the Obama administration and the Muslim Brotherhood government of Egypt" – well, right there lies your problem. Israel allowed two of its implacable enemies to "broker" a cease-fire. Is it any wonder Hamas won?
Israel and Hamas have been fighting and making up, fighting and making up, through two not insignificant military campaigns now, vowing never to talk to each other, telling anyone who will listen what a low life scum the other is, and Hamas has been getting drunk at the local bar and repeating tonelessly "I will slit that beaches' throat and burn the house down over her head." n nAnd here they are. With, get this, a mimeographed copy of a penciled in cease fire signed on the back of a discarded ketubah or a hallel menu by, so they say, both parties. n nIf wishes could be horses, but sometimes we got to walk and three's just so many roads to go down.
flat-out coooooool.
It is so sad that, for the first time in history, the Jewish people have a military that is fully capable of protecting Jewish lives, but our Jewish leaders, whether military or political or public, lack the discipline and mental strength to vanquish those who live to kill Jews. n nWe can over analyze every aspect of this war against the Jews, but the simple truth is that war is ugly, people die and the enemy must be killed in sufficient numbers to deter any more hostile acts. All of history's lessons are ignored by Israeli leaders, and it is a damn shame. n nIsraeli leaders have no backbone, and they lie to their people with empty boasts, false promises, and, probably worst of all, they have no self-respect and no respect for Jewish life. For these leaders, they are satisfied if Jews exist, but they become exasperated if Jews wish to LIVE AND ENJOY LIFE. n nL'Chaim! n
Exactly right. Lechaim!
It is a worthwhile discussion, this one which Jonathan Tobin highlights.
Israel was poised to crush Hamas, but an opportunity arose, which included understandings with US President Obama, like him or not, and I do not and other significant entities,including Turkey and Egypt which made, I imagine, a compounded multi factorial, interesting, somewhat workable, play it by ear. perhaps only temporary or not something or other.. meeting of the minds. Israel got more than it appears and gave far less than one may casually observe. The Government of Israel has remained largely silent, which is appropriate. Time will prove the result. Israel won by not clearly “winning”.
Of course, should the missiles begin falling out of the sky again…is it possible Hamas has more to lose now, with it’s new found gains; however modest. It was allowed to save face, somewhat. That move by Israel should be respected by it’s enemies. It was strong work by Binyamin Netanyahu and he will see the results, soon.
“Gains” I might add, which were achieved by a cessation of hostilities. Israel wants a long term interim agreement and one can imagine this as a step in the right direction, we will see. In amy case, there are other issues which need to dealt with, like Iran/Syria and putting this one on hold is a brilliant stroke. Let them try to make a case in The Hague for this operation, I do not think so.
Israel has made clear it is not interested in managing Gaza. If the cement and gravel were destined to find their way through the tunnels anyway, who cares. However, if the Hamastinians use the materials to threaten Israel rather than build an improved quality of life for it’s people, Israel will have further grounds to rectify the situation, as it sees fit. So Jonathan, you can call it a state, but whatever it is and whatever you wish to call it, will not evolve much beyond what it is today, while Israel’s potential GNP trajectory can only be relatively assessed as probable ‘smooth sailing’.
The Oslo Paradigm is like the former Berlin wall, it has been crumbling away and now it appears to have gone under. There has to be an address to whom communication can be directed in absence of The PA. This is progress. Even the stubborn Jewish leftists are now publicly declaring their collective error. It came at too high a price. Personally, I cannot forgive them. What are they going to say next month after it is no longer fashionable for them to surrender to reason. They are still a disgrace. Let them pay the families of Israelis murdered and wounded since Oslo and I will respect them more.
An excellent analysis; consider the results – a little cement and few more fish in exchange for effectively putting Egypt in charge of Gaza and the Sinai while mitigating an Iranian foothold there. Not bad considering the real threat comes from the North from a balkanized Syria with chemical weapons. The next objective is to cut Iran out of Syria isolating Hezbollah and create an understanding with the Syrian opposition while stabilizing Jordan. The Iranians would have loved to Give credit where credit is due – Obama and Netanyahu finessed this one and possibly developed a relationship that allows them to work together on finding a way to help Iran step back from the nuclear cliff and save face doing it.
Rip a page from Lenin and sell them the rope they'll hang themselves with. A fat dumb and happy Hamas is an even more dysfunctional corrupt Hamas., Left to their own devices three quarters of Gaza would starve. So it's a self correcting problem in the end.
Fortunately, many conservative Israelis far better understand Netanyahu's failings both during the Gaza conflict and at other times during his term than does Tobin; thus they have no problem abandoning Likud and voting for Haybayit HaYehudi.
A former IDF medic told me this shortly after Netanyahu, bowing to pressure from Obama and the UN, refused to send the IDF into Gaza. I hope I can get the Hebrew right, because it does not work as well in English. n nYesh konditoria b'shem Naopleon v'yesh konditoria b'shem Netanyahu. Ha'matkon hu zaha (should this be etzem ha'matcon?) , aval b'li betzim.
Russia 1812 frozen eggs
I believe this is the English translation: n nThere is one bakery that is called Napoleon and one that is called Netanyahu. The recipe (Ha'Matkon) used in both is the same but one is without eggs (balls).
interesting side note: eggs (huevos) in Spanish is also slang for that same naughty bit.
Hmm, the perils of google translator. Ooga (cake) did not seem right, so I asked google the word for pastry. If it came out bakery, maybe I put in the wrong nekudot. n n