"Israel has a right to defend itself, but it’s hard to see how Wednesday’s operation could be the most effective way of advancing its long-term interests. It has provoked new waves of condemnation against Israel in Arab countries, including Egypt, whose cooperation is needed to enforce the 1979 peace treaty and support stability in Sinai."
"Hard to see" how Wednesday’s operation advanced Israel's long-term interests? The members of the editorial board of the Times, writing from their Manhattan aeries, truly are myopic naifs, incapable of comprehending the existential threat facing Israel.
Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense caught Hamas with its pants down and achieved both tactical surpise and strategic success.
Over the past month, more than a hundred rockets and missiles were fired from Gaza into towns and cities in southern Israel (more than 800 rockets and missiles have been fired at Israel in 2012). In addition, an anti-tank missile was fired across the border at an Israeli jeep, injuring four soldiers, and prior to that, an explosion along the border fence had cost an Israeli officer his hand.
At first, Israel's response appeared along the lines of "more of the same": less than punishing air operations against suspected Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets, which ended when Egyptian President Morsi appeared to have brought about a tacit ceasefire. Satisfied that it had achieved its goal of ongoing provocation without sustaining meaningful retaliation, Hamas dropped its guard. And then . . .
Yesterday, Israel began Operation Pillar of Defense by killing Achmad Jabari from the air. Jabari was the functional head of Hamas's military wing and had been responsible for the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit.
Next, Israel destroyed Hamas's hidden arsenal of Fajr missiles from Iran, never used, but capable of hitting Tel Aviv. The elimination of this threat was a major Israeli intelligence coup, even more so than the assassination of Jabari.
Overnight, the Israeli air force and navy continued to strike missile arsenals, and a vastly improved Israeli Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted some 80 rockets and missiles fired at Ashdod, Beersheva and other Israeli cities.
In terms of strategic success, which has gone unnoticed by the press, Israel has been facing a three-front war involving the threat of missiles from Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Had hostilities begun involving Hezbollah in Lebanon and/or Iran, Hamas would have let fly its Fajrs at Tel Aviv. However, as of last night, given the difficulty posed to Hamas of replenishing this "treasured" arsenal, Israel has neutralized, at least for the medium-term, this headache.
