There is an expression attributed to Saul Alinsky, the author of ‘Rules for Radicals’, that ‘the real action is the enemy’s reaction.’ As we witness, in horror, the sickening barbarity of what occurred in Israel a few days ago and the corresponding barbarity of what has only just begun in the Gaza, we would be wise to ponder that short sentence.
The objective of Hamas was obviously not to simply avenge the Palestinians by brutally murdering hundreds of innocent Israeli’s along the border, neat and simple though such an explanation may be. Rather, the objective (the action) was to commit acts so horrific as to trigger a massive Israeli response. Any cursory observer of the situation in Israel/Palestine knows what comes next. Israel will go into Gaza with little, if any, regard for the innocent civilians there, many of whom are children, and extract a sickening and brutal retribution. They will show no Mercy. Schools, churches, mosques and hospitals will all be considered ‘legitimate’ military targets. In response to the unforgivable massacre of their civilians, their own war crimes will mount, the western media will work hard to hide or justify each new atrocity, and countless innocent civilians will lose their lives, limbs and loved ones in the carnage that ensues. If previous attacks in Gaza are any guide, 10 to 20 Palestinians will lose their lives for every Israeli loss. I fear that the ratio may be far worse this time.
All…. Completely….. Predictable.
So I say again, ‘the real action, or rather objective, is the enemy’s reaction’.
So why would Hamas do this when they knew the hell that would inevitably rain down upon them in the weeks that follow? Who ultimately benefits from such bloodshed and gut-wrenching barbarity. Is the objective to provoke such a brutal reaction from Israel that neighbouring countries will be drawn in, creating a wider war? Is Iran pulling the strings behind the scenes with a similar objective? Or perhaps the objective is to justify the long promised war on Iran, with its vast oil and gas reserves long coveted by Western interests? Conversely, what about other ascendant global powers who may wish to see the US tied up in conflicts on one or even two fronts? These are all perfectly legitimate questions to ask, but there are other questions that require answers too. How is it possible that the most heavily surveilled and guarded border in the world could have been breached at over 15 locations by thousands of well armed men? What about spies and informants within Gaza or the hi-tech surveillance equipment trained on the area? And when the border was breached, where was the immediate and decisive security response? It seems inconceivable to me and many others, including ex-IDF members and intelligence personnel, that the security services could have been taken by surprise in the way that has been reported. To add to this, the Egyptian government is now saying they had been warning the Israeli government that ‘something big’ was coming but, as appears evident now, no measures were taken. The idea that this was an ‘intelligence failure’ (now where have I heard that before) is highly improbable to say the very least. To add a personal anecdote to this picture, an Israeli friend of mine, who now lives overseas, returned from a visit to Israel about 6 weeks ago and said to me, over a convivial beer, that “Israel is on the brink of civil war”. That is a direct quote! Yet a few weeks later the nation is once again united and in lockstep behind Netanyahu. Something here is very, very fishy. Now if the idea that political leaders would sacrifice their own people to further broader objectives seems crazy to you I would humbly suggest that you study a little more history. The psychopaths who rise to power around the world, today and throughout history, think nothing of such heinous deeds. That much really should be self evident. Today, Israel stands poised to launch a brutal war against the Palestinians in an event that the Israelis themselves say will be remembered for generations.