Michael Kuttner updates
In a televised address to the nation this evening, the PM reiterated his determination to bring peace and quiet to Israeli citizens no matter what it takes to do so.
Michael Kuttner
He was followed by Defense Minister, Ya’alon, who repeated the same theme as did the IDF Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz.
Basically viewers learned nothing new. A meeting of the security cabinet is due to take place at 9pm Israel time after which there may be further developments. This meeting is bound to be somewhat tense as two Ministers who voted against the ceasefire, Avigdore Liberman and Naftali Bennett will no doubt say we told you so. On the other hand the PM claims that by calling Hamas’s bluff he has shown them to be bent on terror and this theoretically should gain us international sympathy and understanding.
Based on past experience this would seem to be wishful thinking. As I have pointed out on more than one occasion if we rely on international support we are doomed. The only sympathy which is usually forthcoming is when Jews are massacred and memorial meetings take place. Then the sympathy flows but when it comes to actually backing Israel in war on terror then the sympathy and support is hard to find. In fact all we usually get is advice to be proportionate and that means grin and bear it while the terror States attack us.
The Government is treading a fine line between courting international approval and taking steps to eliminate terror. The two are incompatible and at some stage shortly a decision will need to made as to what comes next. Stay tuned.
I think Netanyahu’s decision to agree to Egypt’s ceasefire suggestion was a good one. While Israel must always make the right decisions despite international opinion, it was noticeable to me that Hamas’ response in the negative and their impassioned assertions that they would never surrender, did make a difference in the media reportage, which prior had been more than biassed and unbalanced. It was only a few hours of ceasefire and it shifted the rhetoric, even if only temporarily. The Arabs have been so clever for so long in the way they’ve made their propaganda work. At every opportunity we must counter that.
Whilst it is dreadful and heart breaking to resort to aerial bombing to deter Hamas, it is still better than a land invasion.
Re the “world”, Israel has a duty to its citizens but also to to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible. We should also add the merciless actions of the Syrian Air Force on its innocent civilians–incl barrel bombing.