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Israel Is Preparing for Another Month of War

(UnHerd) Prof. Edward Luttwak - In past wars, Israeli offensives have been invariably swift, partly because UN ceasefires would be imposed as soon as they started winning. But in Gaza, that pace was the very first thing that the Israelis had to relinquish. The IDF has been forced to deal with tunnels, depending on Yahalom combat engineers, who have, in turn, relied on their ultra-low frequency radar sets to detect tunnels through sand and rock, and their specially trained dogs to guide them through the dark networks. It was always going to be impossible to find hostages or capture top Hamas leaders, since they were all taken into southern Gaza after the IDF's call for the northern sector to be evacuated. As a result, the war isn't even halfway done. Rockets are still being assembled and launched daily from the southern tunnels. Yet the prudent methods that have enabled Israel's sweep in the northern sector with a minimum of casualties come at a high political price: they prolong the war. At least this time, the U.S. does not have to contend with European allies who oppose U.S. support for Israel, as in previous wars. Every European government that matters supports Israel, as does the EU. However, while Israel is preparing for another month of war, Biden and his team would like an end to the fighting yesterday. At least Israel and the U.S. agree on the things that matter. The U.S. accepts that Hamas, with its oppressive dictatorship over Gaza and declared genocidal policy, cannot be a negotiating partner and must be destroyed like ISIS. The writer is a contractual strategic consultant for the U.S. government.
2023-11-22 00:00:00
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