We were taken by the mocking spin in the New York Times news report on Israel’s plan to significantly escalate its military campaign against Hamas and call up tens of thousands of reservists to do so.
Once again, the Times seems intent on spreading the word that Israel is unable to eliminate Hamas as a political or military force in Gaza and the Middle East as it had vowed to do, and is wearying of the war. And so, maybe, Israel should just accept defeat and make a deal with the barbaric terrorist organization and perhaps other enemies as well?
Thus the headline was “Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Plan To Escalate Gaza Campaign” and the sub-headline was, “It Is Not Clear How Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Strategy Of Adding Tens Of Thousands Of Soldiers Will Fundamentally Alter A Dynamic Seen Over Months Of Conflict.”
Except that now is precisely the time for Israel to assert itself — and yes, throw its weight around – as the fallout from its stunning military successes are becoming more and more evident. To not take full advantage of its successes would be to waste perhaps one of the rarest of opportunities and worse, signal that Israel has little stomach for the long-game.
And it’s not just Iran’s withdrawing into itself after the humiliating neutering of its military by Israel, spiking internal sabotage and increasingly desperate sanction-ravaged economy.
Iran of course, remains a major factor in the Gulf and its labyrinthian politics continue to loom large in the region, even if somewhat diminished. But there have also been other important developments rooted in Israel’s significant rearrangement of the military facts on the ground in the Middle East.
The Yemen government has reportedly warned the Houthis about not launching operations against Israel from Yemen and civilians have taken to the streets to protest the Houthi attack on Ben Gurion Airport which has already resulted in severe Israeli retaliation against Yemen. Lebanon has also reportedly cautioned Hamas and Hezbollah about not launching attacks on Israel from Lebanese soil.
Apparently, the image of devastated Gaza is carrying great weight in that part of the world and is becoming more indelible by the day.
While these reports are not carved in stone, they do suggest that we may well be on the cusp of a new Middle East. Ironically, one wrought by Israeli transformative successes on the battlefield. Hopefully this will carry over to such political initiatives as the Abraham Accords.
