Gazans are desperately streaming into Egypt to source goods during Israel’s criminal siege. Hamas has been strengthened. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama proves that running for the highest office in the land means you must defend Israel and vilify the Palestinian population. And yet Israel never learns from history and its current moves against Gaza will fail miserably, as Amira Hass explains:
The security establishment was quick on Monday to boast of the success of its tactic of escalation against Gaza: Look, the number of Qassams declined. By the time these lines are published, the security establishment may spin another logical axiom: Since we renewed the supply of diesel fuel on a one-time basis, the Palestinians have gone back to firing Qassams. The conclusion: Continue the escalation. The logic of escalation is the middle name of the current defense minister, Ehud Barak, and many Israelis are adopting it.
Barak was prime minister in September 2000, when the Israel Defense Forces responded with escalation to popular demonstrations against the Israeli occupier and to the throwing of stones: lethal fire against civilians, among them many children. Not surprisingly, the Palestinians did not understand the lesson and turned to escalation tactics of their own. That is how we reached the point where we are now – homemade rockets of all kinds, which become even developed, the more Israel escalates its punishment measures in response to them.
Books, articles and one or two films have have already discussed, albeit tardily, the foolishness of the tactic of escalation. But that does not matter to those who support the application of more and more pressure on the 1.5 million residents of the Strip. This shows that they – like their defense minister and the rest of the political leadership – are suffering from four failings: amnesia, shortsightedness, disorientation and learning disabilities.
Like clockwork, the world’s mainstream Jewish communities stand behind Israel, crying like the victims that they aren’t.