Herzog embarrasses himself
Opposition Leader and Zionist Union head Isaac Herzog apparently wants to be like Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett. Herzog has demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon launch a military operation to destroy the tunnels Hamas is digging under the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
However, embarking on such an operation would not be a simple task. First of all, any military operation initiated by Israel, even of a pre-emptive nature, would bring the world's wrath down upon us. This is like the situation faced by Prime Minister Golda Meir during the hours before the start of the Yom Kippur War. She refused to order pre-emptive airstrikes on the mobilizing Egyptian and Syrian militaries as she feared that such an action would cause friendly governments to blame Israel for the outbreak of the war.
The unjust hypocrisy of the world works against Israel. And there are even some countries which view Hamas' digging of tunnels as legitimate -- equivalent to the IDF's weapons procurement activities.
The past three IDF operations demonstrated the limits of military power. During Operation Cast Lead seven years ago, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wanted to go further, but was held back by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. In 2012, Netanyahu, Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz ended Operation Pillar of Defense without retaking Gaza, a move some were calling for. And in 2014, Netanyahu, Gantz and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon managed Operation Protective Edge in a deliberate and methodical manner. The operation achieved its objective and lives were saved.
When it comes to Gaza operations, the debate in Israel centers on how to define the objective. Most Israeli leaders understand that there is no military operation will completely solve the Gaza problem. The operations only lead to prolonged lulls with a maximum length of two or three years. As long as Hamas rules Gaza, what has been will be again.
Therefore, Herzog's proposal to launch a military operation to destroy Hamas' tunnels is out of place. Such an operation would put Israel in a grave diplomatic situation and would achieve nothing more militarily than past operations did.
The question also arises of why the IDF should launch an operation against Hamas' tunnels in the south when Hezbollah's missiles in the north pose a far greater strategic threat to Israel.
In any case, the IDF must continue to seek to find a comprehensive solution to the Hamas tunnel threat, an underground "Iron Dome," if you will.
Determination, patience and an ability to ignore populist rhetoric are necessary when dealing with such sensitive and fateful matters.
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