Does any sane person believe that Israel should have just rolled over and let the rockets shot by those Hamas savages continue?
Mowing the Grass in Gaza
by Efraim Inbar and Eitan Shamir
BESA Center Perspectives
July 20, 2014
Hamas left Israel's government no choice but to order the Israel Defense Force (IDF) to start a land incursion. Hamas refused to accept the Israeli government's offer of "calm for calm," rejected the Egyptian cease-fire proposal and violated the humanitarian cease-fire initiated by the UN. It continuously fired over 10 days more than 1,500 missiles towards towns and cities of Israel, hoping to kill as many civilians as possible. Moreover, it uses tunnels in the attempt to kill Israeli civilians and/or kidnap them.
Israel's goal continues to be the establishment of a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety without constant indiscriminate terror, while striking a significant blow to Hamas' terror infrastructure. The Israeli government wisely has defined limited political and military goals for this offensive, in accordance with what we call a "mowing the grass" strategy.
Israel's strategy in the twenty-first century against hostile non-state groups, such as Hamas, reflects the assumption that Israel finds itself in a protracted intractable conflict. The use of force in such a conflict is not intended to attain impossible political goals, but rather is a long-term strategy of attrition designed primarily to debilitate the enemy capabilities. Only after showing much restraint in its military responses, does Israel act forcefully to destroy the capabilities of its foes as much as possible, hoping that occasional large-scale operations also have a temporary deterrent effect in order to create periods of quiet along Israel's borders
Continue reading at:
Mowing the Grass in Gaza :: Middle East Forum
Mowing the Grass in Gaza
by Efraim Inbar and Eitan Shamir
BESA Center Perspectives
July 20, 2014
Hamas left Israel's government no choice but to order the Israel Defense Force (IDF) to start a land incursion. Hamas refused to accept the Israeli government's offer of "calm for calm," rejected the Egyptian cease-fire proposal and violated the humanitarian cease-fire initiated by the UN. It continuously fired over 10 days more than 1,500 missiles towards towns and cities of Israel, hoping to kill as many civilians as possible. Moreover, it uses tunnels in the attempt to kill Israeli civilians and/or kidnap them.
Israel's goal continues to be the establishment of a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety without constant indiscriminate terror, while striking a significant blow to Hamas' terror infrastructure. The Israeli government wisely has defined limited political and military goals for this offensive, in accordance with what we call a "mowing the grass" strategy.
Israel's strategy in the twenty-first century against hostile non-state groups, such as Hamas, reflects the assumption that Israel finds itself in a protracted intractable conflict. The use of force in such a conflict is not intended to attain impossible political goals, but rather is a long-term strategy of attrition designed primarily to debilitate the enemy capabilities. Only after showing much restraint in its military responses, does Israel act forcefully to destroy the capabilities of its foes as much as possible, hoping that occasional large-scale operations also have a temporary deterrent effect in order to create periods of quiet along Israel's borders
Continue reading at:
Mowing the Grass in Gaza :: Middle East Forum
