By Dr. Aaron Lerner
May 27, 2007
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Crime is never truly eradicated -- but that doesn't mean that police operations are futile.
The same can be said for the struggle against terror.
And yet, one hears otherwise mature adults quote Abner's admonition, "shall for everlasting the sword devour?" (2 Samuel 2:26) as if his desperate call to cease a bloody civil war somehow provides a winning argument for surrendering to the Arab terrorists. Cut some photo-opportunity deal, no matter how specious, rather than continue defending ourselves from the wolves.
Time and again retreat proponents have claimed that the people are tired and cannot sustain the struggle when in truth it was the leadership that failed a public willing to endure great sacrifices. A public that has no illusions about the viability of instant or even permanent solutions but instead realizes that the struggle for freedom is an ongoing exercise worth the battle.
Could Operation X, no matter its scope, put a permanent end to the terror threat in the Gaza Strip?
Of course not.
But that isn't the question at hand.
The question is bringing down the operational capabilities of the terrorists to a manageable level.
Operation Defensive Shield didn't eradicate terror in the West Bank, but it created a situation under which Israeli security forces could follow up with ongoing "mowing" operations. Yes, as the retreat proponents note, every terrorist leader taken off the board is soon replaced by another, but the turnover serves to limit both their number and capabilities.
Will my children's children also have to worry when their children go off to serve?
Quite possibly.
But I don't mourn the option. I celebrate that there is a viable vibrant alternative to surrender.
Views expressed by the author do not
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