Israel emerges victorious
In our modern era, military success can only go so far. The vanquished will try to fire rockets up until the very last moment, despite profuse bleeding. We live in a world where perception occasionally trumps reality, and where the media has become as important as the battlefield. With all of that in mind, we can say that Israel emerged the victor on Tuesday.
For all the demagoguery going around about Israel having the upper hand, there is indeed a kernel of truth to that claim: Jerusalem's basic demands have been met. That said, there was a fierce debate over the cease-fire terms. The detractors -- all patriots who feel responsible for the fate of their country -- should note that it is preferable to reach your destination after 50 days, with a death toll of 70, than to obtain your goals after five days and 700 dead.
As a result of Operation Protective Edge, about 70 Israeli mothers have been grief-stricken. Let's hope we are worthy of their sacrifice. Having said that, the Gaza war has spared hundreds of mothers from that same fate. Those mothers, who could have easily become members of the Bereavement Club, have no complaints about the new cease-fire. For those anonymous mothers, there is no missed opportunity here.
An elite crop of public figures have served in the Israel Defense Forces and in the cabinet since the Second Lebanon War in 2006: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, former Defense Minister Ehud Barak, former cabinet ministers Dan Meridor and Ze'ev Binyamin Begin, and the two most recent chiefs of general staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz. They all know that military campaigns cannot produce comprehensive solutions. The armed forces can, however, create a temporary arrangement that would allow the management of the conflict until its eventual resolution.
There are some who don't view the cease-fire in such positive light. Among them are Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Intelligence, Strategic Affairs and International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz, Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Those well-intentioned individuals were convinced that Hamas could have been taken care of in "one big bang." Those who have had to suffer the most -- the families of the dead and those whose homes have been destroyed -- would naturally want to adopt that approach and cannot see the merit in the posture taken by Netanyahu, Gantz and Ya'alon. But that's their gut speaking, not their intellect.
Israel has made mistakes, there is no doubt about that. The Israeli side erred when it agreed to a cease-fire even before the full scope of the tunnel network came to light. Luckily, Palestinian malice forced Israel to remedy the situation. That is also when the Netanyahu-Ya'alon-Gantz trio faced its most crucial test. Having realized, belatedly, that a ground incursion was inevitable, they took care of the tunnels while avoiding mission creep. They were constantly on their guard lest the mission evolve into a full-fledged occupation of Gaza. It is a good thing that they resisted this temptation.
Netanyahu and Ya'alon tried to ward off fighting by saying calm would be met with calm. But they spoke in contemporary Hebrew, not Hamas' unique Arabic dialect. Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal interpreted their good will as a sign of weakness.
In the grand scheme of things, Israel has come out on top. It managed to secure a cease-fire without compromising on its terms. It essentially got what it had demanded all along, even before the fighting commenced. Hamas, on the other hand, now has to account for its various shortfalls. It has lost 1,000 terrorists, 32 tunnels, and 7,000 rockets (which did not inflict significant damage). This is the truth, despite the bereaving heart putting a damper on our victory celebrations. Of course, there are always those who claim the cease-fire is premature; that there is a missed opportunity.
Just before the finish line, Netanyahu faltered. He should have let the ministers vote on the cease-fire. He had the votes. Had he done so, everyone would have had to own up to his or her decision; no minister could claim to have nothing to do with the cease-fire and the quiet that has fallen on the fields of anemones in the Gaza border area.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו