Sunday, November 26, 2006

Virtual Cease Fire -Elliot Chodoff

Last night Ehud Olmert joined the ranks of Israeli leaders who have achieved cease fire agreements with the Palestinians over the past decade. It is a club he should not be proud to have joined.

We have been through so many cease fires with the Palestinians that the term should certainly have humor value by now. You could just die laughing.

The primary reason that the Palestinians need a cease fire at this moment is that the IDF is preparing for a major operation in Gaza in the near future, and the terrorist organizations would like a bit more time to prepare for it.

The tragedy, of course, is that when the terrorists feel that they are prepared to engage the IDF the virtual cease fire will evaporate.

The utter failure of [Israeli] national leaders to engage in strategic thinking is striking. One can only presume that their struggle and maneuvering to keep their positions in the face of growing public criticism and internal political conflicts has left them bereft of the energy required to confront national crises in a coherent, focused fashion.
[Mideast: On Target]

1 comment:

LHwrites said...

Unfortunately, the rest of the world cares, and needs to care, about world public opinion. Israel needs to embrace any peaceful solution, so when it needs to confront other means, it can say it tried, and get enough support in the UN to keep its actions from generating a combative response that America would need to veto alone. It is better for Israel, and for the US. But it is true, that it comes with risks. Israel, and its leaders, are not in an enviable position.