Every operation the
Israel Defense Forces carries out has a special name. This one is called
"Tzuk Eitan" in Hebrew, which translates to "Sturdy Cliff." In English,
it is known as Operation Protective Edge.
The Hebrew name
projects strength and resilience. In English, the name explains and
justifies. The Hebrew name shows a government considerate of Sderot
residents, voters and Israeli citizens. The English name appeals to
foreign ministries, the United Nations and the International Court of
Justice in The Hague. The difference between the names in each language
paints a clear picture of the endless conflicts facing the
Diplomatic-Security Cabinet.
Palestinians in Gaza in
2014, like the Philistines who were there 3,200 years ago, "plowed with
[Samson's] heifer" and solved Samson's -- or the IDF's -- riddle. They
know very well that the response of the international community, which
is already sympathetic to the Arabs, is almost as important to Israel as
military power. That is why Israel shared the story of the pilot who
held fire after seeing innocent civilians near his target, and that is
also why it suffers every time the victim of a strike is not a
terrorist.
Hamas has taken a hit
on several different levels during Operation Protective Edge:
considerable destruction of its military infrastructure; the total
defeat of its attacks by the Iron Dome defense system; and an
international understanding -- at least, thus far -- that it "had it
coming." This last in Hebrew, English, French, and even in a faint,
whispered Arabic.
However, it appears
that international pressure for a cease-fire is mounting. On Sunday
night, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, but the conversation was a comfortable one for
Israel. In fact, some political analysts believe Jerusalem is
encouraging this kind of moderate exchange.
The fact that a
decision was made on Sunday night to return to life as usual, with the
exception of having protected areas and bomb shelters to run to in the
south, shows that the operation has started to take a toll on Hamas.
However, there is a certain impatience in Israel as well.
One thing is for
certain: Whether it comes to expanding the operation to change Israel's
strategic position in the face of Gazan terror, or whether Israel will
simply deal a blow to Hamas, we must not let this descend into a war of
attrition.
A clear decision, but
not a hasty one, must be made in the next few days. Hamas is interested
in a cease-fire on its own terms, including a declaration of its
official victory. First and foremost, Hamas wants all the terrorists
arrested in the investigation into the kidnapping and murder of the
three Israeli teens to be released.
This condition must be
rejected outright, even if Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal secretly visited
Turkey to ask for help in reaching a cease-fire. Release prisoners? Only
after a full Israeli investigation shows that the prisoners in question
followed instructions after being released in the Gilad Schalit deal
and did not return to terrorist activity,
In practice, if Israel
cannot establish a Middle East coalition to change the regime in Gaza,
the government must clearly articulate the conditions for a cease-fire:
What will become of the underground city that Hamas dug underneath the
Gaza Strip for terrorist purposes? What about rocket production in Gaza?
And who is responsible for ensuring that no incident on any Gazan front
will return it to its warring ways?
Answers are needed,
even if they're not perfect, so that at the end of this operation, the
public will know and feel that it was more "Tzuk Eitan" than Protective
Edge.
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