Dr. Aaron Lerner is co-founder of IMRA, Independent Media Review and Analysis, an Israel-based news organization which provides an extensive digest of media, polls and significant interviews and events relating to the Israeli-Arab conflict. imra@netvision.net.il
Wonder why the folks working with DM Barak are so interested in a ceasefire even though they know damn well that the result will be a stronger, more dangerous Hamas that Israel will inevitably have to battle?
Simple.
These are the same people who are getting flak today for the inability of the IDF to stop the ongoing rocket and mortar attacks in the South.
A ceasefire means a temporary dramatic reduction in attacks and, in turn, a temporary end to the embarrassing media coverage and pubic criticism.
And later?
When Hamas is even stronger their attacks will be even more vicious and threaten more of Israel so the public and the world (read USA) will be more willing to accept a more savage Israeli response and the Israeli public will be more willing to accept greater IDF casualties in the inevitable operation.
That's the sophisticated argument.
It is an immoral one, however, because it means knowingly creating a situation in which more Israelis die out of the expectation of a PR gain from those deaths.
If these people can't figure out how to stop this madness without relying on heavy Israeli losses to justify the operation, then they should step aside.
Turning citizens into "PR fodder" is a monstrous and unacceptable strategy.
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