[LCM Articles] Israel Must Win (by Gilad Atzmon)

[Loai Naamani]

Israel Must Win

"You Cannot Promise Victory, Produce a Humiliating Defeat and Stay in Power"

By GILAD ATZMON 

"The ceasefire in Lebanon was holding by a thread last night after Israel
sanctioned a commando raid in the east of the country. Kofi Annan, the
United Nations Secretary General, said Israel had violated the truce, and he
was 'deeply concerned' about it." - The Guardian

08/22/06 -- For those familiar with Israeli aggression, the IDF violation
was no surprise at all. For a week or so, every Israeli cabinet member and
military official promised publicly that it is just a question of time
before there is a 'second round'. Indeed, they must come up with something.
Since the end of the hostilities, all Israeli political analysts and polls
suggest that Israel's political and military leadership failed completely.
If elections were to be held soon, both Labor and Kadima would simply
disappear. It is no secret that with each passing day, Olmert's and Peretz's
popularity continually slumps to new lows. Jerusalem Post. 

One may wonder whether the Israelis are changing their spots, do they stop
approving Olmert's policies just because peace is what they really prefer?
The influential political commentator Ari Shavit provided an answer two
weeks ago. Mr Olmert, so he says, had 'failed shamefully' and should resign.
Shavit continues, "You cannot lead an entire nation to war promising
victory, produce humiliating defeat and remain in power." As I mentioned
more than once before, the Israeli politician has to cope with a demanding,
bloodthirsty crowd. 

This realisation throws some light over the reasons behind the failed
Israeli operation in Lebanon just three days ago. Israelis are simply
desperate to win. But it may also explain why Israeli government decided to
expand its military operation pretty much at the same time it accepted the
UN ceasefire resolution <http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/> . Olmert
knew that he must serve his voters with what they interpret as a clear-cut
victory. This would mean either some severe form of revenge with lots of
Arab casualties or a significant land invasion. Olmert, his 'national unity'
government and the army leadership have to do something that would cover up
four weeks of disastrous military campaign that failed to serve the Israeli
public with even a single second of glory. 

Indeed, the IDF military offensive doctrine is grounded on one basic axiom
that was defined by David Ben Gurion in the early fifties: whatever it
takes, Israel must always win! This axiom is indeed very powerful, yet, in
reality, the Israeli army can't provide the goods anymore. In the last three
decades the Israeli army is constantly being beaten time after time by
enemies that are getting smaller and smaller. 

Yet, one may mention that the IDF isn't very original in being defeated. The
IDF fails exactly where the American army has been failing since Vietnam.
Shockingly, the IDF has managed to copy every possible American mistake. It
religiously adopted the new American military philosophy of a 'compact
highly sophisticated fighting force'. Undeniably, this very doctrine is very
effective in producing some gigantic collateral damage i.e., war crimes.
Yet, in the long run, it fails miserably in wining wars. The new American
military doctrine may win a battle or two but no more than that. In the most
recent years it has been totally beaten in Afghanistan, Iraq, Gaza and
obviously in Lebanon. 

Though the early stages of the Israeli campaign in Lebanon looked very much
like the first few days of the second Gulf War (major air assault on
civilian infrastructure and populated areas), there is at least one major
noticeable difference. While America can stand and even ignore international
criticism referring to its own war crimes, it isn't willing to suffer much
international criticism for Israeli atrocities. While in the early stages of
the war America was rushing to provide Israel with air convoys loaded with
its most lethal conventional arsenal, we have learned towards the last week
of the war that the American administration changed its mind, it suddenly
refused to provide the IDF with a shipment of cluster bombs because it
"would endanger the civilian population". Seemingly, there is a limit to
what the Americans are willing to do for their 'closest friend' in the
Middle East. 

