Israel will no longer be the same country we knew before Hamas launched a surprise murderous attack that cost so many Israeli lives. The heart refuses to believe, and the head finds it difficult to grasp and digest, how it is that within three hours of a killing spree of human animals we lost more casualties than during the three years of the Intifada, or in the first weeks of the Yom Kippur War.
But the time to raise the difficult questions about what happened on the Gaza border will come when the campaign is over. At this moment, the important question is how to defeat the enemy, and even before that, it is necessary to define and clarify the goals of the war Israel is waging against Hamas in Gaza. After all, while senior Israeli officials speak of the need to erase Hamas and eliminate it to the last of its members, the cabinet made do with a decision similar to those it made in previous IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, which concerns "the destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in a way that will negate their ability and desire to threaten and harm Israeli citizens for many years." This is, by all accounts, a vague decision, and it will be difficult to examine whether it was reached or not.
Hamas's murder campaign led to the collapse of the concept held by Israel over the past two decades, according to which this organization should be seen as a partner in maintaining quiet and stability along the borders. After all, it was explained to us that Hamas wanted to ensure its rule in Gaza, and therefore it would be right, in return for economic benefits and concessions, to restrain its operatives and maintain quiet along the border.
Another concept that was shattered was the belief that we were omnipotent – intelligence and military – and that we had the power to deter Hamas. After all, what sane organization would dare risk its very existence and the lives of its people in a military adventure against the strongest power in the Middle East?
In the past, there were those who warned that we must not return to the Gaza Strip, because if the Hamas regime falls, its place as a responsible adult in Gaza will be taken by armed gangs that will act against Israel. It is also claimed that the occupation of Gaza by the IDF will bring our soldiers to the heart of the most densely populated area in the world, and will burden us with considerable financial expenses. However, after Hamas' terrorist attack, it is clear to everyone that any alternative is preferable, and cheaper in lives and money, than the continuation of Hamas rule.
The conclusion from all this is clear: Israel must start thinking outside the box. It must not sink into maneuvers – political and military – designed to strike at Hamas and deter it, but to keep it alive in the hope that it will change its skin. The Hamas regime must be toppled, a move that will only be achieved by occupying the Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah is heating up the sector, provoking the IDF and harming our soldiers, but in an effort to keep the flames low
The fact that Israel refrains from openly declaring and preparing the international ground for the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the toppling of the Hamas regime, but instead continues to place its trust in airstrikes, and even prepares to impose the IDF to operate in Gaza but does not order it to occupy it – raises the concern that we will eventually find ourselves forced to agree to a deal with a battered Hamas, but one that retains control over Gaza. If so, the next round of fighting, as murderous as its predecessors, will be a question of time.
Hezbollah, on the other hand, is a slightly different story. His conduct so far is more calculated, and it seems that he has not yet forgotten the "dahiya" effect, the destruction of the Shiite neighborhoods in south Beirut during the Second Lebanon War. It heats up the sector, provokes the IDF and harms our soldiers, but in an effort to keep the flames low.
However, after Hamas's terrorist attack, we must not blindly adhere to past conceptions regarding Lebanon as well, but rather open our eyes and firmly extinguish the fire ignited by Hezbollah, and not just contain it.
In the meantime, we must purse our lips, recover from the severe blow we suffered and continue to fight the war of our lives with determination. Most importantly, we must not forget that the Middle East knows how to value strength, and that there is no mercy for those who show weakness.
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