Thursday, July 10, 2014

Washington Post lists enemy casualties as an obstacle to an Israeli military victory

Here is the paragraph in question:
THE LATEST mini-war between Israel and the Hamas movement is as unwinnable for either side as previous rounds in 2009 and 2012. Though it has stockpiled thousands of rockets and some longer-range missiles, Hamas lacks the ability to inflict serious damage or casualties; a new anti-missile system has blocked most of the warheads headed toward Tel Aviv and other populous areas. Israel, for its part, can target Hamas commanders and infrastructure in Gaza but probably can’t entirely silence the rocket launchers. A ground invasion of Gaza, for which troops are now being mustered, would cause heavy casualties and, if it destroyed Hamas, leave Israel with the task of governing the territory and its nearly 2 million people.
The article bends over backwards to use balanced-sounding language, but that gives it all away. Hamas is constrained only by its lack of firepower, Israel lacks the stomach to cause the amount of damage necessary to stop the rockets permanently. That isn't normal military morality. You are allowed to win. The laws of war were not created to make fanatacism into a tactical and strategic advantage.

1 comment:

SnoopyTheGoon said...

There is another consideration, aside of lack of stomach: the almost certain knowledge that Hamas' successor, if Israel decides to leave after elimination of Hamas, will be even worse. Much bandied here for quite a long time.