This is exactly where the Israeli limbo is. In order to maintain its status
as a winning regional super power, Israel needs the blind support of America
(politically, financially and logistically). Yet American blind support can
be grunted to Israel only if the Jewish State is indeed a regional super
power to start with. Olmert and his government are fully aware of this very
complexity. They know that without being a regional super power in the first
place, they have nothing to offer their almighty American brothers. Israel
is crucial for the strategy of the Americans as long as it can wipe out all
its enemies in six days at the most. The way things appear now, the Israeli
Army is basically defeated by the two smallest nations in the Arab world,
the Palestinian and the Lebanese ones. 

As much as it clear to the Israelis, it is clear to the Americans that
unlike the bold Hezbollah, the IDF soldier has lost his will to fight. The
IDF is a spoiled, confused and tired army that is specializing solely in
terrorizing civilian populations while being engaged in constant tactical
withdraw. This Israeli Army is not trained to win wars anymore. Instead, its
tank battalions are mainly engaged in daily shelling of schools and
hospitals. Its Air Force uses the best American fighter planes to flatten
neighborhoods and shoot deadly rockets at cars in the streets of Gaza. Its
command units are expert in abducting democratically elected middle-aged
Palestinian politicians. The IDF is basically a heavy army specializing in
merciless regional bullying. Yet, it cannot win a war, and as such it has
nothing to offer the American empire. 

But the Israeli military defeat has some further implications. Israel
without a victorious army, has nothing to offer to world Jewry either. It
can never present itself as the ultimate cosmic Judeo bunker. It is pretty
shocking to prospect the relative silence of the infamous Zionist media
shield. While just six weeks ago the loud supporters of Anglo-American
interventionism were still pushing for democracy in the Arab world and
beyond, they were enthusiastic about killing in the name of human rights and
about Israel being the only democracy in the Middle East. Somehow, since the
war began, since Israel revealed once again its murderous tendencies and
Hezbollah proved to be the new Robin Hood, these voices are caving in. Many
among the global Zionists do already understand now that the Anglo-American
assault on the Arab world just suffered a major blow. Some of them probably
grasp that it is just a question of time before more and more Europeans and
Americans join the sacred battle against the Americanized Global Zionism,
i.e., neo-conservatism. 

The recent victory of the Hezbollah therefore must be realized as a major
event with some global implications. While the Hezbollah regards itself a
paramilitary organization concerned mainly with some local issues having to
do with Israeli expansionism, it has managed to cause a serious blow to
neo-conservatism as a political praxis as well as a philosophy. It has
beaten the Zionized Anglo-American worldview. Standing up to Zionism and
Americanism, it is the Lebanese, the Palestinians, the Iraqis, the Afghanis
and the Iranians who happen to be at the vanguard of the war for humanity
and humanism. For those who are yet to be convinced that this indeed the
case, I will mention that the fact that it is Iran who rushed to pay 3
billion dollars to rebuild Lebanon after the destruction made by 'American
interventionism' leaves no room for interpretation. While America spreads
destruction and death all over the world, it is Iran and the Hezbollah that
offers a new beginning. 

Olmert knows very well that if Israel doesn't win this war, it is global
Zionism that is defeated, he knows as well that without the backing of
global Zionism, Israel is basically a dead entity. Olmert knows that without
America, it won't take long before Israel turns into an historic event.
Israel will have to win its mighty regional power status whatever it takes.
Israeli is indeed in the very eye of the neo-conservative storm. And the
Hezbollah is threatening something far greater than just the Jewish State.
As the Israelis keep telling us, the fight in Lebanon will resume soon and
every European leader knows it. 

Even now, they all know who is going to be the aggressor when violence
spreads again in the region. They are all clever enough to hesitate about
whether they want to send their soldiers to the region. They know that if
Israel must win, it is better to stay out of its way. 


Gilad Atzmon was born in Israel and served in the Israeli military. He is
the author of two novels: A Guide to the Perplexed and the recently released
My One and Only Love. Atzmon is also one of the most accomplished jazz
saxophonists in Europe. His recent CD, Exile, was named the year's best jazz
CD by the BBC. He now lives in London and can be reached at:
atz at onetel.net.uk

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