Defeat of Hamas would be no victory
Daniel BARENBOIM
If Hamas is destroyed, a more radical group will replace it. Israel’s
security depends on wiser action. I have just three wishes for the
coming year. The first is for the Israeli government to realise once and
for all that the Middle East conflict cannot be solved by military
means. The second is for Hamas to realise that its interests are not
served by violence, and Israel is here to stay. And the third is for the
world to acknowledge that this conflict is unlike any other in history.
Kashmiri Muslim students hold placards during a silent protest
against Israeli attack on Gaza, in Srinagar, India, yesterday.
AP |
It is uniquely intricate and sensitive - a conflict between two
peoples who are both deeply convinced of their right to live on the same
very small piece of land. This is why neither diplomacy nor military
action can resolve this conflict. The developments of the last few days
are extremely worrisome to me for reasons of humane and political
nature. While it is self-evident that Israel has the right to defend
itself, that it cannot and should not tolerate missile attacks on its
citizens, its army’s relentless and brutal bombardment of Gaza has
raised a few important questions in my mind.
The first question is if Israel’s government has the right to make
all Palestinians culpable for the actions of Hamas. Is the entire
population of Gaza to be held responsible for the sins of a terrorist
organisation? We, the Jewish people, should know and feel even more
acutely than other populations that the murder of innocent civilians is
inhumane and unacceptable. The Israeli military has very weakly argued
that the Gaza Strip is so overpopulated it is impossible to avoid
civilian deaths during operations.
The feebleness of this argument leads to my next questions: if
civilian deaths are unavoidable, what is the purpose of the bombardment?
What, if any, is the logic behind the violence, and what does Israel
hope to achieve through it? If the aim is to destroy Hamas then the most
important question to ask is whether this is attainable. If not, then
the whole attack is not only cruel, barbaric and reprehensible, it is
senseless.
If, on the other hand, it really is possible to destroy Hamas through
military operations, how does Israel envisage the reaction in Gaza once
this has been accomplished? One and a half million Gaza residents will
not suddenly go down on their knees in reverence for the power of the
Israeli army. We must not forget that before Hamas was elected by the
Palestinians, it was encouraged by Israel as a tactic to weaken Yasser
Arafat. Israel’s recent history leads me to believe that if Hamas is
bombed out of existence, another group will most certainly take its
place, a group that would be more radical, more violent, and more full
of hatred towards Israel.
Israel cannot afford a military defeat for fear of disappearing from
the map, yet history has proved that every military victory has left
Israel in a weaker political position because of the emergence of
radical groups. I do not underestimate the difficulty of the decisions
the Israeli government must make every day, nor do I underestimate the
importance of Israel’s security. Nevertheless, I stand behind my
conviction that the only truly viable plan for long-term security is to
gain the acceptance of all our neighbours. I wish for a return in the
year 2009 of the famous intelligence always ascribed to the Jews. I wish
for a return of King Solomon’s wisdom to Israel’s decision-makers that
they might use it to understand that Palestinians and Israelis have
equal human rights.
Palestinian violence torments Israelis and does not serve the
Palestinian cause; Israeli retaliation is inhuman, immoral, and does not
guarantee security. The destinies of the two peoples are inextricably
linked, obliging them to live side by side. They have to decide if they
want to make of this a blessing or a curse.
Courtesy: The Hindu |