Isaac Kohn
Isaac Kohn is SVP of HealthPoint Acquisitions.17:28 Mar 06, '06 / 6 Adar 5766
Following a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee session, member MK Uzi Landau summed up: "Israel has no foreign policy regarding Hamas." MK Aryeh Eldad agreed. Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni told the committee that that "?we must prevent the development of a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian Authority?"
First of all, I'd like this disclaimer to be known: I'm not a politician and definitely I am not privy to the political maneuvering in Israel, the US and the rest of the world. Second of all, who am I, a nobody, to give advice or to state an opinion? Correct. However, since my hard-earned tax dollars are going to Israel on a yearly basis, I believe I bought some right to speak out. Not that it will make any difference or change the current political process in Israel; however, there are times when the 'illiterate' amongst the rest of the population see things from the outside quite differently than those on the inside. In other words, the blind and ignorant sometimes see quite clearer than those claiming clarity of thought and decision.
To put it bluntly, I disagree with MK Uzi Landau's assessment. I respect the man tremendously. I believe that as far as politicians go, he is one of the very few who are not tainted by corruption. But let me not get ahead of myself, lest I lose the point of this whole article.
As I said, I disagree with this fine politician. I believe the Israeli government has a definite and precise foreign policy regarding Hamas. I believe that the current seat-warmer, Ehud Olmert, and his bunch of power-grabbing, unelected political hacks have an exact strategy and plan of action. In fact, that strong policy is already being implemented. (What's wrong with Mr. Landau? Is he blind?) Let's see what I'm talking about.
Well, Olmert already declared that the Palestinian Authority will no longer get any money transfers. And the royal next-to-be-dictator stuck to that vow for a day or two. By delaying the transfer of $53 million, Olmert showed Israel's determination. Hamas, as I understand it, was hurt and humiliated by Olmert's Russian-roulette game of shooting oneself in the head. Hamas was furious and the two-day delay showed the world that Israel means business. One pawn down in Israel's favor.
Another slap in Hamas' face was Olmert's declaration that Israel will have to punish the Palestinians for their stupidity in electing a terror group to represent their will and ambitions. 'After the elections,' Olmert essentially said, 'Israel will proceed in expelling tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of Jews from the West Bank.' Dozens of Jewish communities will be summarily uprooted; businesses, farms, plants and other life-long endeavors will be destroyed and obliterated. Thousands upon thousands of Jews will be forced into tents, hotels, barracks, gyms and pool-halls, jammed into tiny rooms and trailers. Thousands of school buildings, conference halls, gardens, parks and other structures will be left behind.
Left behind? Oh, yes.
Did I forget to say that the entire territory will then be handed over to Hamas? Hundreds of synagogues, temples, yeshivas and mikvaos will be abandoned, intact, so that Hamas will be burdened with taking over structures and buildings they never asked for. Miles upon miles of electric wiring, pipes and irrigation systems will be foisted on the terrorists' shoulders whether they like it or not. And perhaps hundreds of Jewish deceased (many murdered by Hamas and their likes) will be disinterred in a mass re-digging of graves and the hundreds of gaping six-feet-deep graves will remain un-refilled as pock-mark obstacles.
Israel will not sit idly by and allow Hamas to continue its avowed reign of terror without response. Israel's unilateral disengagement / self-expulsion will shake the PA to its rotten core. Israel will teach Hamas a lesson they will never forget. 'You don't want to play the game by the rules? Then Olmert and his gang will make the rules for you.' So there!
Lacking a foreign policy regarding Hamas? Laughable. Hamas was punished before as Gaza was emptied of its Jews, and those severe consequences can easily be visited on them again. In fact, Olmert's gang is ready to cross the Atlantic on a marathon speaking circuit to convince the US to drop the Road Map (which demands some PA adherence to agreements) and adopt the already-tried and oh-so-successful policy of retribution exemplified by Sharon's brave and brilliant eradication of Gaza. So, a few dozen synagogues will be set on fire as they were in Gaza? So what. No reason to get excited over that. We Jews are used to it. Nothing major transpired as the Gaza synagogues went up in flames and a few dozen more in the West Bank will not shake Israel's resolve.
No sir, Mr. Landau. Every one of the terror organizations lined up against Israel will learn a lesson the hard way. No foreign policy? Really, now.
And if the next expulsion or the next or the ones to follow will not deter and stop the terror, Israel will continue its policy of response and retribution. Every empty building (if there are any still left) will be bombed. Israeli artillery will obliterate every deserted field of weeds it can find. If Hamas continues the killing and bombing and homicide-blood-letting, Israel will close off three crossings into Israel and they will remain closed for twenty-four hours. And if Hamas is still forging ahead in its determination to eradicate the Jewish State, then Israel will cut the Palestinian work force coming into Israel from ten-thousand to eight-and-a-half thousand only. Haven't learned yet? Israel will not allow the building of the Gaza port for at least another week.
There is a definite foreign policy to counter Hamas, Mr. Landau. As an intelligent man with long years of political experience, you ought to know better. But if you somehow misread the foreign policy map, I hope that the above clarifies your error.
Then again, perhaps you are right and there is really no set strategy to combat the threat of Hamas. But you do need to sympathize a bit, Mr. Landau. The current 'illegitimate occupier' of the seat he usurped and his cohorts are far too busy with other, more important matters. Namely, Mr. Landau, the new-fangled 'city of refuge' known as Kadima, is far too occupied with attempts to justify the fraud, bribery, dishonesty, sleaze, corruption, vote-buying-and-stealing, political appointments, back-stabbing, lying and duplicity each and every one of Kadima's members is saddled with. Give them a chance, Mr. Landau. Once the election is over, the Kadima-Olmert plan of "surrender-to-punish-Hamas" will move into high gear.
Patience, Mr. Landau, patience.