Friday, November 23, 2012

After Operation Pillar of Defense

The month of November 2012 has not been boring in world events. Barack Obama won a second term and the right-wing is still in PTSD. The war in Syria wages on. And then there was the Hamas-Israel confrontation known to Israel as "Operation Pillar of Defense" which found new players in the game of  resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Without having all the facts it is difficult to choose the winner of the latest Mideast clash. What were the goals for Netanyahu; Did he want to eliminate Hamas or simply deter them from launching any missiles? Did Hamas really gain stature as a result of firing hundreds of missiles but not really doing as much damage as they would have liked (thanks, in part to the Iron Dome)? Has President Morsi become a stronger player? Has President Obama reconciled his relations with Israel? Has Abbas's stature been diminished?

I must comment on some statements I've seen. Those who feel that Israel did not "do enough" to Hamas are simply wrong. These people wanted Hamas destroyed. Yes, if that could be done that would bode well for Israel. The problem is that at this point trying to destroy Hamas from the outside would be like trying to destroy the Republican Party in the US. They are far too entrenched in Gaza to be taken out easily. While as of a month ago they did not have support of a majority of Gazans, there did not exist a strong enough alternative.

Likewise, Hamas and its supporters claimed "victory" over Israel. Well, perhaps there was one small victory in that Israel had to negotiate a cease-fire with them instead of with Abbas. But they showed just how vulnerable they are to a stronger Israeli attack. The only defense Hamas has is in their PR claiming "victim". They cannot and will not, in my view, bring their own people any dignity that they deserve.

I am wary of President Morsi. I just hope that despite his public condemnations of Israel and praises of Hamas, he is influencing the latter on accepting a 2-state solution and recognizing Israel.

President Obama and Secretary Clinton did a nice job of standing up for Israel yet influencing Israel's decision not to launch the ground offensive. I think they both know that there is a lot more work to do, but at least for now they helped save lots of lives.

Moving forward, this needs to become an era of proposals. I don't care who makes them, as long as they are reasonable. There needs to be give and take. Both sides needs to sacrifice some of their entrenched views. Movements toward peace by any side need to be praised by both Muslims and Jews. Movements away from peace by either side need to be criticized by both Muslins and Jews.  It is never too late for the Moderates of all religions and nationalities to unite in the cause of compromise. Let's change the status quo to the one the Israelis and Palestinians really want - one that has them respecting each other as human beings and allowing them to live their dreams.

Thanks for reading.

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