Well, it looks like the gloves have come off in Israel's fight against Hamas and the other terrorists seeking to wipe it off the map - or have they? Even as barrage after barrage of rockets rain down on Israel's citizens, the Israeli government has so far decided not to use overwhelming force against the enemy. I believe that this has to change and change quickly. Israel must do whatever is necessary to eliminate each and every terrorist from its midst.
Not One Terrorist, Hamas or Otherwise, Should Remain
The mandate of the Israeli Defense Forces should consist of one goal and one goal only: eliminate all vestiges of terrorism from the Holy Land. This means that every member of Hamas or any other terrorist organization should be jailed, deported or dead. No exceptions. We must also treat all terrorists equally, whether they be Jewish or Arab. So, for example, if the suspects arrested in the murder of Palestinian teenager, Mohammad Abu Khdeir, are guilty, they should all be punished the same way that the suspects accused of murdering three Israeli teenagers last month should be. There is no difference between an Arab terrorist and a Jewish terrorist. A terrorist is a terrorist, is a terrorist. Even terrorists who have already been punished and released should not necessarily be exempt. In fact, I think it would be quite appropriate for Israel to deport convicted terrorists currently living in Judea and Samaria to Jordan. After all, the Hashemite kingdom did grant all the Palestinians living in the West Bank Jordanian citizenship, which ultimately makes the Palestinian residents of the territory their problem. I'm certainly not saying that Israel should deport the entire Palestinian population of the West Bank; just those who have committed violent terrorist acts against the State of Israel and have the blood of Israelis on their hands. And just to be fair, I would also advocate deporting Jewish terrorists if they are citizens of a country other than Israel.
International Public Opinion is Irrelevant
By now, we're all hearing pleas from world leaders, like U.S. President Barack Obama, to show restraint. The latter-day Neville Chamberlain just doesn't get it. When did the U.S. ever show restraint when protecting the lives of its own citizens? I think we all no the answer to that. Israel cannot be swayed by international public opinion as it deals with threats to its citizens and its very existence as a state. The truth is that the international community will condemn Israel no matter what it does, so Israel might as well do what needs to be done against the terrorists and get it over with.
The World Likes Winners
My father has repeatedly told me about one of the lessons that Israel learned from the 1967 war. He said, "the world likes winners." And it's true. In 1967, Israel not only decimated the armies of its Arab enemies, who sought to wipe the country off the map, but also seized large chunks of enemy territory with barely a hint of condemnation from the international community. Why? Because Israel had shown its enemies and the rest of the international community its strength and determination to crush those that would endanger its security. Israel must duplicate the extent of its victory in the 1967 war today, because by doing so, it will once again demonstrate that there is a heavy price for endangering the safety of Israelis and their state - a price that in the case of the Palestinians, should include the end of their ambitions to create a Palestinian state that would include Judea and Samaria, leaving Israel more vulnerable to attack and depriving its people from their historical heritage.
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