Another Round Of Insanity?

Earlier this week, Israel eliminated the head of Islamic Jihad in a precision strike in Gaza and another one of their leaders in Damascus. Both had much Jewish blood on their hands and were planning to add more.

Islamic Jihad reacted with waves of missile attacks against Israel’s civilian centers. Hamas, the terror group controlling Gaza, may or may not join the fight. The truth is that the internal terror politics of Gaza and the chances for escalation and “another round” do not interest me. Israel may (G-d forbid) sacrifice precious blood and spends huge sums of money to strike back, but it will only achieve the same humiliating results it did after the last few “rounds.”

The terrorists love their recurring clashes with the Israeli army. We bloody them and they bloody us. We mourn our dead and they celebrate theirs. They know that another “round” will be yet another validation of their power and authority. They know they will be around for many more such encounters with the Jewish enemy as they play us like a yo-yo. For this, they exist.

We might want to give some thought as to how we got into this mess in the first place if we want to find a solution:

Before the Rabin government invited the PLO and Arafat – its arch terror leader – into Gaza City and other urban centers in 1993, no one dreamed of Gaza as a missile threat. When some dared protest the Oslo Accords (which were supported by the media-academia-entertainment-political class) and warned that missiles rain down on Israel from Gaza, Rabin mocked them and guaranteed, “Just as there were never missiles shot from Gaza, there never will be. You are just afraid of peace.” When the terrorists (our new “peace partners”) began to shoot homemade “Kassam rockets,” Shimon Peres made light of it: “Kassam kashmam,” he said.

Sharon turned the entire Gaza strip over to the Palestinian Authority in 2005. He forcefully expelled thousands of Jews making the area totally Judenrein. It was explained by the same “know-it-all” class that this move will finally bring peace and international approval. And lots of other good things. Trust us this time, they said.

Well, shortly after Israel withdrew, Hamas fighters quickly took over, hurling their rival Fatah terrorists from the roofs of Gaza. Now the rockets really began to rain down. Tunnels were dug into Israel. Fire kites were flown.

Israel began building shelters, fences, and hugely expensive anti-missile systems and allowed vast sums of money to reach Hamas’s terror government, supplying it with water and electricity (for which it often doesn’t pay). Israel also treats Hamas family members in its hospitals. Who said that Israel does nothing vis-à-vis Hamas?

So, what can be done to clean up the mess that the “know-it-all” class has brought upon us?

We must defeat the enemy – like in war – and then begin a campaign of voluntary emigration from Gaza. Gazans desperately want to leave; many thousands already leave every year (although currently Hamas leaders limit the exodus to those who can afford to bribe them). Many have family abroad, and many countries need good workers.

Have the U.S. pressure Egypt to open its doors to Gazans. Strive to fulfill the Torah command to expel foreign peoples from our land.

These are the strategic goals. The tactics? First, warn the civilians that we are coming in. Direct them to predetermined open areas. Use overwhelming and relentless firepower (and risk as few of our boys as possible), suppressing all suspected terror centers.

Totally uproot any semblance of the terror infrastructure and administration. Hunt down all terrorists and eliminate them. Expel known terrorist supporters. Create an Israeli military administration like the one that existed before the Oslo debacle. Encourage and facilitate emigration with incentives and aid. Return Jews to this now pacified part of our promised land (with incentives) and watch the desert bloom once again.

Will this happen? Unlikely. Must it happen? Yes.

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