On strategic defeats –Aluf Benn in Haaretz:
‘There are two basic ways of politically managing a war. The first is the traditional and classic: Defining and delineating clear and consonant political goals that are aligned with military means, force employment and resource allocation. This applies to both a defensive or offensive wars wherein the tactical and operational plans and maneuvers are derived from the political-strategic ends.
The second is the reactive, ad-lib, improvise-as-we-go approach. This means adjusting short and long term objectives to military and diplomatic developments as they unfold without stating a clear, coherent and discernible goal. Israel chose neither.
At this point in time, over five months into the war, Benjamin Netanyahu is clueless in terms of the war's attainable objectives but resolute and consistent about one thing: saying no to everything, marinating himself in righteous indignation, accusing everyone, from President Biden, to the IDF and a hostile world of failing him when in effect, he failed himself miserably.’
(…)
‘The Israeli approach has its antecedents. "Temporary Protractedness" is a term given to Israel's policy in the West Bank and Gaza since the Six-Day War. A "let's see what happens and not be hasty" attitude that made sense in 1967. While the use of the term applied at the beginning to a stated policy of holding on to the territories as collateral for a future peace deal, it later evolved into the simple absence of a policy.
The Israeli approach has its antecedents. "Temporary Protractedness" is a term given to Israel's policy in the West Bank and Gaza since the Six-Day War. A "let's see what happens and not be hasty" attitude that made sense in 1967. While the use of the term applied at the beginning to a stated policy of holding on to the territories as collateral for a future peace deal, it later evolved into the simple absence of a policy.’
(…)
‘If the war is prolonged without a decisive result, it is a strategic defeat.
If the terrorist organization Hamas retains residual political power in Gaza, that is a strategic defeat.
If Israel stays in Gaza, effectively controlling parts of it indefinitely, that is a strategic defeat.
If Israel refuses to allow a postwar governing force in Gaza, composed of an international force, Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority, and owns governance in Gaza, that is a strategic defeat.
If Israel continues to callously and recklessly reject President Biden's plan and ignores the promise it has for regional cooperation and normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, that is a strategic defeat.’
Read the article here.
If ‘temporary protractedness’ started after 1967 then the problem of strategic defeat won’t be solved when Bibi finally disappears from the political stage.
Fair enough, before October 7, 2023, many could believe that the status quo was sustainable.
After all those who declared that the status quo was unsustainable turned out to be wrong. At least that’s how it seemed. Till recent.
The alternative for strategic defeat is also not clear. An attempt at a two-state solution? How to not repeat the mistakes made in the 90s?
And the peaceniks are an even tinier minority than back then.
Political Messianism means also: we have to survive as a pariah state. A reckless strategy, but all strategies appear to be somehow reckless nowadays.