Gaza offensive has cost Israel West's unconditional support
If at all one needs to find reason in insanity, then so be it. While the world expresses anger and frustration over Israel’s invasion of Gaza strip; by doing so, one man is happy that he redeemed his pride: Ehud Olmert.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s political career finished, for all practical purposes, several months before
his Gaza adventure. However, his tenure will be recalled for most of his misadventures – chain of discomforting corruption accusations and the messed up 2006 campaign against Hezbollah. Clearly, through Gaza he wants to show the Israelis that he is as much capable of finishing wars as starting them, and thus reinstating Israel’s military deterrence. But watch closely and you’ll understand that he has messed it up again. By attacking Gaza and inflicting civilian causalities, Israel wanted to isolate Hamas among Palestinians by proving that it is Hamas that has brought doom on them. However, by doing so, Olmert also proved his total lack of understanding as to how Arabs think. His adventure has made Hamas hero and martyr and Palestinians are huddling around it more than ever. Moderate secular voices such as Fatah and PLO will find it impossible now to win public’s approval to strike a peace deal with Israelis.
“It is counter-productive. You cannot have peace with Fatah and Palestinian Authority alone. This is collateral damage,” said Robert Malley, head of the International Crisis Group's Middle East programme, while talking to TSI from Brussels. So, in fact, Olmert has once again sucked Israel into unrealistic expectations and a conflict it cannot win. Also, some of its acts in this strife have heavily dented Israel’s otherwise unconditional support in the west. Its attack on UN school – although it had coordinates – and use of artillery shells, with the incendiary agent white phosphorus, on civilian population has led to protests all over the world, including in countries like Norway, Denmark and, yes, Germany.
As the conflict entered its third week, the death toll has touched close to 900, most of them civilians. Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, have been killedin retaliatory attacks. And while Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, claims to be running “day and night” to bring in an armistice, it is pretty apparent that the Bush administration has provided Israel broad latitude to crush Hamas on the cost of civilian lives....Continue
If at all one needs to find reason in insanity, then so be it. While the world expresses anger and frustration over Israel’s invasion of Gaza strip; by doing so, one man is happy that he redeemed his pride: Ehud Olmert.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s political career finished, for all practical purposes, several months before
his Gaza adventure. However, his tenure will be recalled for most of his misadventures – chain of discomforting corruption accusations and the messed up 2006 campaign against Hezbollah. Clearly, through Gaza he wants to show the Israelis that he is as much capable of finishing wars as starting them, and thus reinstating Israel’s military deterrence. But watch closely and you’ll understand that he has messed it up again. By attacking Gaza and inflicting civilian causalities, Israel wanted to isolate Hamas among Palestinians by proving that it is Hamas that has brought doom on them. However, by doing so, Olmert also proved his total lack of understanding as to how Arabs think. His adventure has made Hamas hero and martyr and Palestinians are huddling around it more than ever. Moderate secular voices such as Fatah and PLO will find it impossible now to win public’s approval to strike a peace deal with Israelis.“It is counter-productive. You cannot have peace with Fatah and Palestinian Authority alone. This is collateral damage,” said Robert Malley, head of the International Crisis Group's Middle East programme, while talking to TSI from Brussels. So, in fact, Olmert has once again sucked Israel into unrealistic expectations and a conflict it cannot win. Also, some of its acts in this strife have heavily dented Israel’s otherwise unconditional support in the west. Its attack on UN school – although it had coordinates – and use of artillery shells, with the incendiary agent white phosphorus, on civilian population has led to protests all over the world, including in countries like Norway, Denmark and, yes, Germany.
As the conflict entered its third week, the death toll has touched close to 900, most of them civilians. Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, have been killedin retaliatory attacks. And while Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, claims to be running “day and night” to bring in an armistice, it is pretty apparent that the Bush administration has provided Israel broad latitude to crush Hamas on the cost of civilian lives....Continue
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