Dear readers,
Before I even start, I would first like to say that I am proud of our government that after three-and-a-half years since the disengagement from the Gaza Strip it has finally decided to actively do something about the constant attacks by the Hamas terror organization on Israeli civilians.
In this blog, I will try to talk about the different events of this preset armed struggle and give some of the perspectives that are not in the headlines, to broaden the understanding about what’s going on in Israel, Gaza and the Middle East.
I will also do my best to answer your questions, based on my knowledge and experience.
Among other things, I am an IDF tank commander (res.) and would have been most likely mobilized along with my friends right now if I were in Israel. I write this with the little help and moral support I can give to my comrades.
Guy Har-Nir
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Dear Shaliach,
ReplyDeleteMay this find Well, You - and All within Your Walls and Gates.
This counter-attack will fail. It will fail, because those, who plan it, do not understand the purpose of war-making. The goal of war is not to destroy tanks, missiles, rifles, or buildings.
The purpose of war is to change demography, to get rid of that section of the enemy population, that wants to do political business with machineguns and grenades.
An example: Germany's population (17 May 1939) was 69.6 million. By end-1945, there were 57-58 million Germans. Among the 11-12 million who disappeared, were the bulk of those, who embraced the Nazis' doctrine of using brute force to achieve the Nazis' political and diplomatic objectives. Since 1945, Germany has been peaceable and a huge force for good, in Europe and far beyond.
Thus, if Israel is to make peace with the Palestinians, it must first get rid of most Palestinians, who are die-hard devotees of the idea, that Jews are to be annihilated. The same goes for Hizbollah, in Lebanon.
There are, perhaps 1.3 million residents in Gaza, an area of 139 square miles (about 9,000/square mile). Most live in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah. Of these 1.3 million, perhaps half are die-hard Hamas supporters. Of these 650,000, many are not card-carrying Hamas members, but they support Hamas' agenda.
In order for the 650,000 Gaza residents - who do not back Hamas - to have a voice, perhaps two-thirds of Hamas supporters must be killed, leaving their numbers at, perhaps, 200,000. If this is done, the peaceable majority will prevail.
If this is not done, then Hamas will continue to try to murder Jews.
This math is harsh. It is also compelling. Killing a "militant" here and a "militant" there is idiocy. Had that been the approach to Nazi Germany, the Nazis would run Europe. There would be not a single Jew to be found anywhere in Europe. All would have been murdered.
In short, the sooner that Israel's leaders see the task before them, the sooner they will do it. With planning, the demographic balance in Gaza could be shifted in a week.
With every warm, best wish - especially for a Good, Healthy New Year - I remain,
Yours, faithfully,
Jay E. (Simkin)
Nashua, NH 03064 USA
Thanks for your reply, Jay. This is indeed harsh mathematics!
ReplyDeleteHistory can teach us many things, including that no organized army ever won in a guerilla armed conflict, unless, like the Romans eradicating the 132 C.E. rebellion in Judea, you harm the civilian population.
There are a few problems with that, a big one is that the IDF soldiers are not mercenaries and are educated to be highly moral and human; never to harm civilians! This policy has already cost us in soldier’s lives in the past.
Alongside with that is the question, what happens to these soldiers? They are a big portion of the Israeli population. They are soldiers because they have to not because of choice. What happens to a society whose majority are soldiers who killed innocent people even to reach an end goal like the one you describe?
I had the “privilege” to kill my enemies in a battle, and these were real enemies who would have mostly killed me if I wouldn’t have got to them first, and I can tell you that that is one experience I wish did not have.