Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., March 02, 2009 Adar 6, 5769 | | Israel Time: 23:05 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
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
It's not Israel's fault it has a strong, well-run army
By Yoel Marcus
Tags: israel news, hamas, israel 

I feel sorry for the people of Gaza, but I feel even sorrier for the civilian population of southern Israel, which has been bombarded by rockets for the last eight years.

I feel sorry for the kids who wet their beds at night. I feel sorry for the Color Red sirens that send our citizens on a mad dash for shelters, if there are any, in the hopes of finding cover within 15 seconds. I feel sorry about the homes that have been damaged, the cities that have been drained of their citizens and the schools hit by rockets that were miraculously empty at the time.

In the beginning, nobody took Qassams seriously. Israel's second president, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, used to say that Israel won the battle for Safed in 1948 thanks to might and miracle: The might came from reading Psalms and the miracle was that the Davidka homemade mortar worked. During the War of Independence, the Davidka was the equivalent of a Qassam. But over time, this primitive rocket has morphed into a long-range missile.
Advertisement
So we need to be thankful for the decision to launch Operation Cast Lead, if only because the offensive has exposed the strength of these babies and pulled the wraps off the huge arsenal of rockets they have over there in Gaza, capable of reaching Be'er Sheva. If Israel had not acted now, we would have woken up one morning to find missiles in Tel Aviv, special delivery from Iran via the Philadelphi tunnels.

Operation Cast Lead is not a reprisal raid but a defensive war meant to clip Hamas' wings before it surprises us with a Palestinian version of the Yom Kippur War. It's not our fault we have a strong, well-run army and state-of-the-art weaponry. What did Hamas think? That we were going to sit around twiddling our thumbs forever?

I read the columns of my colleague Gideon Levy and I could scream. In the days of the intifadas and the Israel Defense Forces' operations in the territories, I saw his empathy for the bitter lot of Palestinians as a kind of armchair compassion. But his weeping and wailing over the deaths of children in Gaza while we are fighting a defensive war over the security of our country has really crossed the line, if you ask me.

It is not our soldiers who are aiming their guns at Palestinian children, but the leaders of Hamas who are using them as human shields and decoys, while they hide away in safe houses prepared in advance. I am not accusing my colleague of shedding crocodile tears, God forbid. In his case, the tears are totally sincere.

Killing children is a matter of politics. Some of the countries now denouncing us have shed many liters of innocent blood. Where was public opinion, now lashing out against us after 17 days of warfare, over the past eight years, when cities and towns in southern Israel were being shelled and as rockets continued to rain on Israel as a "prize" for evacuating Gush Katif?

Operation Cast Lead is one of the most justified of Israel's wars, to use Ariel Sharon's turn of phrase. The military objective, as we have said, is to stop the rocket fire and block the smuggling routes, while carving out a political accord that will nail down the military achievements.

At the moment, diplomatic efforts to end the war have not been very successful. Eighteen days into the fighting, we are seeing a certain impatience at home. Some are demanding that Israel declare a unilateral, unconditional 48-hour cease-fire. If no agreement is reached within this time, the battle will continue.

The international community is pressuring Israel to halt the operation, which is par for the course: The world always sides with the underdog. But there is no reason for pressure at home to end the war before its political objectives are achieved and the south gets some peace and quiet.

The operation is being run very wisely, with everything possible being done to spare the lives of our soldiers and expose Hamas' missile capacity. In the hope that Hamas will say stop, or maybe out of fear that Israel's arm will be twisted by outside parties, there has been a great deal of talk about a third phase - going deep into the Gaza Strip, into the heart of Palestinian cities.

The smartest move now is not to give in to the bleeding hearts who have lost their nerve, but to do what is best and most sensible from a military standpoint, which is not to destroy Gaza and not to turn this war into a body count.

In any case, the Hamas regime has lost its trappings. It has been exposed as an empty vessel in the eyes of the people who voted it into power. Its leaders are hiding, leaving the Palestinians in the lurch. One day they will pay for it, I'm sure.

As for us, we have no objective reason to put pressure on the government right now. Despite the defense minister's cold feet, strong nerves are the army's ABCs, ensuring that every step is calculated with care and no irreversible mistakes are made as the reservists enter the Gaza Strip.

