Posted on 11/24/2002 9:46:59 PM PST by Abar
Israel running out of money, out of options November 21, 2002 By Michael Rand
IsraelForum.com) -- In the past two weeks, large-scale terrorist attacks have demonstrated two tragic facts. First, that Palestinian terrorists will continue to massacre Israelis so long as they are capable of doing so. Second, that Israel's current strategy for fighting terrorism is woefully inadequate.
In reaction to each Palestinian atrocity against Israelis, the government responds with the same formula of marching IDF troops into the towns from which a particular terrorist originated. There, the IDF is mired and its soldiers placed in harm's way until pressured to leave a few months later by the U.S. State Department.
Not only is this strategy the product of lack of better options, but it is doomed to fail, if for no other reason than lack of funds. The large-scale military deployment is incredibly expensive even during the best of economic times, and nearly unbearable as the current recession drags on.
New Options Tested
In recent months, Israel has tested new strategies. For example, the IDF has moved from a purely reactive posture to assume a proactive role. Almost nightly, the IDF makes lightning incursions deep into the terrorist breeding grounds of Gaza, hoping to throw the enemy into disarray. Unfortunately, this tactic has met with limited success, as terrorist attacks inside Israel persist.
The IDF has also stepped up the pace of demolition of the homes of Palestinian suicide bombers to partially offset some of the financial rewards provided by Saudi Arabia and Iraq to the terrorists' families. Although this measure delivers a modicum of justice, it too has not yet proven to be effective in deterring Arab terrorism.
Some Progress
To be sure, Israel has made some inroads in its fight against Palestinian terrorism. The infrastructure of groups like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah has been weakened. Many of these groups' leaders have been eliminated by Israel and their capacity to mass murder innocent victims has thankfully been reduced.
Likewise, it is no small feat accomplished by the IDF in thwarting countless suicide bombings and other terror attacks by improved intelligence gathering.
And at the same time, Yasser Arafat's ability to smuggle heavy weaponry and to sponsor terrorist attacks has been restricted, while troublesome Palestinian warlords like Jibril Rajoub and Marwan Barghouti have been removed from the picture.
Concrete Steps Needed
Still, Palestinian society is so thoroughly infected with terrorists and suicide bombers that it would be difficult to cure this national disease on a terrorist-by-terrorist basis. Instead, the only likely resolution of the Palestinian terrorism problem is the implementation of a deterrent so effective, that Israel would have no need to deplete its financial reserves by keeping troops in the Palestinian areas.
First, Israel must target the top-tier leadership of the Palestinian terror machine. Murderers like Yasser Arafat, Sheik Yassin, and Abdel Aziz Rantisi must be brought to justice and eliminated with great fanfare. Then, Israel must weigh the idea of transferring portions of the Palestinians back to their historic homeland in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. There, the Palestinians will be able to enjoy national freedom and independence, while saving the lives of innocent victims, both Arab and Israeli.
Although the concept of population transfer has been one of the most successful methods of achieving peace and prosperity throughout history, it has come to be seen in the last few seconds of history as anathema to Western ideals. Israel, however, is a Western-style democracy located in the Middle East, where living up to 100% of Western ideals may be too high of a price to pay for those wishing to live altogether.
Let's not forget that the Mideast is, most notably, a region in which the United States and the rest of the world recently cheered on the transfer of several hundred of thousands of Palestinians out of Kuwait in the wake of Desert Storm. So, it may be time for Israel to reevaluate the concept of transfer as a method of achieving peace, by learning a valuable lesson from the Arabs themselves in this case.
A Day Too Late and a Dollar Too Short
The clock is ticking, and time is not on the side of the Israeli victims of Arab terrorism. The tiny Jewish State is on the verge of economic disaster brought upon by Islamic terrorism. It is a scenario reminiscent of the 9/11 Islamic attack on America, which plunged the global economy into the grips of a recession that still strangles the world more than a year later. But unlike the U.S., Israel does not have the means to weather the economic storm bought on by Palestinian terrorism for much longer.
The cost of maintaining troops in an increasingly large number of Palestinian towns is taking more and more of a toll on the Israeli economy, and its citizens have grown weary of the weekly massacres of the innocent. This is why time and money are running out, and Israel's options are narrowing until it will become abundantly clear that achieving real deterrence is the only option for peace.
Yeah, but are their options out of money.
Well,then while theres still time...wipe the pali's out NOW
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