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Isi Leibler , former head of the Australian Jewish community, now lives in Jerusalem. He was a leading personality in the movement to free Soviet Jewry and is a prolific writer on Jewish affairs.
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By Isi Leibler
August 16, 2004
It becomes highly disconcerting when Kassam rockets directed at Sderot or other neighboring areas are reported by the Israel media as routine incidents. To accept such assaults on our civilian population centers with equanimity is to court disaster.
Two Israelis, including a child, have already been killed and others wounded. Not surprisingly, the inhabitants of Sderot are nervous and angry.
But we must not delude ourselves that this is a localized issue. The Kassam is a primitive short range rocket but there is every likelihood that in the near future, terrorists will obtain access to more sophisticated and long range versions which could threaten our major population centers.
The IDF response to date has been to extend its presence in Beit Hanoun which is adjacent to the large Jabalya refugee camp from where most of the launches originate. The intention has been to push the terrorists back beyond range and induce the local population to pressure the perpetrators.
This is unlikely to succeed. The terrorists understand that by operating out of refugee camps which include the most densely populated areas in the world, they inhibit the IDF from sending in soldiers or using air support to eliminate the rocket sites - an act which could involve the loss of many innocent lives. Besides, with the anarchy currently prevailing in the territories, paramilitary groups like Hamas reign supreme and are unlikely to be influenced to change their tactics by appeals from local inhabitants. Indeed, only a few days ago Hamas employed propaganda videos on TV to boast that they intend to intensify the rocket attacks.
There is of course an element of dejá vu. It took almost two years until our political leadership gave the IDF the green light to make incursions deep into the heart of the territories and eliminate the head of the snake by selective targeting of the leaders. Only after this drastic action was the terror infrastructure disrupted.
By then, however, it was too late. Hundreds of Israelis had been killed because the politicians held back, fearing the rabid reaction of an already hostile international community.
Today it would be morally and tactically wrong to again adopt a policy of restraint until such time as, God forbid, the Kassams inflict greater casualties.
Besides, there is little doubt that the situation will deteriorate unless the government enables the IDF to initiate more drastic remedial action. Indeed if our leaders procrastinate, it will reinforce the prevailing Palestinian view that Prime Minister Sharon's proposed unilateral disengagement is a retreat under fire and a victory for the terrorists. Not to mention that the separation fence which we fought so hard to create would become a meaningless farce if our enemies can shower rockets on us with impunity.
These should be no illusions. Irrespective of what we do or refrain from doing, the majority of the international community including the Europeans will inevitably show their true colors just as they did most recently by shamefully supporting the UN anti-fence resolution.
The reality is that today, on the international level, only the American Administration displays a public sensitivity - albeit a qualified one - that we have an obligation to protect our citizens.
Therefore it is they whom we must convince that the present situation is intolerable and that in the name of self-defense, Israel has no choice other than to escalate its response to the missile threat. And we must act immediately before the American elections, because it would be a particularly onerous burden on a newly elected U.S. Administration, Republican or Democrat, to be instantly confronted after taking office with a request for support on a dramatic escalation in military response.
We have a powerful case. Prime Minister Sharon has to persuade President Bush that the policy of unilateral disengagement which he, Sharon, initiated was particularly painful because he himself had been one of the pivotal sponsors of the settlements which had been approved by successive governments. He should also reiterate that Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip did not displace any Palestinians but rather has transformed the arid desert lands into flourishing gardens.
In this context the Prime Minister should stress to the President that the major domestic criticism he faces is that his policy is hailed by the terrorists as an Israeli retreat and a victory for armed violence. It would thus be utterly intolerable for his government to stand by with folded arms while the terrorists continue to shower Israeli civilian centers with rockets. To acquiesce in such a situation would demoralize our people and thereby endanger our very future. Neither the Americans nor even the Europeans would even remotely contemplate tolerating such threats from neighbors to the life and limb of their citizens.
Therefore Sharon must inform Bush that unless the rocket attacks cease immediately he will be obliged to take drastic countermeasures including even a possible freeze of the unilateral disengagement program. But more importantly, even if the disengagement proceeds, he will announce that henceforth every time a rocket lands on Israel's soil the IDF will respond harshly. It will first identify the launching location, warn the civilians in the area to immediately evacuate, and then demolish the focused area. It must be stressed that by deliberately operating from residential areas in which civilians are used as shields, the responsibility for the resultant destruction would rest exclusively on those who tolerate the rocket launches. This would be a classic case of deterrence in which Israel would manifestly demonstrate concern for innocent civilians by providing them with advance warning and then raze the locations from which the killers operate.
I venture to say that if we adopt this course of action, despite the inevitable outcry and condemnations from many of the hypocritical and biased international leaders, the rocket attacks will come to a speedy end.
The Americans will surely understand that such determined acts of self defense are the sole means for any country to end unprovoked assaults on its population centers. After all this is precisely what the Americans themselves have been doing in Iraq.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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