"...The hawkish former Jerusalem Post editor Bret Stephens wrote this week in The Wall Street Journal, "So far, Israel has nothing to show for its efforts: no enemy territory gained, no enemy leaders killed, no abatement in the missile barrage that has sent a million Israelis from their homes and workplaces." At this rate, he concludes, "Israel is headed for the greatest military humiliation in its history."
Stephens and other enthusiasts of the war have a simple remedy for this looming failure: a ground invasion to wipe out Hezbollah, which Israel has finally begun. But this looks like another specimen of wishful thinking.
Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 18 years, and far from eradicating opposition, it managed the feat of spawning Hezbollah. The civilian casualties caused by Israeli bombs are likely to increase support for the group, just as its rockets have rallied Israelis behind their government. As we've found in Iraq, you can end up creating terrorists faster than you can kill them.
Another problem is that while Hezbollah has shown it can mount fierce resistance in battles, it doesn't have to. It can retreat or melt into the civilian population, then return to the suicide attacks and roadside bombs it used the last time. Israel may eventually face the same choice it did then: being bled dry by a phantom adversary, or giving up and going home....
chicagotribune.com |