Related articles:
  • IDF begins deploying reservists into Gaza as part of ground op
  • IDF: Hamas rocket fire down 50% since start of Gaza op
  • ANALYSIS / Perhaps IDF should quit Gaza op while it's still ahead
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Celebrity conversion
    Lindsay Lohan is said to be converting to Judaism for her DJ girlfriend.
    Settlement expansion
    Peace Now: Israel planning 73,300 new homes in the West Bank.
      1.   Sensitive, honest and bright article. Thank you, Yoel Marcus. 05:51  |  Fortuna Benmayor 13/01/09
      2.   it is Israel`s 06:09  |  cool 13/01/09
      3.   I feel sorry 06:24  |  Matias 13/01/09
      4.   Not merely justified, unavoidable 06:44  |  Sam 13/01/09
      5.   yoel, your headline made me laugh 07:02  |  eric 13/01/09
      6.   Its the USE of the IDF that is disproportionate 07:26  |  Kris Lazar 13/01/09
      7.   Bitter sarcasm 07:30  |  Colin Wright 13/01/09
      8.   Gideon understands what you do not Yoel... 07:39  |  BBSNews 13/01/09
      9.   feeling sorry, feeling sorrier... 08:25  |  christoph 13/01/09
      10.   Not Only Was The War Unavoidable 08:50  |  Brad 13/01/09
      11.   To #5 Headline is spot On 08:53  |  Marc 13/01/09
      12.   True, the lethal weapons are indeed given by US, 08:54  |  Eric 13/01/09
      13.   This article is a masterpiece! 09:42  |  Johnboy 13/01/09
      14.   Eric`s inanities 09:43  |  SDHD 13/01/09
      15.   The issue is not the army, but its AVOIDABLE use 09:43  |  Ivar 13/01/09
      16.   BSNews still yammers that Gaza was occupied 09:44  |  SDHD 13/01/09
      17.   Eric`s "indiscriminate bombings" 09:46  |  SDHD 13/01/09
      18.   christoph own words proove he is a racist 09:57  |  Eve 13/01/09
      19.   Does anyone remember... 09:59  |  David R. Zukerman 13/01/09
      20.   Kris If all of Vienna`s people would run to shelters on Christmas 10:08  |  Eve 13/01/09
      21.   cool in germany 11:48  |  scallywag 13/01/09
      22.   eric 11:51  |  scallywag 13/01/09
      23.   14 SDHD: This is a 41+ year Issue not just about Rockets 11:51  |  Tupac 13/01/09
      24.   What is Israel without the Help from the US and Germany? 14:03  |  Dav 13/01/09
      25.   Dav poor Dav 14:27  |  x-ray 13/01/09
      26.   Strong Army 14:29  |  abjad 13/01/09
      27.   rockets from gaza 14:59  |  rolf ideberg 13/01/09
      28.   "Killing children is a matter of politics" 15:01  |  Former American 13/01/09
      29.   Your army 15:48  |  Asghar 13/01/09
      30.   Strong well-run army 15:51  |  miriam 13/01/09
      31.   It`s not Israel`s fault. It`s never Israel`s fault 15:54  |  sh 13/01/09
      32.   Look At The Playing Field. 15:59  |  Cool B 13/01/09
      33.   Thanks Kris Lazar for opening my eyes 16:13  |  Igor 13/01/09
      34.   mr. marcus is correct - 2. try 16:42  |  scallywag 13/01/09
      35.   kris lazar - 2. try 16:43  |  scallywag 13/01/09
      36.   bbsnews - 2. try 16:44  |  scallywag 13/01/09
      37.   self satisfied, self aggrandizing and wishful 16:44  |  Roo 13/01/09
      38.   christoph - 2. try 16:45  |  scallywag 13/01/09
      39.   Earth to Yoel Marcus, come in Yoel Marcus 17:42  |  Mark Lincoln 13/01/09
      40.   Why repeat a good post with some merit, #8 BBSNews.... 18:04  |  Smadar 13/01/09
      41.   Roo and lack of basic comprehension 18:07  |  SDHD 13/01/09
      42.   Yoel Mercus, you are a patriot! God Bless you ! 18:11  |  Robert 13/01/09
      43.   miriam 18:17  |  scallywag 13/01/09
      44.   Truth to Mark Lincoln, wake up Mark Lincoln 19:05  |  Gee 13/01/09
      45.   Mark Lincoln - On a different note 19:22  |  Persian Kitty 13/01/09
      46.   SDHD misconceptions and false memories 19:27  |  Roo 13/01/09
      47.   Yoel Marcus is the pride of Israel . 19:43  |  TOMY 13/01/09
      48.   population 19:58  |  blackbeans 13/01/09
      49.   DROPPING BOMBS FROM THE AIR ON CHILDREN AND WOMEN IS NOT STRONG! 20:02  |  Marcus 13/01/09
      50.   Roo still has a basic comprehension issue 20:15  |  SDHD 13/01/09
      51.   Deluded... 20:22  |  H. Kasarjian 13/01/09
      52.   who s fault 22:59  |  aymar 13/01/09
      53.   Re : Yes, Sam You are very right .. 23:09  |  Ines 13/01/09
      54.   #5 brilliant response to marcus, eric 23:09  |  Ben Alofs 13/01/09
      55.   #49 Marcus: The real cowards 23:14  |  Maurice 13/01/09
      56.   Re# 6 This is a war... 23:25  |  Ines 13/01/09
      57.   Re# 8 Gaza 23:44  |  Ines 13/01/09
      58.   SEEMS like the Persians and puppets got the message 23:57  |  PETER SM 13/01/09
      59.   Those who feel sorry for the palestinians 23:54  |  Ines 13/01/09
      60.   some strong army 23:55  |  Dani 13/01/09
      61.   SDHD and the vacuum 23:57  |  Roo 13/01/09
      62.   It hurts to all of us 23:58  |  Claudio 13/01/09
      63.   NO it is not indeed, it is US `s fault indeed 00:50  |  Sam (UK) 14/01/09
      64.   Excellent article! 00:50  |  Gili 14/01/09
      65.   Not Israel`s fault 00:57  |  Terry 14/01/09
      66.   Roo and being utterly clueless 01:33  |  SDHD 14/01/09
      67.   That others too shed innocent blood is no excuse! 01:38  |  Human 14/01/09
      68.   At last a commentator with guts and honesty 01:45  |  JH 14/01/09
      69.   Mr Marcus is right 01:50  |  Palestinian 14/01/09
      70.   Correct, it`s not your fault 01:56  |  Peter 14/01/09
      71.   To Palestinian 02:43  |  JH 14/01/09
      72.   shame on israel 02:43  |  tony 14/01/09
      73.   feeling sorry 02:45  |  hollingsworth 14/01/09
      74.   IDF "Ran Well" from Hezbollah more determined fighters 03:58  |  Gray 14/01/09
      75.   Bravo 04:13  |  Ely 14/01/09
      76.   IDF didn`t "run" lack of Gray matter 05:20  |  SDHD 14/01/09
      77.   At least some clearminded analysis at Haaretz 05:54  |  J. Cohen 14/01/09
      78.   to all readers 06:03  |  Palestinian 14/01/09
      79.   proportionate war 06:04  |  David Schiby 14/01/09
      80.   strategy 07:31  |  bernard 14/01/09
      81.   well-said 07:39  |  saul a. readner 14/01/09
      82.   Good article, great army 07:48  |  davidson county 14/01/09
      83.   Bad news for Israel 07:59  |  Dany 14/01/09
      84.   To all that want to learn the truth 09:10  |  Wog 14/01/09
      85.   to the palestinian who wants to cause an avalanche 10:02  |  scallywag 14/01/09
      86.   hollingsworth - 2. try 10:03  |  scallywag 14/01/09
      87.   dany in far away canada with his armchair compassion for pals 10:03  |  scallywag 14/01/09
      88.   SANY its not Israelis that dance in the streets & hand out candy 10:07  |  PETER SM 14/01/09
      89.   ERIC remind us!" leveling an apartment building""to kill a sniper 10:15  |  PETER SM 14/01/09
      90.   Shameful Article 10:17  |  Nino Frewat 14/01/09
      91.   Israel`s Fault? Credit for the Army goes to HaShem! 15:36  |  CDG 14/01/09
      92.   World Public Opinion (Who Cares what Hypocrites say?) 15:44  |  Gil 14/01/09
      93.   ADHD and being thick #66 01:01  |  Roo 15/01/09
      94.   Blessed Israel! Read Genesis 12:2-3 01:24  |  Kimberly 15/01/09
      95.   ADHD and being thick #66 01:39  |  Roo 15/01/09
      96.   It`s not Israel`s fault it has a strong, well-run army 10:06  |  Brian and Anne Nelso 15/01/09
      97.   This justification doesn`t weigh out 21:14  |  David 16/01/09
     Read & React
    U.S. officials' about-face on Iran nukes could sway Obama policy
    Responses: 52
    Olmert orders Barak to act swiftly against rocket attacks
    Responses: 38
    Israel dismisses Tehran demand to arrest Israeli 'war criminals'
    Responses: 54
    Peace Now: Israel planning 73,300 new homes in West Bank
    Responses: 97
    Editorial: Israel must stop threatening Hamas
    Responses: 42


