I am sorry to say that even as the election campaign enters its home stretch, none of the candidates has the courage to speak the truth about the Gaza Strip: Hamas cannot be defeated.
This terrorist organization is far behind us in every military aspect and there is no room for comparison. The IDF is equipped with the most modern technology: forces from the air, land and sea could precisely hit and destroy any target in the Gaza Strip from miles away. Yet Hamas is invincible, and that is the truth.
The Viet Cong ambushed the Americans in the jungles of Vietnam, and for years the Pentagon sent more and more troops – hundreds of thousands – to the battlefield, but this too did not help them win.
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The Viet Cong was embedded into the civilian population and made good use of their expertise in fighting in the jungle, but foremost they were fighting for their country, their Ideology and way of life. The series “The Vietnam War” by renowned documentarian Ken Burns (now on Netflix) is a must-see for every politician who has a say on how Israel responds to Gaza.
Invading Gaza will be like fighting in the jungles of Vietnam. The IDF’s technological advantage will diminish in the maze of tunnels that Hamas has dug. The terror group may ask for a temporary cease-fire, but will never surrender, and Israel – subjected to relentless rocket fire, loss of life and damage to property – will agree to such a truce. It will be a rerun of Operation Protective Edge in 2014 and all the other military operations in Gaza that came before. And that, too, is the truth.
It seems that this is the reason why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is cautious when unleashing the IDF’s military might on Gaza. One good thing that I can say about Netanyahu is that he is the only of the candidates who is not making unrealistic video clips emblazoned with the slogan “Let the IDF win.”
Even so, he lacks the courage of a leader, like the courage late prime minister Ariel Sharon had when he came up with and gained public opinion for the disengagement from Gaza.
HIs plan was premature because it had no strategic aim. We did the right thing by leaving the Gaza Strip, but the way we did it without coordinating with the Palestinian Authority was wrong.
A courageous leader should say that Hamas in Gaza cannot be defeated, that those launching firebombs attached to balloons or guerrilla fighters hiding in tunnels cannot be defeated.
Hamas wants to rule Gaza and that is why we need to negotiate with Hamas. Not by sending suitcases filled with cash but with the mediation of Egypt and the aid of the oil-rich Gulf states.
We need a long-term cease-fire agreement that would include building houses and infrastructure in Gaza. We will not reach a peace deal with Hamas, but we will be able to live next to them in peace.
The balance of terror will be mutual like the balance of terror we have with Hezbollah in Lebanon. But it is our fate to always live by our sword.
The IDF will continue to build its strength, and our iron fist will never unclench. It will forever be a fist ready to strike our enemies. We will strike, destroy and kill them but without returning to the alleyways of Gaza City.
Everyone knows this but no one is willing to go out and say it in public. That is what a real leader is about, but as of now I do not see one.
