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Ralph Peters is a regular columnist with the New
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| PETERS |
Israel
Gets Serious
by Ralph
Peters [author,
novelist] 8/4/06 |
Thank
God. Israel's fighting. Really fighting.
At last. Now the crucial thing is not to stop. Hezbollah
must be left in desolation, its terrorists slain and its
dreams of glory smashed.
Even
the finest, most-determined military efforts won't eliminate
Hezbollah entirely. But uncompromising ferocity on the part
of the Israeli Defense Forces can weaken, humble and humiliate
the terrorist leadership.
That's
what it's going to take.
Now
that the IDF's punching into Lebanon and raiding deep to
strike terrorist headquarters, the great danger is that Israel's
civilian leaders will lose their nerve and agree to a premature
cease-fire (they claim they won't, but politicians are politicians).
Contributors
Ralph Peters - Contributor
Ralph
Peters is a retired Army officer and the author of 19 books,
as well as of hundreds of essays and articles, written both
under his own name and as Owen Parry. He is a frequent columnist
for the New York Post and other publications. [go to Peters Index] |
Any
cease-fire or bogus "cessation of hostilities" would only
reward Hezbollah, leaving it the perceived victor. Israel must make
all it can of this opportunity to devastate Hezbollah - and
to teach Syria and Iran that they won't rule the Middle East
with terror.
The
introduction of ground forces in increasing strength will
create new opportunities. Despite weeks of airstrikes, Hezbollah
retained the initiative, waging an artful propaganda war
while raining rockets on Israel. Now Hezbollah's been pushed
onto the defensive where it matters - in its terror-fortress
of villages, bunkers and hills in southern Lebanon.
Now
the pressure's swelling on Hezbollah as IDF tanks and infantrymen
root out its fighters and kill them. Now it's Hezbollah's
turn to make mistakes. And the terrorists will make them.
Guaranteed.
Yesterday,
Hezbollah fired more than 200 rockets into Israel - the greatest
one-day tally yet. One even reached the West Bank. On the
surface, the volleys appeared to be another display of Hezbollah's
resilience, mocking Israeli claims that much of its arsenal
had been destroyed. But yesterday's barrage may have signaled
something else - a hasty effort to "prove" that the IDF's
ground offensive is having no effect.
To
maintain its jumped-up credit rating in the Middle East,
Hezbollah has to be perceived as unvanquished. To that end,
the terrorists will struggle to keep dumping rockets on Israel.
That
means they'll have to take ever-greater risks as the IDF
advances. That means presenting more targets. In war, the
side under the greatest pressure generally makes the most
mistakes. And mistakes are deadly.
The
paradox of this kind of war is that, while air power alone
is not only ineffective, but often counter-productive (as
at Qana), once ground troops enter the fight, they force
the enemy to come out of hiding. That's when air power
comes into its own, popping the rabbits flushed out by the
grunts.
It's
great to see the IDF looking like its old self again - a
determined fighting machine.
But
Israel must be uncompromising for its sacrifices to date
to have enduring worth. You can't defeat terror with hugs
and kisses. Hezbollah sets up women and children as sacrificial
targets (and not only at Qana). The terrorists use ambulances
to restock their weapons or smuggle their leaders to safety.
They claimed a rear-area headquarters was a "hospital," yet
an Israeli commando raid on Baalbeck killed 10 terrorists
at the scene and captured five terrorist leaders in the building
(they couldn't seem to find the charity ward).
Meanwhile,
the gullible (when not pro-terrorist) media refuse to investigate
Hezbollah-staged "Israeli atrocities."
Hezbollah's
broken virtually every provision of the Geneva Convention.
Even if the Baalbeck raid's target had been a working
hospital, the laws of war state firmly that, if used for
military purposes, the facility's immunity is canceled. In
other words, Israel was right either way. And Hezbollah's
in the wrong in every way.
Meanwhile,
dangers loom on the diplomatic front. Our secretary of state
performed splendidly in the first weeks of the war, defending
Israel as the victim of terror. But Condoleezza Rice's brutal
schedule is wearing her down: Her recent statement that a
cease-fire could come in a matter of days was a gift to our
mutual enemies.
We
wouldn't want Israel - or anybody - shoving a timetable for
Iraq down our throats. All timetables and deadlines only
encourage our enemies to resist, to hang on, to hope. Statements
conflicted within the Israeli government, too, with some
voices guessing the war will last another week or two, while
others speak of months.
My
best advice to Israel: Everybody just shut up. Fight. Win
the damned war. Then talk.
Israel's
public pronouncements over the past three weeks have done
the country nothing but harm, playing into Hezbollah's hands. Don't claim
you've knocked out 40 percent of the enemy's capabilities
when you don't have a clue. And don't brag that you'll "eliminate" Hezbollah.
You won't (although you can cripple the organization,
and that objective is well worthwhile).
And
don't belittle the enemy's capabilities - whenever you do,
you set yourself up for a fall. Respect the enemy.
And kill him every time you have the chance.
Don't
let anyone, not even the United States, push you into accepting
arbitrary deadlines. You have nothing to lose by fighting
to win and everything to gain.
To
date, Hezbollah has been allowed to portray itself as the
only Arab force that fought the IDF to a standstill. That
image must be shattered. No matter what it costs. And Israel's
on course to do what must be done.
But
Israel's leaders must not waver. That goes for our leadership,
too.
Let
Syria rant. Let Iran threaten. Let Hezbollah rave. Israel
should speak with battlefield results. As the IDF has now
begun to do. CRO
Ralph Peters'
latest book is Never
Quit The Fight.
This
piece first appeared in the New York Post
copyright 2006 - NY Post
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