— Feature, Musings —05.07.2024 07:41 AM
My latest: Israel won’t blink
TEL AVIV – Israel won’t stop its military advance against the Hamas stronghold of Rafah, says a former senior ranking Israeli military commander – whether the United States and Western allies approve or not.
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no choice, says retired Israeli Brigadier General Amir Avivi , who spoke to Postmedia the morning after news broke that Hamas is now prepared to sign a ceasefire deal.
Quoting what his close friend and Caesarea neighbor Netanyahu has told him, Avivi said: “Nothing will stop us now from going into Rafah.”
That even includes the Biden administration, says Avivi, who has founded and leads a powerful political and cultural force in Israeli society: the Israel Defence and Security Forum, which is made up of more than 30,000 former IDF soldiers and officers.
“Israel set very clear goals for this war,” said Avivi. “The complete destruction of Hamas as a governmental and military entity; bringing back all the hostages; and making sure that there will be never never again be a terror army in Gaza.”
Those goals simply have not been achieved yet, says Avivi, who has significant contacts within the Netanyahu coalition, and is regularly consulted with by key government ministers. Says Avivi: “To achieve these goals, you basically need to conquer the whole Gaza Strip – and there is no way to destroy Hamas without taking over the whole Gaza Strip.”
But that’s not what President Joe Biden, Canada and other Israeli allies want. They’ve repeatedly said they strongly oppose any Israeli military action on Rafah, where a million Palestinians have congregated to escape the fighting.
When the news about Hamas’ decision to accept a ceasefire deal broke here late last night, it was immediately greeted with muted hostility in Jerusalem. Israel hadn’t even seen the terms of the deal, Netanyahu government sources said.
Notwithstanding that seeming opposition to a ceasefire deal, Israel announced that it was still willing to send a team to Egypt to look at the details and possibly negotiate. Asked about that apparent contradiction – keep fighting but also re-start negotiations – Avivi said:
“Israel is saying nothing will stop us from going to Rafah – even if the US is against it. Even if the whole world is against it. In one of their meetings, [Netanyahu] said to Biden that, ‘If we have to conquer Gaza with our fingernails, we are going to do it.’ We’re going to do it even if you don’t give us ammunition, even if you don’t give us weapons – we’re going in and we’re not going to lose the war.”
Participating in the negotiations in Egypt doesn’t change that imperative, says Avivi.
“Israel is saying, if we have a chance to release the women hostages, the elderly hostages, in a deal that will be a ceasefire of a month or 40 days? Fine,” he adds, with a shrug. “And, following that, we will renew the attack on Rafah.”
The U.S., Canada and Europe may get their desired ceasefire, Avivi concludes. But nothing will stop Israel’s coalition government and war cabinet from also finishing the job of wiping out Hamas, he says.
“We have no choice.”
Of course they have a choice. The increasing fear is that regardless of what happens in Gaza, the continued brutality of the campaign is going to inspire dramatically increased radicalizarion elsewhere, and among those who remain – including those already within Israel’s borders. Hamas is an organization, but at the root of all this is the simple fact that Anti-Zionism is not – it’s a philosophy. An idea. Ideas don’t go away, regardless of who agrees, disagrees, or how many are killed in the process. I would be shocked if Hamas simply didn’t return under a different banner with different leaders. It would be fantastic if they would simply disappear or be destroyed permanently, but basic human psychology suggests this is an impossible ask.
I would hope to God that people understand, after years of endless conspiracy theories and government attempts to shut them down and punish those responsible, that excessive repression has the end result of promoting the very thing they try to shut down among an increasingly paranoid and growing sector of the population. See: the school protests, easily hijacked by the loudest minority to go from a valid protest of humanitarian conditions to devolve into awful cries of revenge fantasies and genocide.
I am severely pessimistic about the future of this conflict for everybody involved…
Hamas has clearly stated they want to kill all the Jews.
Many of their Imams and followers have said gays have to be killed too.
Reminds me of the Nazis.
We didn’t back off from destroying the Nazis in WW2. Now is not the time to back off from fight Hamas.
The Nazis both had and demonstrated the capability to kill millions of innocents. Hamas does not have this capacity, or anything remotely close to it.
They can clearly state anything. Without the ability to follow through on it, a war against them under a doctrine of massively disproportionate force will only create martyrs. Which, frankly, is the quiet part of their goal, and it is already paying off beyond Sinwar’s wildest dreams – something you can verify with a cursory glance at the front lawn of any Western university or legislature these days.
This ends badly for all.
Hitler started with a small group of supporters
Could not have said it better.
Warren,
Sure, go into Rafah but understand beforehand that Netanyahu is signing the remaining hostages’ death warrants. If Hamas is cornered like a trapped rat, which more than likely it will be, it will take revenge on the captives, Israeli, Jewish or otherwise. That’s the tradeoff that Bibi seems to be willing to accept. Hostages taken into tunnels likely in Egyptian territory and then massacred by terrorists.
The IDF can wipe them out to the last fighter but they will regroup, re-form and fight again. In short, an endless cycle of violence, probably for the next ten years.
Hamas has made it very clear; the Jews must be killed.
Ronald,
The IDF admitted as early as November what should have been plainly obvious from October 8th – rescuing the remaining hostages and destroying Hamas are completely incompatible goals. I struggle to believe that Netanyahu and his far-right compatriots ever gave more than lip service to the notion of saving everyone.
I’m rather convinced that Israel is fully aware of the consequences for hostages (if many are even alive now?). Why should that risk dissuade them from dismantling Hamas?
Terrorists by definition will terrorize until they are annihilated.
I say those who appease these evil forces best remember-it may start with the Jews but it never (ever) ends with the Jews. I hope they have the resolve because if they must rely on the fools who don’t fully support them it will not just be Israel’s fight.
The fair weather allies will have their own battles with the Hamas and Hezbollah of the world. Because, terrorism is a cancer that you have to cut out – like cancer the cure is nearly as bad as the illness.
Have a read.
https://www.stateoftelaviv.com/p/vienna-berlin-1933-london-toronto?