Friday, June 02, 2006 (Written Before the 2nd Lebanon War)

Enough with Retaliation

It happened without ado after September 11. Elected officials from opposite poles of the political spectrum were calling for Retaliation, and the more they chattered, the more irate I became. I found it hard to believe that mature and sophisticated people could opt for an emotionally satisfying act that under nearly all circumstances serves as grounds for a counter act that fuels a vicious revenge cycle.
Retaliation is analogous to inflicting a minor injury, a superficial gash, on an adversary, without causing a permanent disabling devastation that would put the bad guys out of business for good. As long as the enemy is able to stand up back on their feet and rebound, retaliation would only fire up their emotions, energize them, enhance their popularity among their peers, and transform their criminal acts to heroic martyrdom.
Now. Why did I bring this subject up? Why at this time? Is it because I am worried?
I have got the impression that the Israeli government has been, for some time, putting a policy of Retaliation into practice. The recent escalation on the Lebanese border and the Israeli response, although it received aggressive coverage in the media, still has not quite eliminated Hezbollah’s ability to rebuild and repeat their acts of violence. Evidently, their leaders are already talking revenge. Palestinian terrorist organizations continue to launch rockets and the Israeli government continues to retaliate. Hamas is claiming that their rocket technology has been improving, and they may be able to hit farther and more accurately. Is Israel going to wait for a terrorist big bang before eradicating this cancer, or treat it with aspirin to make the temporary pain go away?
It is evident that one day, one of those Qassam rockets would hit a sensitive target. This is only a matter of chance, and the odds against such an event are getting thinner. Time has come for abolishing Retaliation and trading it for Eradication. Israel must put a stop, once and for all, to the constant challenge that the Palestinian and the Lebanese terror organizations put through.
Settling on Eradication may yield a transitory resentment by those around the world who label themselves as ‘civilized’. They may complain that such actions are too harsh, that innocent lives get caught in the cross fire, and that this is not a measured response. But the outcome and its associated benefits would be more permanent, and would last long after the memory of the global fury has been faded away.
I do hope that the Israeli government does not wait for a disaster before ceasing the Retaliation policy and substituting it for a policy that affects Eradication. It must be a difficult decision for those who believe in measured responses. But if safety and security of Israeli citizens precedes the safety and security of its enemies, then the way for taking the vicious revenge cycle to an end is by opting for a policy that would make it happen.

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