The security benefits of withdrawal
The Gaza withdrawal was supposed to help Israel defend itself. In the words of Charles Krauthammer who supported the withdrawal
Unlike the Oslo concessions of 1993, there is not even the pretense of getting anything in return from the Palestinians. Nonetheless, unilateralism is both correct and necessary. Israel has no peace partner — Mahmoud Abbas has nothing to offer and has offered nothing — and in the absence of a partner, there is only one logical policy: Rationalize your defensive lines and prepare for a long wait.
Afterwords, Krauthammer dismissed Gaza as “.. a bridge too far,” not worth the cost in defending.
The problem is that the lack of an Israeli presence in Gaza has allowed the Palestinians to build their attack against Israel unharrassed. Two items from last week illustrate this.
1) A Qassam missile hit an unidentified (suspected to be the power plant) ’strategic facility’ in Ashkelon. Israel doesn’t have the resources to check out missile factories anymore and the Palestinians are thus able to improve their Qassams.
2) Mahmoud Abbas claims that Al Qaeda is now operating in Gaza. Normally, Abbas isn’t someone who can be trusted as far as you can throw him but a) Israeli intelligence has been warning of this and b) until now the Palestinians have denied that Al Qaeda had any interest in helping them. (Some idiot praising the Gaza in his blog assured us that Al Qaeda had no interest in Gaza.)
Technorati tags: Gaza, Qassams, Al Qaeda.
Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.
I was completely opposed to the disengagement because of what the security people were saying about Gaza becoming Hamastan. They were proven to be more than correct. With Condi’s arrogant pressure, Israrel allowed the fraudulent, anti-Israel PA security forces to guard the crossing. Within hours, “militants” had broken through the barrier, killed Egyptian soldiers (still waiting for Mubarak to avenge murdering his servicemen). Israel has essentially NO control over what terrorists and weapons enter the Gaza strip. The dire warnings were proven true. Now, Mr. Olmert has chosen to respond to daily rocket attacks by doing essentially nothing. The article you referred to by Mr. Krauthammer specifically refers to a new Israeli deterrent policy of guaranteed reprisals for rocket attacks. Mr. Olmert, for no apparent reason, has refrained from a more agressive response recommended by his advisers. While I’m a Likudnik/Bibi supporter, even the Israeli left has acknowledged that the Gaza withdrawl has accomplished NOTHING to help Israeli security.
Now, we’ve got al-Qaeda in Gaza and the West Bank. Is this really surprising? Do we really not expect another Karina A coming from Iran? Abbas made these allegations previously, perhaps hoping the “international community” would prop him up because they view him as the only one with the “power” to stop terrorists attacks.
Does he think we are stupid? He campaigned literally on the shoulders of the militants whom he promised would never be arrested because they were “brothers in arms.” Than what was the Road Map for? Sharon/GW demanded Mazen crack down on those planning and launching attacks. He ignored these calls. Now they run the PA. So, why should “community” now seek his “moderation?”
Great post.
Thank you.
EJ Passeos
Comment by ejpasseos
— March 5, 2006 @ 6:02 am
Here is an example of Krauthammer’s wisdom:
He was gung-ho for the Clinton-Albright stupid war to help Albanian Muslim terrorists snatch Kosovo away from Christian Serbia. He even demanded heavier and more destructive bombing of Belgrade to achieve that end.
What, if anything, has he written about the; consequences for Kosovo since then?
What if anything will he write about the consequences for Israel of the even more stupid flight from Gaza that he supported?
He has not gained an credibility by these past blunders.
Comment by ATimeToSpeak
— March 5, 2006 @ 6:39 am
I think what amazes me most is that I used to think that Krauthammer knew what he was talking about. It wasn’t until Gaza when I started hearing his real words. I wasn’t aware fot he was pro-Muslim and in bed with the Clintons.
Comment by Mary Hogan
— March 5, 2006 @ 6:30 pm
EJ Passeos,thanks for your kind words and agreement.
ATimeToSpeak and Mary Hogan - I don’t agree with Krauthammer here, but I don’t think you’re being fair either. He wasn’t a gung ho supporter of the war against Serbia; in fact he opposed it.
But he also opposed Clinton’s half baked attempt to prosecute the war. His view was if you make war; do it right.
Comment by soccerdad
— March 6, 2006 @ 4:51 am
I see the Gaza Withdrawal as an obvious blunder. So why do the opinion polls in Israel all show Kadima, a party dedicated to more unilateral withdrawals, as massive vote winners?
What do the Israelis see that we don’t?
Comment by deegee
— March 6, 2006 @ 5:18 am
Deegee - While I don’t know how much this will affect things, I believe that the polls overstate the support of Kadima. To what degree I don’t know. Maybe Olmert is right and people are tired of fighting.
Comment by soccerdad
— March 6, 2006 @ 5:56 am
Soccerdad
No, no, no! A thousand times no!
Israelis are not tired of the fight! And the objective conditions do not allow them to be tired either.
Of course I cannot be absolute. In every struggle there are ELEMENTS who are tired.
But that is NOT the issue here. The issue is leadership and the reality is that Israelis are tired of the leadership they are being given and have no alternative but to strike out and build a new and a revolutionary (to meet the demands of the situation) leadership.
Your remark about tired turns the issue completely on its head (despite your own great efforts here)
From the moment that Likud did not turf Sharon straight out of the party when he decided to give his own party two fingers to the withdrawal resolution and vote I said that Likud was finished.
Over great issues parties only get one chance.
So the Israeli people are really leaderless.
To build a new leadership…I have much to say but…well absolute hatred for this K man would be a good start believe me.
His position on Kosova does stink!
Comment by Felix Quigley
— March 6, 2006 @ 6:27 am
This was the beginning of the end of my admiration of Krauthammer.
I may not completely understand this, but Krauthammer said: August 19, 2005
http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/krauthammer081905.asp
I undersatnd unilateralism as: a foreign policy that takes little or no regard of the views of other nations, including allies, or the implementation of such a policy
And…
I’m not the swiftest egg in the dozen, but isn’t this circular? Krauthammer said and I repeat, Rationalize your defensive lines and prepare for a long wait…..
Then he goes on:
I say, Mr. Krauthammer, Israel was once bold and courageous. The Jewish people are not known throughout over 3000 years of history, to be chicken hearted.
At this point I started shaking my head and wondering “how gullible does Krauthammer think we are? This is blatantly a man who is losing his direction with every word. Equilibrium because of a fence? One thing I know as a dog owner, things can get around any fence.
Krauthammer continued, after way losing my respect:
Assumption is not a good thing. This is educated guessing on par with barrels over Niagra Falls.
Krauthammer assumes that the so-called Palestinians are integrity-based. It’s kind of like a woman who would go out with Ted Bundy, even though she clearly knows his rap sheet, but assumes because she is “special” Ted could be reformed just because she is Krauthammerly wise. Weird analogy, I know.
Comment by Mary Hogan
— March 6, 2006 @ 9:39 am