August 23, 2006
Israel's Strategy of
Provocation and War
Feroze H. Mithiborwala
For all those who are convinced of the
perennial threat to the existence of Israel, we must read the
interview of General Moshe Dayan, (the legendary Israeli General and
Defence Minister and the victor of the "Six Day War of 1967") which
he gave to Yediot Aharonot in 1976 and which was only published in
April 27, 1997.
On being asked to comment about Syria as
a threat to Israel in the 1967 War, this is what Moshe Dayan had to
say.
"This was bullshit, Syria was not a
threat to Israel before 1967. Just drop it. I know how at least 80
percent of all the incidents with Syria started. We were sending a
tractor to the demilitarized zone and we knew that the Syrians would
shoot. If they did not shoot, we would instruct the tractor to go
deeper, till the Syrians finally got upset and started shooting.
Then we employed artillery and later also the air force …. I did
that ….and Yitzhak Rabin did that, when he was there."
According to Dayan the
Israeli provocation for the war with Syria was greediness for the
land. "to grab a piece of land and keep it until the enemy gets
tired and gives it to us".
Also consider the following strategy
statement by former PM Ehud Barak as reported by Amir Oren in the
Haa'retz, January 8, 1999.
"At the moment," Barak admitted, "there
is no consensus for an operation against the Syrians except where
the terrorists are concerned – (an issue) which under certain
circumstances, such as a multi-casualty terrorist strike, or a
Katyusha rocket on the Galilee, might lead to consensus….."
With this in mind he recommended that
"the necessary infrastructure and plans be prepared for a swift
operation, 1967 style against Syria, (an operation) that will
develop through a rapid chain of events – a terrorist strike, a
strike on terrorists …….it might be possible in indirect ways to
influence the forming of a chain of events leading to an
anti-terrorist strike."
All we need to do is substitute Syria in
the present context by Lebanon to understand the Israeli strategy of
provoking war, which brings us to the current Lebanon - Israel
conflict.
Israel and the US as well as the
overwhelming section of the Western dominated media are projecting
this conflict as a war that was provoked by the Hezbollah. They keep
on reiterating the myth of the "kidnapping" of the Israeli soldiers
from Israeli territory.
Now lets go to the facts that have also
been reported in the independent media. Firstly the soldiers were
not kidnapped but were "captured" as all soldiers the world over
are. Secondly the Israeli soldiers were captured in an intrusion
across the "Blue Line" in Lebanese territory as was reported by
Forbes ( 12.07.06) who were informed by Israeli officials that
"Hezbollah captured two soldiers during clashes, Wednesday, across
the border in southern Lebanon, prompting a swift reaction by
Israel." This fact has also been further confirmed and vindicated by
reports from the London based Independent and Guardian (July 20,
2006).
The tension in the region was definitely
being built up over the course of the period that led to the
conflagration. Lets us consider a short factual chronology of the
events as they unfolded on the Israel-Palestine-Lebanon occupied
territories and borders.
1) Since
the year 2000, when Israel withdrew from Lebanon but continued to
occupy the Shebaa farms, the UN observers have recorded more that
2400 violations by Israel of Lebanese land, sea and airspace.
2) May
2006 : The Mossad assassinated two Palestinian freedom fighters in
an operation in the Lebanese city of Saida. Israel also kidnapped a
fisherman, Ahmad Karrami from Lebanese territorial waters. Later on
they also aerially bombed Hezbollah strongholds which led to border
clashes.
3) Apart
from the ongoing repression of the Palestinians in the Occupied
Territories consider the following incidents:
a)
June 9, 2006: Israeli missile attack on a Gazan family on the beach
kills 7.
b)
June 13, 2006: An IDF missile attack in Gaza kills 9 Palestinians.
c)
June 24, 2006: Israel kidnaps a Palestinian doctor and his brother
from Gaza.
d)
June 25, 2006: Hamas captures an Israeli soldier after an Israeli
incursion into the "Green Line" in
Gaza.
e)
Israel starts aerially bombarding Gaza to which Hamas responds with
Katyusha rockets.
f)
Hamas demands exchange of prisoners as has been the established
precedent of the past. More than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners,
including a 1000 women and children continue to languish in Israeli
jails.
g)
Israel further worsens the situation by kidnapping the Members of
Parliament of Hamas while continuing to bomb civilian areas with
impunity.
