Hamas was shocked not only by the ferocity of Israels response to unprovoked rocket attacks. Hamas was shocked by the red lines Israel crossed a long overdue tactic in the struggle against Palestinian terrorism.
Israel put away her unwarranted scruples about not firing on the enemy firing on her. The enemy hid among hospitals, schools, homes, mosques and other civilian locales. When this occurred in southern Lebanon in 2006 and in all previous fights with Palestinian terrorists, Israel restrained herself. She still restrains herself, attempting not to kill civilians. The difference now is that Israel will, in principle, fire on any target that fires on her. Nothing is off limits. If Palestinian terrorists run into a school, Israel will fire on the school. Ditto for hospitals, for anywhere.
For a simple reason: If the location is used to fire on Israel, its no longer a civilian location. It may contain civilians. It certainly is tragic that Palestinian terrorists use human shields; it certainly is to be regretted that civilians lose their lives when exploited in this lethal way by Palestinian terrorists. But, bottom line, there are no more safe havens.
Hamas got the message. Civilians in Gaza got the message they got it so well, in fact, that, according to Israel spokesman Mark Regev, civilian anger against Hamas in Gaza is incendiary, focused and perfectly understandable. By breaking the ceasefire with Israel on Dec. 19, 2008 and provoking a war, Hamas brought immense destruction on Gaza quantitatively and qualitatively.
Quantitatively in the sheer amount of Hamas centers destroyed.
Qualitatively in the red lines crossed in the raw message Israel sent: no more safe havens.
Israel rightly holds Hamas responsible for the civilian deaths that Israels response to Hamas firing entailed.
Israel isnt apologetic. Israel is telling the world: If you dont like it, then stop the arms smuggling by Hamas. If you dont like it, look to the cause. The cause is this long Palestinian terrorist tactic of endangering her own people, making a mockery of human life.
The Economist, usually perceptive, is skewed in its editorial evaluation of Jan 10, 2009:
In Lebanon three years ago, and today in Gaza, Hizbullah and Hamas seem to have invented a new military doctrine. Israel has deterred its enemies mainly by relying on a mighty conventional army to react with much greater force to any provocation. But non-state actors are harder to deter. Hizbullah and Hamas, armed by Iran with some modern weapons, can burrow inside the towns and villages of their own people while lobbing rockets at Israels. . . . Israels operation in Gaza is designed not only to stop Hamass rockets but to shore up a doctrine on which Israel thinks its safety must still be based.
The Economists reading is outdated three years outdated. First, Israels mighty conventional army, its much greater force, has deterred Hezbollah. Note well: Hezbollah did not join Hamas in attacking Israel. Hezbollah was deterred by the massive destruction Israel wrought in Lebanon in 2006.
More to the point: Israel is not just relying on might and force. Israel has altered her tactics. She went after Hamas wherever it burrowed itself. She told Hamas by terrible power and force: You cannot hide. We will no longer play your game. You, and you alone, are responsible for the deaths that result from your choice of places from which to fire. You are responsible for the deaths in the hospitals, the mosques, wherever you fight from.
Its a long overdue change. It makes a lie of the idea that Hezbollah or Hamas has invented a new military doctrine that is effective. It isnt.
Israels new approach has nothing to do with war crimes. A war crime is the intentional targeting of civilians, which Israel does not do. Israel targets terrorists, who hide among civilians. Further, Israel signals its intentions in advance, dropping thousands of leaflets in Arabic warning the civilians to flee the coming attack. Nor is an accident a war crime, tragic though it may be.
When the UN says that Israel committed war crimes by attacking UN facilities, the UN ducks responsibility for having made itself congenial to Hamas terrorists. In any case, Israel did not target the UN; it targeted terrorists who fired from within UN facilities. Israel is investigating her own actions against UN facilities, just to make sure not that the UN has ever held Hamas responsible for her own terror.
Israels new doctrine is what scared Gazans most about this past war if it is past. Should the various agreements about how to stop Hamas from rearming not be implemented, Israel will return to Gaza to fight again. There is no compromise with a force that wants your destruction. Blessedly, more people around the world understand what Hamas wants, and why Israel responds with ferocity. This defeats the enemy and creates deterrence.
