Divide and conquer
Not a happy new year in Gaza. It’s been almost a week since it all began, and Israeli pilots have already killed well over 400 people (more than 2000 have been injured, many of them critically). The death toll keeps rising… News organizations need to be balanced, but there is something almost comical about unchanging reports of four Israelis killed, not because Israeli deaths are something to laugh at, but because they pale in comparison to what is happening to the Palestinians.
What is it that Israel’s leaders are trying to do? Whatever the answer, their actions are clear – “surgical” destruction of Gaza on the heels of a devastating blockade, a disingenuous truce and a misleading disengagement.
But what is it that Israeli decision makers hope to accomplish in the long term by doing what they’re doing now? They say they will keep pounding away until they feel Hamas is no longer a threat. Unfortunately, that could take a very long time.
To eradicate Hamas, Israel’s occupation forces would have to literally demolish everything in Gaza, and they would kill thousands in the process. The unlikeliness of such an outcome is not due to any feelings of compassion or basic humanity, but because it would come at too high a price for Israel – well over 100 soldiers were killed when they went after Hezbollah two-and-a-half years ago. Even if the Israelis succeed in crushing Hamas, it will be resurrected or some other (more sinister) organization would rise to take its place.
Numerous comparisons have been made to the July 2006 war in Lebanon, which began with a similarly barbarous air assault, albeit over a much larger area; at least 2000 Lebanese lost their lives in a cruel campaign that lasted a little over a month. The final death toll on the Palestinian side will be fearfully high…
Not only did Israel fail to weaken Hezbollah back then, but the group emerged stronger than ever both politically and militarily. The Israelis may find it easier to limit attacks emanating from Gaza, but any ensuing lull would only be temporary. Like Hezbollah, Hamas would find some way to frame the outcome as a victory for Palestinian resistance and a blessing from God; eventually, they’d resume their attacks. Sadly however, for everyone in Gaza being affected by Israel’s latest round of savagery, it seems unlikely that Hamas or anyone else will be able to clear the rubble, rebuild and bring back some sense of dignity to the people, especially while they remain under siege.
Reading between the lines, it becomes clear that Israel wants to inflict punishment on the people of Gaza for their support of Hamas and other resistance groups (at the very least, they don’t accept the innocence of casualties callously referred to as collateral damage). Any hopes that adding to the misery of life in Gaza will prod its inhabitants to ‘overthrow’ Hamas are unrealistic; past experience only shows the opposite to be true.
It seems that the Israelis are ultimately hoping to achieve a complete separation between Gaza and the West Bank. Afterall, they’ve been dealing with them separately for quite some time now; from an Israeli perspective, it makes sense to do the same with any and all future negotiations. But regardless of any differences between Fatah and Hamas, or between the people in Gaza and the West Bank, the struggle remains the same: living under occupation, whatever its manifestation. Hamas doesn’t just claim to represent Gaza, but all of Palestine. That’s why any truce between Israel and Hamas that doesn’t extend to the West Bank is worthless.
Some Israelis might think that pounding Gaza into submission will bear fruit, but surely the majority realize that this continuing campaign of barbarity and terror won’t bring about any meaningful change in Palestinian representation. The hope is that it will solidify the image of Gaza’s struggle as one in sharp contrast to that of the West Bank. They have come a long way in achieving that goal in the West, and if divisions within the Palestinian political establishment aren’t overcome, they will have succeeded in making it a reality. Unfortunately, the Palestinian decision makers continue to do exactly what Israel wants. Instead of putting their differences aside and uniting for the sake of the people and their homeland, they continue to fight amongst themselves. Don’t even get me started about the rest of the Arab world…
Related posts:
- America’s Senseless Middle East Policy
- Not on CNN
- The Myth of Israel’s “Targeted” Killing
- Israel’s PR campaign to recruit support for killing
- State of Emergency in Gaza
From what I’ve seen, at least the Palestinians aren’t beaten into submission like the [B]lacks in South Africa were in the early years, before they began to fight back. Palestinians have been fighting constantly since 48/67. I’m not sure but the anti apartheid movement began in the early 70′s, No? [and] the fight here and there is (was) mainly about: real estate
Posted by Sword | January 1, 2009, 11:33 pmyes….just what the hell do they hope to accomplish long term? they can’t be stupid enough to think they can really do major damage to hamas (you can’t bomb a movement), so I get the feeling they have at least one short-term goal they are thrilled to see working: looking tough for their own election, and one ongoing goal being helped along: making sure they don’t/can’t have a partner for peace. this gives them more time to continue entrenching themselves in the west bank, expanding settlements, building roads, etc. in a very short time they will have a very logical argument that even if they wanted (ha!) to go back to the 67 borders it’s not possible – they’re dug in too deep.
Posted by alfannaan | January 2, 2009, 11:55 pm