Flawed Morality

From JPost, Jul. 4, 2006 by ISI LEIBLER ...

Israel's founding fathers ... would turn over in their graves.

.... Had we taken resolute action when the Kassams were first being fired into Israel instead of undermining our credibility by endlessly making empty threats, the terrorists would never have had the chutzpah to behave as they did.

Despite the dramatic erosion of security ... our leaders and have yet to bite the bullet....even now our leaders remain hesitant, make contradictory statements, squabble among themselves and clearly lack a strategic plan.

.... It reflects utter confusion and the application of false values which violate the primary obligation of a government to defend the lives of its citizens. It means we are adopting the flawed morality of the bleeding hearts who consider that the well-being of human shields deliberately positioned to defend those seeking to kill us warrants a higher priority than the life and limb of our own citizens.

THE REALITY is that Israel implements a more humane approach to warfare and the protection of non-combatants than any other democratic country. Our military cemeteries testify to the young Israelis who died because of our reluctance to maximize the firepower of the IDF out of concern for the well-being of innocent civilians.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stands at the crossroads. This is his moment of truth, his litmus test of his leadership. No one envies the difficult decisions that the burden of office imposes on him.

....The Palestinians must be made to realize that having now crossed all red lines, our patience has been exhausted and they will now be obliged to pay the consequences for their murderous acts. Olmert must tell the world that despite Israeli concern about possible civilian casualties, as of now all human shields and those in proximity to terrorists initiating attacks against us are at risk. The responsibility for casualties, even innocent bystanders, will rest entirely with the terrorists and the Palestinian leaders who enable them to carry out their barbaric acts. And if by doing this we will create a new wave of international anti-Israeli condemnation, so be it.

The time has come to soberly recognize that what is now at stake is the very future of the state. If the premier fails to demonstrate that we are resolved to utilize maximum deterrent power, our future prospects are grim. We will see more rockets transforming Sderot into a ghost town and other Israeli cities, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, will soon also be targeted. Kidnappings and murders openly sanctioned by the Hamas government will become the order of the day. Terrorists are already boasting that they will soon also be launching chemical and biological weapons against us.

Reluctance to take tough responses will strengthen Hamas and other radicals in their belief that if they maintain the course and continue the terror, their oft-stated intention to wear us down in stages by increasingly eroding the quality of our lives will ultimately succeed.

THE PRIME minister and his cabinet must stop making grandiose threats. Olmert should now regard Winston Churchill rather than Neville Chamberlain as a role model. If the terror onslaughts against our civilians continue, the policies of restraint and appeasement must be substituted by a clear instruction to the IDF to maximize targeted assassinations and ensure that the heads of the snake - the Hamas leaders who orchestrate the evil - are primary targets. When Moshe Ya'alon was IDF chief of General Staff, he initiated this process and very soon afterward, terrified Hamas leaders were begging for a truce.

...The message to the Palestinians is simple: All who orchestrate or partake in the killing of Israelis will ultimately themselves be killed....

The writer chairs the Diaspora-Israel Relations Committee of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and is a veteran international Jewish leader.ileibler@netvision.net.il