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Senseless Killings |
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by Haaretz via gehrig
(No verified email address) |
04 Mar 2003
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'The struggle against Hamas [...] is again no longer merely a military one, showing signs also of a competition of prestige, honor and "firing the last shot." In the framework of this competition, Israel is still unable to claim victory.' |
Senseless killings
The Israel Defense Forces operations in the refugee camps of the Gaza Strip in recent weeks appear to have been carried out with reckless abandon. Care not to harm innocent bystanders - oft recited mechanically by military commanders and ministers - has disappeared.
The operations are leaving dozens of dead civilians in their wake. Of the 72 Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip and West Bank in February, 25 were civilians, including three children under the age of 10. A pregnant woman and two youths were among the dead in El-Bureij.
In demolishing the homes of terror activists, the IDF has also destroyed the property and possessions of neighbors who had nothing at all to do with anti-Israel activity before falling victim to the terror attacks, reprisals and counter-terrorism operations.
The declared intentions of adopting a selective approach to the operations - heavy-handed against the terror, and merciful toward unfortunate Palestinians who only want to live and make a living - have gone up in the smoke of the tanks and the dust of the bulldozers.
The struggle against Hamas - which rejects cease-fire initiatives by the Egyptians and moderate elements within the Palestinian Authority, but suspended its Qassam rocket attacks on Sderot for a short while nevertheless - is again no longer merely a military one, showing signs also of a competition of prestige, honor and "firing the last shot." In the framework of this competition, Israel is still unable to claim victory.
Responsibility for the occurrences in Gaza can be divided between the operational ranks - the Southern Command, military division, brigades and forces - and the upper echelon, comprising Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon on the part of the army, and above him, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz. The upper echelon dictates the policies, while the ranks in the field influence the results in terms of the quality of the command and the professionalism of the combatants.
The combat soldiers - from privates to brigadier generals - bear a heavy burden, under constant dangerous conditions. And for this very reason the policies conveyed to them for implementation should be formulated with much consideration, and under the assumption that their implementation requires control and supervision.
Because the General Staff and political leaders are not treating the results of the operations as problematic, one can only assume that in their opinions, the forces in Gaza are operating as required. The finger must thus be pointed, for the most part, at the formulators of the policies, and Sharon and Mofaz in particular.
Both have a certain soft spot for Gaza. Sharon, who lives close to Sderot, has been unable to uphold his commitment to provide security for the Negev town. And Mofaz, toward the end of his term as chief of staff, drafted an order-of-the-day for an operation in Gaza that was intended to correspond with Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank, but came under fierce criticism and was finally dropped due to its tardy preparation. Is Defense Minister Mofaz trying to complete something that Chief of Staff Mofaz was prevented from doing?
The killing in Gaza must worry the Israeli public, not least because one cannot expect a solution to come from the outside. Two years ago, in response to American pressure, Sharon and Mofaz were forced to hurriedly withdraw the IDF forces from their temporary outpost in the north of the Strip. Now again, U.S. administration officials are voicing condemnations, but in hesitant tones, showing they are more concerned with preparations for Iraq and are not keen to enter into a confrontation with Sharon's new government. The official political opposition must therefore step forward and take the lead in the effort to stop the killing in Gaza.
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