Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., January 04, 2009 Tevet 8, 5769 | | Israel Time: 01:44 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Joy of Giving Travel Week's End Anglo File

Honey, I shrunk the country By Yoel Marcus Tags: Hamas, Israel News, Gaza Yitzhak Rabin used to say there was no chance of waking up in the morning and finding the Gaza Strip sunk in the sea. But when the government decided to launch Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, it never really spelled out its ultimate goals. To bring down Hamas in Gaza? Not realistic. To recapture territory in the Gaza Strip? Ditto. The way I understand it, the goal is to create a situation, in which it won't be worth Hamas' while to fire rockets into Israel. The first Qassam rockets lobbed at Israel eight years ago were perceived as a curiosity. They were primitive and tended to explode in open fields. Our mistake was in not realizing that these little pishers would grow up one day. We have only now discovered that while we made light of these attacks and exercised restraint, they were building a subterranean empire, stockpiling tens of thousands of rockets of every kind. If the Israeli army had not mounted a major offensive now, we would have woken up one fine day to air raid sirens in Tel Aviv. Advertisement Ordering this operation, the brainchild of Ehud Barak, was a stroke of brilliance. It caught the heads of Hamas unawares. We may have a few bleeding hearts among us who are crying genocide, but the 500 bombing sorties carried out as of this writing have focused solely on military targets, from tunnels and rocket depots to command centers and symbols of the Hamas regime. No "blitz" has been carried out against the population, in contrast to Hamas, which has targeted civilians, and specifically women and children, over the years. There is no greater evil than these people in our midst who call the Israel Defense Forces murderers. Imagine what a young pilot on a security mission must feel when he reads that he is nothing more than a war criminal. Amassing armor and troops on the outskirts of Gaza might be a scare tactic, to make Hamas think that Israel has plans to invade Gaza and turn it into mincemeat. But it could also be a ploy to get the international community involved and establish conditions for a cease-fire. Barak, whatever the circuitous workings of his brilliant mind, is right to emphasize the possibility of an incursion into Gaza, not only as a tactic to end the offensive but also to make clear to the soldiers that if they are indeed sent in, the mission will be unavoidable. In principle, Israel has no interest in retaking any part of the Gaza Strip - a scenario for which Hamas was more prepared than being bombed from the air. The defense minister, with all his meandering, is right in looking into the possibility of an agreement under international aegis before forging ahead with a ground assault. It could ruin the momentum but so what. Reshuffling the cards with an internationally backed cease-fire is preferable to a ground incursion. Look at what's been going on in the north while we bomb Gaza: Hassan Nasrallah delivered a blustery speech, but he hasn't come to his brethren's aid yet with any missile attacks on the Israeli home front. The destruction of south Beirut by the Israeli air force has been a fine lesson. Hezbollah will now think twice before sending missiles our way. This is the kind of deterrence needed in Gaza, and if the Quartet and the United States administration agree, who are we to say no? But until we know where Hamas stands, our air force will continue to pound away with every ounce of strength. However Operation Cast Lead ends, the important side lesson we can learn from it is that territory is becoming less and less central to an agreement. Nowadays, when missiles can reach the same target from north or south or dozens of kilometers away, it is not as risky to give up some hill or other because it is close to the airport, for example. The whole territorial business has lost its importance. More and more, holding on to territories and their impact on a political agreement is becoming a thing of the past. A kilometer here, a kilometer there. All of a sudden, it's passe - a relic from another era in missile history. Remember the movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids?" Try "Honey, I Shrunk the Country" on for size. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Crisis in question The Arab League slams Livni's remark 'there's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza' Acts of Terror In their waning days in power, Bush and Rice work to try organize a truce.

Read & React Bush: Hamas attacks on Israel are an 'act of terror' Responses: 71 Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff: Now IDF is getting personal with Hamas Responses: 76 Yossi Sarid: If you (or I) were Palestinian Responses: 128 Anshel Pfeffer: Right and Left, Diaspora Jews more critical of Israel than ever Responses: 80 Bradley Burston: To win in Gaza, Israel only has to survive Responses: 50 More Headlines 01:36 Israel launches a ground operation in the Gaza Strip 01:36 WATCH: Israeli troops launch ground incursion in Gaza Strip 22:23 Barak: Gaza invasion won't be short, and it won't be easy 22:39 Hamas: Gaza will become graveyard for Israeli troops 00:03 Israel okays call-up of tens of thousands of IDF reservists 00:27 Hezbollah urges Hamas to 'kill as many Israeli soldiers as they can' during Gaza op 22:41 EU presidency: Israel ground op in Gaza 'defensive not offensive' 00:53 Tens of thousands rally across Europe against Israel's Gaza offensive 00:56 Thousands rally in Tel Aviv for and against Israel's Gaza op 01:17 UN Security Council to hold emergency session on Israel's Gaza operation 20:14 Netivot home collapses as Hamas intensifies rocket fire from Gaza 13:32 ANALYSIS / Are air strikes enough, or is a ground op needed in Gaza? 17:47 Arab League slams Livni remark 'there's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza' 14:04 Bush calls Hamas attacks 'acts of terror', says working on truce 10:41 ANALYSIS / Israel must prepare to turn its military might from Gaza to Iran 09:42 UN chief wants international monitors for Gaza cease-fire 18:59 Gaza 2009 - To win, all Israel has to do is survive 18:45 Top Iran official holds talks with Syria on Gaza violence Previous Editions Select Day 02 jan 01 jan 31 dec 30 dec 29 dec 28 dec 26 dec 25 dec 24 dec 23 dec 22 dec 21 dec

Special Offers Advertisement Summer in Israel Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009 You can make a direct IMPACT! on the life of an Israeli soldier State of Israel Bonds During this time of market volatility, Israel bonds can help. SURF RAMBAM Keep current about new-wave medical care, education and research. Summer Camp in Israel The best place for your children this summer Academic Studies in Israel All the Q & A at the IDC HERZLIYA Open House, January 9,2009 Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved