Of all the interesting things one can discuss on a trip to the manicurist (or so I am told), counter-terrorism strategy hardly seems a subject likely to come up in conversation. From juicy bits of gossip to the latest celebrity break-ups, the experience of caring for one?s nails seems to provide participants with the type of up-to-date intelligence information that the Mossad and others can only dream of. Yet, while on a trip abroad, my wife?s latest foray to get a manicure yielded not only some nicely painted nails, but also an instructive reminder of where Israel has gone terribly wrong in its response thus far to Palestinian terror.
When the manicurist, a non-Jew, learned that we reside in Israel, she could not help but express astonishment at the events occurring in the region. ?Why is your government letting the Arabs blow themselves up and kill people without fighting back??, she asked, as she carefully applied another layer of color to my wife?s outstretched fingers. ?I don?t understand why you don?t just go in there and take care of the problem,? she said.
My wife agreed, trying to explain, however, that the government fears how the world might react if Israel were to retaliate firmly. At that, the manicurist lifted her gaze up from my wife?s nails, clearly baffled by such reasoning, and offered a bit of advice that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his colleagues would do well to heed: ?Yeah,? she said, ?but they are killing you! What does it matter what people say?? And with a dismissive gesture of her hands, she swiftly moved on to another topic, one she found far more pressing and, perhaps, significant ? actor Tom Cruise?s divorce from Nicole Kidman.
Though this young nail care professional had neither military training nor diplomatic experience, there seemed to be far more wisdom in her words than could be found in any recent cabinet meetings of the Israeli government. With the fresh perspective of an outsider, one who is untainted by any particular sympathy for either side, she instinctively realized what many prominent Israelis have sadly forgotten: looking good is important, but it comes in a distant second to staying alive.
Believe it or not, there once was a time when this elementary philosophy guided Israel?s decision-makers. Responding to terrorism was viewed not as a public-relations problem for Israel, but as a national obligation, because a country, after all, must defend itself and its citizens. Indeed, it was best summed up by the late Prime Minister Golda Meir?s well-known admonition, ?Better a critical editorial than a praiseworthy obituary.?
But, as Israel?s rather limited response to the recent suicide bombings in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa demonstrates, this no longer seems to be the case. The government appears more concerned with what the French or the Americans might say than what the Palestinians will do. This is a dangerous development, because it distorts the calculus of counter-terrorism, diverting the government?s attention away from combating the underlying problem as it focuses instead on preserving its image.
Worse still, by failing to adequately respond to the latest Palestinian atrocities, Israel is sending a message to the terrorists that they can act with impunity, in effect setting the stage for future assaults.
Sending tanks into Jenin to destroy a Palestinian police station, as Israel did last week, underlines the reactive nature of the government?s approach to fighting terror. Rather than taking out the terrorists before they succeed in perpetrating attacks, Israel has largely given up the initiative, waiting until after the bombs go off before acting, and then, only in a limited, pinpoint fashion.
Essentially, what the government is doing is putting off until tomorrow what it can do today, all in the hopes that circumstances will enable Israel to demolish the terror without being seen as the ?bad guy?. Or, to put it even more cynically, it appears the government is waiting for an even more devastating terror attack to occur before it will finally act to quash Palestinian terrorism once and for all. The only problem with this approach, of course, is that while the government plays for time, the number of Jewish casualties continues to mount.
The fact is that for Israel to prevail, it will have no choice but to strike back firmly, immediately and overwhelmingly against terror. Or, as my wife?s manicurist might put it, to be as tough as nails. This may require paying a heavy public relations price in the short term, but when compared to the value of human life, it seems a small price to pay, indeed.
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The writer served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Prime Minister?s Office from 1996 to 1999.
When the manicurist, a non-Jew, learned that we reside in Israel, she could not help but express astonishment at the events occurring in the region. ?Why is your government letting the Arabs blow themselves up and kill people without fighting back??, she asked, as she carefully applied another layer of color to my wife?s outstretched fingers. ?I don?t understand why you don?t just go in there and take care of the problem,? she said.
My wife agreed, trying to explain, however, that the government fears how the world might react if Israel were to retaliate firmly. At that, the manicurist lifted her gaze up from my wife?s nails, clearly baffled by such reasoning, and offered a bit of advice that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his colleagues would do well to heed: ?Yeah,? she said, ?but they are killing you! What does it matter what people say?? And with a dismissive gesture of her hands, she swiftly moved on to another topic, one she found far more pressing and, perhaps, significant ? actor Tom Cruise?s divorce from Nicole Kidman.
Though this young nail care professional had neither military training nor diplomatic experience, there seemed to be far more wisdom in her words than could be found in any recent cabinet meetings of the Israeli government. With the fresh perspective of an outsider, one who is untainted by any particular sympathy for either side, she instinctively realized what many prominent Israelis have sadly forgotten: looking good is important, but it comes in a distant second to staying alive.
Believe it or not, there once was a time when this elementary philosophy guided Israel?s decision-makers. Responding to terrorism was viewed not as a public-relations problem for Israel, but as a national obligation, because a country, after all, must defend itself and its citizens. Indeed, it was best summed up by the late Prime Minister Golda Meir?s well-known admonition, ?Better a critical editorial than a praiseworthy obituary.?
But, as Israel?s rather limited response to the recent suicide bombings in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa demonstrates, this no longer seems to be the case. The government appears more concerned with what the French or the Americans might say than what the Palestinians will do. This is a dangerous development, because it distorts the calculus of counter-terrorism, diverting the government?s attention away from combating the underlying problem as it focuses instead on preserving its image.
Worse still, by failing to adequately respond to the latest Palestinian atrocities, Israel is sending a message to the terrorists that they can act with impunity, in effect setting the stage for future assaults.
Sending tanks into Jenin to destroy a Palestinian police station, as Israel did last week, underlines the reactive nature of the government?s approach to fighting terror. Rather than taking out the terrorists before they succeed in perpetrating attacks, Israel has largely given up the initiative, waiting until after the bombs go off before acting, and then, only in a limited, pinpoint fashion.
Essentially, what the government is doing is putting off until tomorrow what it can do today, all in the hopes that circumstances will enable Israel to demolish the terror without being seen as the ?bad guy?. Or, to put it even more cynically, it appears the government is waiting for an even more devastating terror attack to occur before it will finally act to quash Palestinian terrorism once and for all. The only problem with this approach, of course, is that while the government plays for time, the number of Jewish casualties continues to mount.
The fact is that for Israel to prevail, it will have no choice but to strike back firmly, immediately and overwhelmingly against terror. Or, as my wife?s manicurist might put it, to be as tough as nails. This may require paying a heavy public relations price in the short term, but when compared to the value of human life, it seems a small price to pay, indeed.
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The writer served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Prime Minister?s Office from 1996 to 1999.