What is Israel's Objective?

It's Hard To Determine The Justification For Military Action Against Gaza – It Only Enhances The Standing Of Hamas In The Region

By Andrew Green
Friday 16 January 2009 11.00 GMT
Courtesy Of The Guardian ( UK )

The Israeli action in Gaza succeeds in being both utterly ruthless and utterly pointless at the same time. More than 1,000 have been killed and several thousand injured – some horribly, and many of them clearly civilians – as a result of the deployment of overwhelming military force against a tiny, hugely overcrowded, population. Yet, incredibly, the Israelis claim that there is not a humanitarian problem. This assault is completely unacceptable.

One cannot deny that something needed to be done about the launching of rockets from Gaza on civilian targets in Israel. Four deaths from these rockets is, of course, four too many. But massive, and effectively indiscriminate, violence is not the answer.

The old adage has it that diplomacy is "war by other means". The Israelis are standing that on its head. They claim that their military action will "change the equation" – presumably meaning that they will strengthen their diplomatic bargaining position. The Israeli ambassador in London has even claimed that their action will "strengthen the moderates".

The result, of course, will be the exact opposite. The Palestinians have a well-earned reputation for determination and courage. This episode will enhance the standing of Hamas throughout the region, just as the Israeli failure in south Lebanon was a huge boost to Hezbollah. It will also highlight the impotence of some pro-western governments in the region, shaming them in front of their own people.

Lesson one for all budding army officers is "select your objective". What can the Israeli army seriously hope to achieve? Destroying "terrorist" infrastructure? This amounts to no more than a few sheds that can easily be replaced. Destroying their communications? These consist largely of tunnels, which can also be replaced. Decapitating the leadership? There are plenty to step into the shoes of the handful who have been successfully assassinated. The only possible conclusion is that there is no attainable military objective. Note the caution of Israeli army spokesmen on this crucial point.

We are left with political objectives. But there are no regional objectives that could possibly justify incurring the hatred of millions of Muslims and the disgust of millions of Europeans and others around the world. The political key must lie in the Israeli elections due next month. The manoeuvring is palpable. Israel is a vibrant and diverse country, but its political system gives undue power to religious extremists and its whole society has become steadily militarised over the years.

This goes a long way to explain why, in the 40 years that I have been following this situation, it has got steadily worse. What has also changed is that the mounting frustration of the whole Islamic world now directly affects the harmony of our own societies in the west.

I support Britain's commitment to the security of Israel, but it cannot extend to whatever borders the Israelis choose for themselves. We now have citizens originating from both sides of the dispute whose voices deserve to be heard. Our policy in the region must be seen to respond to moderate opinion on both sides. We must not, by inattention, stoke the fires of resentment among our own population.