Fanaticism and Contempt

Once the master of revolutionary war, Israel cannot seem to grasp the essential nature of asymmetrical warfare.

In the eyes of so many, the detestable Hamas militants firing the rockets are the brave Davids struggling to protect their families and villages from the overwhelming force of the American-backed Israeli Goliaths. Yesterday's attack by Israel on a UN school, which killed at least 40 civilians -- many of them children -- has shocked even this Middle Eastern democracy's most ardent supporters.

In asymmetrical warfare, the fanatacism of the weaker attacking force, invariably triggers the kind of massive retaliation that makes the contemptuous mighty responders appear much more fanatical then their antagonists. During World War II, Japan's frenzied embrace of suicide tactics, especially the use of suicide bombers, led directly to the intentional targeting of innocent civilians by the U.S., hundreds of thousands of whom were burned alive by our attacks.

Israel has misinterpreted its enemy and its national interest. The rocket-launching militants will never overthrow Israel. But the killing of so many women and children, by tanks and aircraft paid in part by America -- and built in part by American corporations -- threatens to derail Israel's international support. And should American support fade, Israel's destruction becomes a real possibility.

Asymmetrical warfare is unlike all other types of fighting. In the current conflict, the militants are not trying to kill Israelis. Hamas, knowing Israel cannot be beaten on the battlefield, has opted instead to goad Israel into a disproportionate, fanatical response. If the Israelis continue to kill women and children, foreign support will surely fade. Israel will be left isolated, and the Hamas terrorists will have won.

Comments

[YouFnPeople]

Hiroshima is not a good comparison. Hirohito was already suing for peace through using Russia.

[KHAAANNN]

True, but the Japanese War Cabinet (where the real political power resided) was against any peace plan.
After the atomic bombs much of the War Cabinet resigned allowing the Emperor to take the unprecedented step of talking DIRECTLY to the Japanese people to announce the surrender.

[iknowdou]

DUH

[deepfreezevideo]

Israel cannot seem to grasp the essential nature of assymetrical war.

ROFLMAO neither can we, and WE happen to be their biggest ally.
What does that tell you?

[quetafortruth]

Never belied that a few caring people can't change the world. For indeed, that's all who ever have.
Margaret Mead.

[BlackJAC]

Will somebody please mail Hebrew translations of THE 48 LAWS OF POWER and THE 33 STRATEGIES OF WAR to the Israeli Ministry of Defense?

[ranger5]

Israel is the third rail in American foreign policy. It seems that no one in American political office is prepared to call Israel on its behavior, and the result has been a continuing cycle of war and more war. The Bushites went to war in Iraq, citing among other things UN resolutions that Iraq ignored. Yet the US turns a blind eye on those UN resolutions that Israel has ignored, particularly regarding the West Bank settlements. One of the primary compliants of other countries about the US is, after all, our blatant hypocrisy. We demand democracy in the Middle East, and when Hamas is elected to govern Gaza we, and Israel, besiege that area and make life a living hell for the residents, all the while blaming the democratically elected government of Gaza for the problem. When American leaders grow a pair and lose thier fear of the Israeli lobby, when the US shows that we are fully prepared to sanction Israel when they behave in ways that damage our (and their) interests, only then will peace have some chance of taking root in the Middle East.

[SiberianRat]

I agree. That's why it's URGENT to contact congress and change.gov now and often to reinforce our desired to see a just and lasting peace there and that this Israel-no-matter-what policy not only works against peace there but also against our own efforts in the Middle East. Our support for Israel and the death of Gazans courtesy of US weapons is like distributing thousands of recruiting posters on behalf of extremists all over the region.

[Jezreel]

"Israel is the third rail in American foreign policy."

Excellent comment, Ranger5.

[Rog49Thomas]

Precisely, what does the colonist do when the colonized revolt?

That is the strategic issue for Israel.

[pdxwoman]

so true

[Stirner]

The Israelis have a history of cleaning out other nations in the mideast. Their sacred "Book of Joshua" (Ch. 8) tells of what happened to the original Palestinians (Canaanites). Total extermination of all, men, women, and children, along with their livestock -- and for good measure their cities were burned to the ground and their fields salted to make sure that whoever was left starved to death. All this carnage not only allowed but commanded by the tribal deity, JVHV, that lovable thin-skinned and short-tempered fellow who runs the universe.

