Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Vindication of the Offensive
I wrote back in April--you can't win a war playing defense. Sharon's aggressive, shield-of-blows, kill-the-enemy defense against Hamas and Hezbollah would pay off, and would save lives in the long run.
Voila.
It is happening exactly as I had predicted it would. The Israelis maintain the strategic initiative. They take develop sources. They take decisive action. They prevent Hamas leaders from exercizing leadership. Hamas is so busy playing defense they are hard pressed to put together a coordinated offensive.
Here's what I wrote back in April.
Terror writ large cannot be eliminated. There are simply too many groups with too many disparate grievances and motivations.
But any given terror group can be defeated. Al Qaeda can, and will, be defeated. Hamas and Hezbollah can be defeated.
As long as we don't lose heart at the critical moment.
"Kill for peace," he said. Without irony.
Splash, out
Jason
Voila.
the fact that it took Hamas almost half a year--and dozens of failed attempts--to make good on its threat to inflict immediate and massive punishment proves just how successful Israel's war against terrorism has been.
During those same six months, the Israeli army destroyed most of what remained of Hamas's organization in the West Bank and a substantial part of its infrastructure in Gaza. Just last week, Israeli gunships rocketed a Hamas training camp in Gaza, killing 15 operatives. Hamas leaders, who once routinely led rallies and gave interviews to the media, don't dare show their faces in public anymore. Even their names are kept secret. Hardly a night passes without the arrest of a wanted terrorist. Hamas's ranks have become so depleted that the organization is now recruiting teenagers: At the Gaza border, Israeli forces recently broke up a Hamas cell made up of 16-year-olds.
It is happening exactly as I had predicted it would. The Israelis maintain the strategic initiative. They take develop sources. They take decisive action. They prevent Hamas leaders from exercizing leadership. Hamas is so busy playing defense they are hard pressed to put together a coordinated offensive.
Here's what I wrote back in April.
Meanwhile, if taking the helm at Hamas amounts to a death sentence, Hamas will soon find it hard to recruit quality senior level management for the posts. Their top talent will mysteriously find something better to do.
And now it's Hamas who has to live in fear.
And shall I, after tea and cakes and ices,
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
Terror writ large cannot be eliminated. There are simply too many groups with too many disparate grievances and motivations.
But any given terror group can be defeated. Al Qaeda can, and will, be defeated. Hamas and Hezbollah can be defeated.
As long as we don't lose heart at the critical moment.
"Kill for peace," he said. Without irony.
Splash, out
Jason
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