The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Will Israel Invade Gaza Again?

Posted on | November 18, 2012 | 10 Comments

Israeli air attacks now are, in the words of IDF Capt. Eytan Buchman, “part of our overarching goal of toppling Hama’s command and control capabilities.” That is to say, degrading the organizational infrastructure, which would hinder a concerted resistance to an Israel invasion on the ground in Gaza. The IDF has mobilized reserves and is clearly prepared to make such an invasion, but U.S. officials are worried:

The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about the escalating violence in Gaza, believing that a ground incursion by Israel there could lead to increased civilian casualties, play into the hands of the militant Palestinian group Hamas and inflict further damage to Israel’s standing in the region at an already tumultuous time.
Though President Obama uttered immediate and firm public and private assurances that Israel has a right to defend itself from rocket attacks emanating from Gaza, administration officials have been privately urging Israeli officials not to extend the conflict, a move that many American officials believe could benefit Hamas.

Frankly, I doubt Bibi Netanyahu will let his military options be dictated by worry-warts in Washington — or London, for that matter. Melanie Phillips notes that British Foreign Secretary William Hague is making concern-troll noises about the “international support” Israel might lose if it sends troops into Gaza:

So according to these leaders, Israel absolutely has the right to defend itself — but not actually to take the action that will defeat its attackers! And just whose international support might Israel lose by such a casualty toll? Why, the support of leaders like Hague and Obama!  What hypocrisy, furthermore, from those who have been bombing the living daylights out of Afghanistan but impose a totally different standard on Israel.

Western leaders who reserve to themselves the right to use military power as they see fit, evidently wish to apply a special standard to Israel, and if Netanyahu ignores them, perhaps it will disabuse Israel’s enemies of the idea that Israel is a tool of Western imperalism.

It was on the occasion of the three-week Israeli invasion of Gaza in January 2009 that I invoked Sonny Corleone’s famous warning to Carlo: “If you touch my sister again, I’ll kill you.”

Some people never learn . . .

UPDATE: In the aftermath of the 2009 Gaza War, the eminent hysteric Glenn Greenwald emitted some of his inimitable idiocy about “America’s ongoing, one-sided support for Israel generally and for Israel’s attack on Gaza specifically.” This prompted me to write one of the acknowledged classic entries in the category, “Gee, Stacy, Why Don’t You Tell Us What You Really Think?”

 Swear to God, if they ever want a Gentile prime minister, my first order would be to deploy the IDF in a north-south line, facing east. My second order would be “forward march” and the order to halt would not be given until it was time for the troops to rinse their bayonets in the Jordan. After a brief rest halt, the order “about face” would be given, and the next halt would be at the Mediterranean coast.
That’s my “Middle East peace plan,” and until it’s carried out, there will be no peace.

That post inspired Andrew Sullivan to nominate me for a “Malkin Award” and, in the final voting, I placed second to Glenn Beck that year.

 

 

Category: Israel

Comments

10 Responses to “Will Israel Invade Gaza Again?”

  1. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    November 18th, 2012 @ 12:49 pm

    Israel will do what it has to do to defend itself. It knows it has to act with restraint to counter act the unfair media war also waged against it. A lot of people hate Jews.

  2. Stogie Chomper
    November 18th, 2012 @ 12:51 pm

    Stacy, I am gratified by your support for Israel, which equals my own.

  3. BLBeamer
    November 18th, 2012 @ 12:52 pm

    Oh, my. I’m sure the Israelis are so very concerned about Hague’s warning of lost “international support”. Because after all, if there is one thing the Israelis can count on is the unqualified support of the UN, academia, the EU, etc.

  4. JeffS
    November 18th, 2012 @ 12:53 pm

    The White House, they are worried about a ground conflict! The only reason they would care about any Israeli restraint is if the Arabs are about to get their buts kicked. Again.

    Or if they want to Hamas to continue their attacks against Israel.

    [/sarc on] But, of course, that’s just not possible, is it? [/sarc off]

    The concerns over Jordan and Egypt are an issue if and only if they actually restrain their own people. That is anything but a given. Same thing for any “international support”, like from the UN.

    So I hope Israel does not listen to the White House Worry Warts.

  5. Kevin Trainor Jr.
    November 18th, 2012 @ 12:57 pm

    Kevin Trainor Jr. liked this on Facebook.

  6. Bob Belvedere
    November 18th, 2012 @ 1:02 pm

    Yes, let us hope Israel finally realizes that they’re on their own. Obama and co. despise them, as do the wet anti-Semite Eton Tories.

  7. ThomasD
    November 18th, 2012 @ 2:22 pm

    With the current state of Egypt coupled with the re-election of duh Won an orchestrated war against Israel was inevitable. Israel will invade Gaza in order to destroy the majority of Hamas’ warmaking infrastructure and neutralize their ability to serve as a first strike launch point and perpetual beachhead.

    Rooting out and eliminating the Iranian presence, and heavy weapons staging areas, will be the prime objectives.

  8. Adjoran
    November 18th, 2012 @ 3:20 pm

    Negotiating with the “Palestinians” and islamists is like trying to tame a rabid dog. It just cannot be done.

  9. K-Bob
    November 18th, 2012 @ 8:36 pm

    My God, I just clicked on a post over at Zerohedge (I like the conomic news there, but you have to be careful and consider the source). It was about “what an Israeli strike looks like from the other side” or something like that.

    The comments are so full of hate and disinformation that it puts me right off of trying to consider linking up with libertarians.

    (I sure as hell hope those a$$clowns in the comments aren’t really libertarians.)

  10. Captain Obvious: President Obama Reminds Us That War Can Hurt Or Kill Troops | Grumpy Old Man Blog
    November 18th, 2012 @ 9:33 pm

    […] The Other McCain has some thoughts on the current Gaza conflict and then reflects on the 2009 Gaza ground invasion. […]