    More Headlines
    22:18 Clinton in Israel to listen to Israel's leadership
    18:55 Comptroller: No protection from ongoing Gaza rockets or potential chemical attack
    19:17 Durban 2 draft statement: Israel's Palestinian policy is crime against humanity
    20:27 Sources: Hariri murder tribunal could derail Israel-Syria talks
    16:44 Israel dismisses Tehran demand to arrest Israeli 'war criminals'
    15:59 Hillary Clinton, Gaza, and the six-state solution
    22:50 Barak to Peres: Convince Labor members to join coalition
    19:52 International donors pledge $5.2 billion for Gaza reconstruction
    21:56 U.S. Attorney General: Protecting our friends from terror is top priority
    17:43 ANALYSIS / Another harsh report shows little has changed for Gaza border residents
    15:15 Barak: As it seems now, Labor won't join Likud government
    18:11 Israel demolishes two Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem
    22:29 Peace Now: Israel planning 73,300 new homes in West Bank
    Previous Editions
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Spring Specials-Dan Hotels
    Jerusalem from 179$. Tel-Aviv from 223$. Herzliya from 336$
    Dead Sea Skin Care
    Quality cosmetics from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 12% off!
    Summer in Israel
    Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009
    Passover Vacations
    The BEST Passover Vacations around ? Mexico, Arizona and Florida
    Camp Kimama Israel 2009
    The best place for your children this summer
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on 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 | | Israel 2009 election results
    Site rules | Makom: Engaging on 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