[siegfried]

I don't read the Bible anymore, but as I recall God got mad at Saul because Saul refused to commit genocide against the Philistines.

[RogHol]

So, why not try the New Testament instead?
Anyway, you forgot that Hamas is at terrrorist organisation and took Gaza by violence in the end.
Israel is defending itself, thats a simple fact nobody can deny.
Terrorizing the Israeli civilian population doesn't improve the peace process.

[Kache]

Hamas won an election. By a larger margin than any election in Israeli history.

[Dukedraven]

Most of us don't question Israel's right to survive, but these civilian casualities are getting hard to stomach. Life is sacred and everyone has the right to defend his own life, and the lives of others, when a mortal threat is made. Most experts say the rockets posed no threat to Israel's survival. Therefore, was Israel's severe attacks on the palestinians justified? I don't think so.

[Overd0g]

Please. They strap bombs to their "sacred" children, and wish they had more to blow up.

[SiberianRat]

FOX news?

[baqad]

When you deny people their right to live like decent human beings, prison them in their own land, seal all the borders, refuse even essential supplies read food and medicine to come in what do you expect such a person to do. Ofcourse they have nothing to lose and if they strap themselves to go kill the colonial masters it is only in the believe that their actions would help improve" their situation.

[MGarin]

"Most experts" don't have rockets dropping on their heads. Every bit of this awful reality is the result of the disgusting facism of Hamas.

[RogHol]

I fact: 1000 dead Gazans does not threat their survival either.
Thats less than 0.1% of the population, more probably dies in accidents every year, but thats not the point:
The important thing is the terror committed by Hamas.
Israel has lived with this indiscriminate rocket attacks a number of years, any state have to act.

With the situation in Gaza and the behaviour of Hamas and the conventional war machine of Israel makes high causalty numbers in Gaza unfortunately unavoidable. That includes mistakes and the result of some war crimes committed from the Israeli side. The Israeli soldier are also human beings with previous personal war experiences, some don't care for Palestinian lives, just like Hamas.

[iratior]

The Bush administration has written the Olmert administration a blank check, and the current horrendous situation in Gaza is the result of it. It's important to place blame not on nations as a whole but on specific political factions in charge of the nations. The Bush administration, in all its multi-dimensional obnoxiousness, has made war not just on the Palestinians, but on freedom of religion, on pain medication, on public assistance programs, on the environment, on civil liberties, on voting rights, the list goes on and on. The Bush administration has been the culmination of forty years of mostly bad administrations. It is a challenge just to imagine how things could be different, how all this authoritarianism run amok can be thoroughly clipped back or dismantled. Focusing on the economy helps, the flames of discontent need to be fanned; the old authority figures need to be thoroughly denounced as responsible for the troubles. We need to cut off military aid to Colombia, the Phillippines, and Egypl.

[pdxwoman]

AND ISRAEL!!!

the war on pain medication, freedom of movement, right to safe travel, etc....has been waged on the Palestinians for decades too. Please don't forget that.

[Ardeschier]

"and should american support fade, israel's destruction becomes a real possibility"
what a true and loaded phrase.

[maddogbitesback]

DC - truer words were never spoken

[rocketman69]

If the US beat Japan in WWII using these tactics, what does that tell you?

[SiberianRat]

Sick.

[Overd0g]

They should be emulated.

[SiberianRat]

Maybe our enemies think the same about us--wouldn't they be right too?

[RationalRadioJack]

Good artiicle. People I know are livid....use to be pro-Israel.........no longer.

I am more baffled by the lack of interest by the mainstream media.

And to think we are paying for it while we can't feed our own children.

[SiberianRat]

Exactly! Call/write congress and change.gov and voice your opposition to this. How can we give billions to a country that illegally occupies others (oops, we're doing that too), slaughters children (oops, we've killed loads of Iraqi and Afghani children), and promotes extremism (oops again)? These billions need to be spent on projects that raise humanity up--not not that tear it down. If the US is to regain any sort of moral standing in the world, the closing of Guantanomo, the end of the Iraq war, and the end of no-matter-what support of Israel are going to have to happen.

[darthmaul]

When the only tool you have is a hammer, all the worlds problems look like nails. Israel fell back on the tool they are most familiar with military force. The Palestinian populace was getting fed up with Hamas, and would have more then likely voted them out of office in 2009. But Israel couldn't wait.