Putin, The Vatican, And Olmert's Redemption

When Bnei Yisrael left Egypt, they were at their strongest following the drowning of the Egyptian army at the Red Sea. No nation considered attacking them, but Amalek did--and like the first person into a pool of hot water who cools it down and paves the way for others, so too Amalek showed that Israel was mortal and made her more vulnerable in the eyes of her enemies.

By disengaging from Gaza in response to Palestinian terrorism, and resorting to rhetoric instead of action in the face of the Kassam rockets, Israel became more vulnerable in the eyes of Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorists.

It is still not clear what Israel's reaction to the kidnapping of Gilad Shavit will do to change the perception of weakness in the eyes of her enemies.

But based on what has been in the news, there may be hope.

On the one hand, Iran thumbs its nose at the world while developing nuclear capabilities, North Korea shows off the range of its missiles, and Venezuela shows off the Russian jets it has acquired. The world responds with rhetoric.

But on the other hand, Russia has sent agents to kill those responsible for the murder of their diplomats. The more aggressive stance is also reflected in the policy of the Vatican, which has revised it's policy towards Islam and according to the Jerusalem Post is for the first time indicating that radical Islam, and not Israel, is the central problem of Christians living among Moslems. While the Vatican is terming their policy one of reciprocity, the Jerusalem Post notes that

This balanced, serious approach marks a profound improvement in understanding that could have implications well beyond the Church, given how many lay politicians heed its leadership in inter-faith matters. Should Western states also promote the principle of reciprocity, the results should indeed be interesting.

It was the Jerusalem Post that also had an article last month that claimed that support for the Palestinian Arabs was falling among the 'opinion elites' in Europe.

Maybe, slowly, there are countries that are ready to react and fight back. I remember that when the Americans were held hostage in Iran during Carter's administration, some said that Iranians would never dream of doing the same to Russian citizens for fear of what they would do. Later, the Russian reputation was severely damaged in Afghanistan and fell further in their conflict with Chechnya. Yet there is a sense that Russia, and her reputation, are on the rebound as a country to be taken seriously.

The Vatican apparently is taking a stronger stand under Pope Benedict XVI and though the Vatican--with all due respect to Dan Brown--cannot respond militarily, they do seem to be eschewing the purely diplomatic approach.

Where does Israel stand in all this? Bombing empty buildings and fields or flying low in Syria is not doing the trick. Nor are the empty threats that Israel is not going to take it any more. For that matter, responding to the kidnapping of Shalit but hesitating to take action in Northern Gaza in response to the Kassam rockets does not send much of a message either.

As Jonathan Rosenblum points out, stopping the Kassams in the only way possible--sending the IDF into Gaza--reveals the folly of Olmert's Convergence Plan and risks negative world reaction. Even after having committed to sending the IDF into Northern Gaza Olmert and Shimon "Kassams, Shmassams" Peres still seem to be stopping short of really dealing with the Kassam threat, instead satisfying themselves with establishing a buffer zone--allowing the impression that the firing of those rockets is a normal event.

Putin's actions and those of the Vatican illustrate that it is possible to change policy, and by implementing it consistently change how they are perceived. Consistency means not just repetition, but that the different statements issued and the actions taken all jive with each other. Assassinating terrorist leaders by itself is not going to cut it for Israel, and the inevitable collateral damage is going to provide an easy windfall for the Palestinian terrorists. The justification for Operation Summer Rain is not just the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, but the almost daily Kassam rockets being fired into Israel from Gaza. Olmert's government may yet be able to redeem itself.

If a trend is developing in the West in reaction against the terrorists and the thugs, then now is the time for Israel to get on board--and if the trend has not started yet, now is the time for Israel to take the lead.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Olmert and Shalit and Gaza and Putin and Hamas and Palestinians and Terrorism.