4)
July 11, 2006: In an Israeli operation in Lebanese territory, they
clash with the Hezbollah in which two Israeli soldiers are captured.
Similarly, the Hezbollah bargains for the release of Lebanese
prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel responds with aerial attacks on
South Lebanon, Hezbollah responds with rocket attacks on Northern
Israel which finally led to the Israeli invasion.
It is quiet clear to most
observers and analysts of this region, that this aggression by
Israel was a pre-planned war. Mid-way through the course of the war
reports began to appear in the media regarding the Israel's agenda
for war and its planning and consent of the US and UK. Seymour Hersh
in the New Yorker ( 14.08.06) reported that Israeli officials
visited the White House earlier this summer to get a "green light"
for the attack on Lebanon. The Bush administration approved the
attack to remove the Hezbollah as a deterrent to a potential US
bombing of Iran. Even F.A.I.R. – Fairness & Accuracy In Media
concluded that the Israeli action "was not a spontaneous reaction to
aggression but a well planned operation that was years in the
making".
PM Ehud Olmert recently made
a statement saying that Israel would eventually declare its borders
by 2010. Whilst Bush speaks of his "vision for a New Middle East"
and after the massacres of Lebanese civilians, Rice announces that
these are the "birth pangs of democracy". Of course the Lebanese
government told Rice that they did not need a "mid-wife from hell".
So what are the Israeli-US
strategies to impose their agenda for the imperial hegemony of the
Middle East and West Asia.
My analysis is the following:
While they create an
atmosphere of rising tension that gradually moves into the phase of
border clashes then:
1)
Launch a full scale War on Lebanon to occupy and annexe the
territory in south Lebanon till the Litani river. This has been the
dream of Ben Gurion. In order to ensure the process of total ethnic
cleansing, heavy bombing and destruction of civilian infrastructure
is imperative.
The main objective would be
to defeat and neutralize the Hezbollah and install a pliant and
pro-US/Israeli regime in Beirut.
2)
Within the Palestinian territories the repression and massacres
would continue.
3) Then
under the pretext of the Nuclear issue they would attack Iran and
launch a massive aerial bombardment. At the end of which they plan
to install a new "moderate" regime in Tehran.
4)
During the course of this war campaign they would annexe Golan
Heights from Syria and if Syria were to challenge, they would be
similarly dealt with.
5)
During the course of this Regional War they will find the
convenient pretext of cracking down upon the Palestinian population
and will launch a major war of ethnic cleansing of all Palestinians
from the West Bank and Gaza and also possibly from within Israel
itself and push them into Jordan. This is basically the Zionist
vision (both within the political and military leadership and in any
case they have always morphed) for the solution of the Palestinian
problem and a New Middle East.
The above was the real game
plan behind the war on Lebanon and it is safe to say that they have
failed and miserably at that. The Military and Political
invincibility of Israel has been utterly exposed.
The political strategy of the
Israeli-US combine was founded on a very simple belief – every time
Israel went to War, Israel had to Win. Now the odds against this
strategy have definitely mounted.
This very fact
gives the opening for the moderate camp within Israel, both within
the political and military leadership as well as the civil society
to come forward and stake their claim to a just and peaceful
solution for the people of Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and Syria.
The relevant UN resolutions and International Laws as well as a
framework and consensus to implement the same exists amongst the
people, all it now needs is political vision.
I will sign off
with a statement from Major General (retd) Shlomo Gazit who was the
Head of Research at the directorate of Military Intelligence. In
discussion with Alan Hart who is the author of a brilliant book
"Zionism the Real Enemy of the Jews", one morning over a cup of
coffee he said to Shlomo Gazit: "I've come to the conclusion that
its all a myth. Israel's existence has never ever been in danger".
Through a sad
smile Gazit replied, "The trouble with us Israeli's is that we've
become victims of our own propaganda".
