US military analysts: 'You should have destroyed Hamas'
I hope that someone on the right is saving these quotes for the upcoming election campaign.Two American military analysts visited Israel on Tuesday and had some sharp advice for the Israeli government: You should have destroyed Hamas.
"I think you achieved what one Israeli general called 'changing the reality' in which Hamas operates, but I think you were too restrained and could have gone deeper into Gaza," Lt.-Gen. Thomas McInerney, a 35-year veteran of the US Air Force and a Fox News military analyst, told The Jerusalem Post Monday after touring the Gaza periphery and receiving briefings from Israeli officials as part of a trip of military analysts organized by the New York-based Project Interchange affiliated with the American Jewish Committee.But unfortunately, the three stooges stopped the battle before the IDF could win the war. They didn't want to win. Hopefully, in three weeks, these morons - Olmert, Livni and Barak - will no longer be in charge.
The Gaza fighting is seen in the US as a healthy demonstration of Israel's capabilities, according to Lt.-Col. Rick Francona, a former US Air Force intelligence officer in several theaters and military analyst for NBC News.
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"The Israeli public's support for this war mutes global opinion," noted McInerney. "When a nation is united in its right to defend itself, it makes it more difficult for Europeans, the Left or the Arab media to counter that."
Even so, said McInerney, "Your leadership is too sensitive about world opinion. I know why Israel didn't [drive deeper into Gaza] - you have an election coming up and a new [US] president taking office, but you need to gain the freedom of operation in Gaza that you have in the West Bank."
Commenting on the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Israeli cabinet on Saturday, he suggested "Israel did not want to destroy Hamas. I believe you should have."
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:15 PM
11 Comments:
Of course they didn't want to win - or rather they didn't know how. There was a time when Israel's Left was as patriotic and committed to the defense of the country like every one else.
Those days in Israel are long gone. And yes, Israel could have wiped out Hamas at little real cost to itself.
This comes from a mindset that considers victory to be impossible. I would hope that Kadima's victory in any election from here on out is also impossible.
McInerney has no political heft at all and speaks from a purely military perspective. In an ideal world, fine, perhaps his analysis would have been the right way to go. But in the world of realpolitik, he has made, at best, a point worth considering but not a point worth adopting. I still feel that Hamas will be destroyed, but I believe that Fatah is going to do it. Right now Israel's enemies are divided. If Fatah destroys Hamas they will still be divided. Does he really think that uniting them is a better idea?
Naftali... there's the view presented to the Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens by a senior IDF official who said two things: Israel had no desire to be bogged down for years in the snake pit of Gaza like the Americans were bogged down for five years in Iraq and Israel's aim was not bringing about regime change in Gaza. Rather the opposite. Israel is happy leaving Hamas in power in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank to keep the Palestinians divided and to provide the Palestinians living on the West Bank with an object lesson on the misery of Islamist rule. If they are divided, that's perfectly fine from Israel's POV. It means no Palestinian reichlet for the foreseeable future.
Norman,
I agree with that point. I blogged about it earlier today--that Israel has to fight with an eye on many factors, political, economic, and most effectively, paradoxical.
For instance, Lebanon is trying to throw a monkey wrench into the natural gas find--but Lebanon doesn't understand that their efforts will only increase Israel's efforts and output of new natural gas technology. That will bring about more income for Israelis. And guess which country will then free the world from the Arab oil cartel?
And if the Arab world can't make money on oil, they become just another third world country. Heck, if the UN allows Africa to build an electrical grid, many African nations will be much more prosperous than the Arab world.
I'm just saying there is so much to consider regarding military operations than just military strategy.
In poll results being shown now on IBA channel 1's politika tV show, 51% of the respondents see Ehud barak and their pick for the next defense minister, with Bogi Ya'alon in 2nd place with only 15%.
People here are lamebrains.
No that I'm enthused with Ya'alon.
Naftali2,
In your best case scenario, when does Israel stop being bombarded from Gaza?
NormanF,
Have you factored Fatah's ineptitude and its own terrorism into your thinking?
RAM, yes. The two groups share a common animosity and that's precisely why its best to play them off against each other. Better that than they kill the Jews. If the Palestinians ever figure out love works better than hate, then its time to get scared.
ShyGuy, do people in Israel really think Barak is such a great Defense Minister? He screwed up this war!
I know they didn't want to win. They never want to win. And the only reason I can think of is that THEY HAVEN'T A CLUE WHAT TO DO NEXT IF THEY DID WIN. I can't help thinking they are the ones referred to in the Haftorahs of Eikev and Shoftim. If so, may they go away soon, to be replaced by G-d fearing real leaders who know their responsibility to the Nation and to Hashem.
NormanF,
Yes, people in Israel really do think Ehud Barak is the greatest thing since sliced bread - as Defense Minister and not as Prime Minister. The reason is very simple: Barak is a good general. Look at the contrast with Amir Peretz and what happened in Lebanon. Barak looks like a genius compared with that.
And people don't see Barak as responsible for stopping the war. The fact that Barak was the one who wanted a two-week 'humanitarian' cease fire is lost on them. They don't see him as having stopped the war. It's Livni who stopped the war. That's why Kadima is tanking in all the polls.
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