GAZA: OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS? IT NEEDS MORE THAN A TUNE-UP. Jules Crittenden writing for Pajamas Media notes:

...There were fears expressed of a terrorist state emerging on Israel’s flank in Gaza, an inroad for Iran. Those who hold these fears must not have been paying attention. Israel has been surrounded by terrorist states for its entire modern existence, and the presence of Iran-backed terrorists in Gaza is nothing new. Hamas had suspended its suicide bombing campaign, but maintained a steady barrage of deadly rocket attacks, along with abductions, as much as Hamas figured it could get away with, while Iran was both providing support and egging Hamas on. Having already brought war and economic ruin on the Palestinians, any fig leaf of legitimacy the terrorist organization might have had from its election was blown away by merciless internecine slaughter.

But taken in context, now is different. There was a time that the main enemy were belligerent Arab nations that could be pressured. Now the main enemy are terrorists that are not so easily pressured and are now lauded by many as freedom fighters. These terrorists are now funded as never before and act with an unheard of impunity. Until events indicate the contrary, the issue is not of fig leaves--but of blinders: and the West has shown a tendency to replace them with amazing ease.

Israel has blinders too. Crittenden writes:

Already isolated before its henchmen started tossing Fatah members off the roofs of Gaza, Hamas is now pleading for Arab “neutrality.” Egypt, already active against smugglers, is moving to contain Hamas. Israel has promised to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. But what Hamas did was turn Gaza into a free-fire zone for the Israeli Army. There is no reason whatsoever for Israeli restraint in crossing the border to excise the cancer, and no one who can credibly raise an outcry against Israel when it does.

Crittenden is writing about a different Israel from a different time. True, there is no rational reason--but restraint has become a habit for Israel: originally imposed by the West, but now so enforced that Israel appears conditioned to bypass the option of using real military force over a prolonged period of time. Lebanon was an exception which in the end will only dissuade Israel further in Gaza.

The real consequences of Gaza are only just beginning to be felt.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza and Jules Crittenden and Hamas.