Goldberg searching for a cease-fire | Jerusalem Post

Green-Lined

Monday Nov 12, 2012

Goldberg searching for a cease-fire

Jeffrey Goldberg, at his Atlantic blog, has advice for Israel

There is no military solution to the Gaza conflict, at least not one that Israel could pursue…Israel has a right to defend itself, and life is an absolute misery for Israelis in rocket range. But before Israel invades, it might want to pause and ask itself if there is any other way possible to reach a ceasefire…I fear an invasion will only set back Israel's cause further, and diminish its standing, leading to a situation in which the world would condemn any and all attempts by Israel to defend itself. Why not work, for at least a few days, to convince the world to pay attention to Hamas's crimes? Why let Hamas define the narrative?

In addition, he is really upset at the use of the term re-format, as reported done by Avi Dichter.

Avi Dichter, Israel's internal security minister, said today that there is "no precedent in history destroying terror by airpower alone. Thus it is necessary to re-format Gaza altogether."

Re-format? I'm not sure what word was actually used in Hebrew, but in English this doesn't sound very encouraging. By re-format, does Dichter mean that the Israeli army should invade Gaza, overthrow Hamas, and take direct control of the Strip? Is that what re-formating means? And does that seem like a good idea? Or something actually achievable, without a horrendous cost?

First, the Hebrew is:

צריך לפרמט את עזה

Honest, I never read that before but, well, Hebrew can lend itself to linguistic fluidity or, being corrupted by Englishisms.

But to mull over Goldberg's thinking, let's do some of our own strategic thinking.

a) at what point does Israel invade? What is the trip-wire situation? After all, we all need to know how much Israel and Israelis need suffer until eventually Israel may be required to invade.

b) if there is to be no land operation, at present, is it moral to shoot from the sky? Will he provide immunity to Israel, or at least fight Israel's public diplomacy battle, just as America can get away with its drones and all?

c) since dozens of people, - let's be specific: civilians - are being traumatized and buildings are being destroyed, and all cease-fires are being broken and the power in charge, Hamas, is a terror organization itself, linked to a regional power itself ruled by an Islamic fundamentalist terror brotherhood, and isn't really doing much to maintain any semi-peaceful reality, what makes Goldberg such an un-humanist vis a vis Israelis?

d) and how can Goldberg assist Israel in achieving another (and another) cease-fire instead of advising us not to invade?

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