After weeks of Hamas and Islamic Jihad rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians, the government arrived at its conclusion that there was no way to stop the terrorist attacks short of sending in ground forces and chose not to wait any longer. Reports in the media are saying that the foiled Hamas tunnel attack aiming to carry out a massacre at Gaza border kibbutz on Thursday morning tipped the scales in favor of a ground operation. Although the publicly announced goal is to destroy Hamas' dangerous network of tunnels in the Northern Gaza Strip, the IDF and intelligence branches, in fact, have many different operational objectives -- eradicating arms depots and launchers, arresting terrorist commanders, capturing Hamas political leaders and seizing the terrorist's economic assets -- they are hoping to accomplish.
Moving forward cautiously, it will likely take the IDF many days to carry out these crucial missions.
Within minutes of the IDF's entrance into the terrorist enclave several of the world leaders who remained largely silent during the weeks Israelis were being sent daily into bomb shelters, suddenly sprang back to life and now felt the need to focus their attention and comments on the Gaza conflict. The UN immediately demanded Israel enter into another unilateral ceasefire with the terrorists. EU leaders bizarrely condemned the IDF entry into Gaza as "collective punishment". The US State Department called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to restrict military operations to the Hamas tunnels. Most annoying of all was the statement by France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who swiftly announced that: "France is extremely concerned by the Israeli decision to launch a ground offensive in Gaza. It calls on Israel to show the utmost restraint." France which cannot even secure the Jewish community of Paris' safety and which allows Islamic radicals to siege synagogues, is worried about the Palestinians and wants the IDF to show restraint.
All of these condemnations and demands for restraint by world bodies and allies within the first hours of the operation are truly troubling.
Many Israelis opposed the IDF's decision to send foot soldiers in Gaza for ethical reasons. Why, we insisted, did IDF soldiers like Eitan Barak have to be killed when the Israeli air force could have done the job from the skies? Why was such dramatic concern over safeguarding the lives of Gaza's civilians given special priority and importance over the lives of Israeli civilians and soldiers? Why endanger infantry troops and the residents of Israeli cities when there are less dangerous alternatives available?
The commencement of the ground operation last evening has made these questions largely academic now. The main concern is that once the IDF has entered Gaza that it now be allowed to carry out all its tasks and deliver to Hamas and Islamic Jihad the destructive punishment they justly deserve. Israel must be allowed to dismantle as much of the terrorist infrastructure as we can. Now that we are in Gaza we must accomplish everything we have been waiting years to carry out. We are paying the price already with the blood of our young people.
We are, however, very fearful that as the condemnations of the IDF operation in Gaza continue to escalate and the global media begins to accuse Israel of war crimes again, that our political leaders will give in to the intense international pressure for a ceasefire with the terrorists. This cannot be allowed! The main thing that needs to be done and which Israel's supporters around the world need to ensure is that the IDF be permitted to finish its work in Gaza. The IDF and intelligence branches need to be allowed the time to get the Gaza job done.
Shabbat Shalom,
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
