A Bittersweet Battle in Gaza

Israel's attack on Hamas in Gaza, which started today, is a bittersweet moment.

It's relieving to see Hamas, which has been firing rockets into southern Israel for months and still holds IDF soldier Gilat Shalit for over two years, finally feeling some pain. Hopefully, Israel will be relentless in its attacks and force upon Hamas a new reality in which it understands a price will be paid for any future instigation.

However, today's violence is, undeniably, also terribly saddening. Palestinians in Gaza could have been better off had it not been for Hamas. Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in August 2005 offered an opportunity for the Palestinians there to exercise self-rule and establish a nascent state. Hamas failed them, but Palestinians also failed themselves for electing Hamas to power. As a Ha'aretz columnist wrote, "Nothing has been more instrumental in harming the cause of Palestinian independence than Hamas."

Instead of building a state, Hamas began building an army, with dozens of new security installations, thousands of new recruits, and tens of thousands of rockets and anti-aircraft missiles smuggled via Egypt.

Hamas and Palestinian Authority leaders need to be pressured to help Palestinians along a different path toward reconciliation with Israel. Unfortunately, they won't hear that from Israel's closest Arab allies. Egypt reportedly condemned Israel's attacks today, which Jordan's King Abdullah said "targeted innocent women and children." These Arab "allies" should know better. They should put the blame squarely on Hamas, not Israel.

Instead, the relief from Hamas rule which Palestinians deserve will be delayed and will come only once Palestinians, collectively, have tired of war and rise up against their corrupt rulers demanding change. If that time comes only in a hundred or more years, so be it. For only then will a lasting peace be within reach.

Abbas's True Colors

The United States, and much of the rest of the world, often makes out Palestinian President Mahmous Abbas to be a "moderate" committed to peace with Israel. They do so because they want to see the "peace process" move forward, and for this happen, they have legitimized Abbas as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. But Abbas continues to demonstrate weak leadership when it comes to taking steps necessary to forge a lasting peace.

This weekend in Hebron, for example, on his first ever visit there since becoming Palestinian President in 2005, Abbas reportedly told Palestinians "Hebron is ours" and that every Jewish settler must leave Hebron for there to be peace.

If there were true peace, Jews and Palestinians would live alongside each other, without any forced relocations. To foster reconciliation, Abbas should instill in Palestinians coexistence with Jews, instead of advocating separation. He should publicly and repeatedly call upon Palestinians to bury the hatchet and welcome Jews as permanent neighbors and not for their ouster. Abbas's refusal to do so demonstrates, once again, that he is a coward, a failed leader, and that his true pursuit is the elimination of the Jewish presence from historic Palestine one part at a time.

Israeli Papers Call for Tough Response

I'm glad to see that three major Israeli dailies, including left-wing Ha'aretz, agree with me that, in the face of constant rocket fire by Palestinians in Gaza, Israel must restore its deterrence.

Ha'aretz says to "leave no stone unturned" to restore calm but, sadly, stops short of endorsing the only meaningful action that would be effective -- military action. Right-of-center Yisrael Hayom, on the other hand, gets it exactly right, advising that military action would make Israel's enemies "think twice" before firing more rockets.

By sitting on its hands, Israel's current government thinks it wins itself sympathy and goodwill internationally. This is unlikely. With few exceptions, the world will be no more willing to see Israel's point of view and allow it to action it feels is necessary, whenever that might be. The effect of Israel's hesitance is to make it appear weak and vulnerable and to further erode its image as a strong, vibrant country not worth bullying.

Israel Shouldn't Beg for a Ceasefire

Hamas says a "ceasefire" with Israel since June is over. Hamas won't extend the ceasefire because Israel has blockaded the Gaza Strip and conducted periodic raids there in response to rocket fire and terrorist planning. Israel wished to see the ceasefire continue.

Hamas is importing advanced weapons into Gaza via Egypt, and it continues to hold IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, whom it captured in a cross-border raid two and a half years ago. Now, Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorists are renewing rocket fire into Israel in an attempt to provoke an escalation.

The solution to this nonsense out of Gaza is for Israel to send a strong, unequivocal message that violence from there will not be tolerated. And preventing attempts to seize additional soldiers requires sending a strong message that the price for doing so is simply too high.

When Hamas seized Shalit, Israel should have undertood, like is the case with Hizballah in Lebanon, that the terrorists did not intend to return him alive. Israel should have launched a rescue as soon as possible and pounded Hamas targets until the group either relented or understood that provoking Israel simply is too costly. Gaza should suffer such overwhelming force from Israel that its terrorist rulers would never again contemplate provoking Israel. The price of doing so must be judged as simply too high. Israel must reestablish deterrence.

Palestinian Newspaper Ads Make Demands

At least one major Israeli newspaper also has issues with those newspaper ads the Palestinian Authority has taken out in Israel and which I talked about last week.

Yediot Achronot says the ads resemble ultimatums more than they do invitations to negotiations where disputes might be resolved amicably.

I am glad to see Israeli outlets questioning the sincerity of this Palestinian tactic.

Wrong Target Market

The Jerusalem Post, citing the Associated Press, reports that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will begin running advertisements in Israeli newspapers calling upon Israelis to back a peace plan proposed by Arab leaders. The plan calls for a full withdrawal to pre-1967 borders and for a "just" resolution to the Palestinian refugee issue, which the Arabs mean to involve resettlement within Israel. Both would jeopardize Israeli security.

However, Abbas has it wrong. The real impediment to peace, the real people who need convincing, are the Palestinian people Abbas supposedly leads. Israelis won't, and shouldn't, agree to such farfetched concessions until they trust that Palestinians have buried their terrorist hatchets, are tired of fighting, are willing to confront the terrorists among them who kill civilians and disrupt peace efforts, and are ready for compromise.

Abbas's ads should appear in Palestinian newspapers and call upon his people to prepare themselves for a final reconciliation with Israel, for the good of their children and their children's children, etc. If it's a matter of money, I'm sure the U.S. government could foot the bill. Unfortunately, it's a matter of cowardliness and failed leadership and an underlying commitment to perpetuating the conflict and to Israel's ultimate defeat. Until Palestinians have true, responsible leaders, Israelis should resist such insincere media hoaxes.

Syria's Outcry Is Probably a Ruse

According to media reports, Damascus is fuming about a U.S. helicopter raid into Syrian territory that reportedly killed eight persons. Damascus sent an angry demarche to the U.S. embassy there and disinvited a senior U.S. diplomat for talks about advancing the peace process with Israel. Damascus also reportedly has closed American schools operating in Syria.

Publicly, for Arab audiences, Syria wants to assert its sovereignty and independence and appear at odds with a U.S. Administration very much disliked in the region. After high-level meetings in NY recently with senior U.S. diplomats, Damascus also wants to show itself as not as cozy with the Americans. However, privately, the Syrians probably are relieved by the U.S. attack, which killed al-Qaeda's senior planner in Syria. As was seen as recently as late September, Syria is one of al-Qaeda's growing targets. A suicide bombing in Damascus reportedly killed at least 17 and injured almost two dozen others, all civilians.

The Syrians should be more grateful that they have the U.S. military to help them confront radical Islamic terrorists taking root within Syrian borders. But to expect Syria to show appreciation and cooperation with the U.S. probably is way too much to ask.