From the desk of
Reuven Kaminer
November 26, 2012
Preparing the Region for War Against Iran
The Israeli attack on
Gaza is yet another round in the ongoing efforts by Israel to squash any
expression of active Palestinian resistance to the occupation. The siege of
Gaza is of course, along with the settlement drive, part of the permanent
structures in place to prevent the accumulation of any means that might help
the Palestinians to enhance their resistance.
The latest Israeli
operation exhibits all the permanent characteristics of typical forms of Israeli
repression, but must be seen and analyzed on an additional level. Israel
attacked Gaza, this time, mainly in pursuit of its duties as the regional
deputy of the US in their common preparations for war against Iran.
Indeed, enough
evidence has accumulated to confirm that
Israel, with full US backing, attacked Gaza and the Hamas leadership
after it became clear that Hamas refused to break off its main links with the
Iranian bloc. The attack was punishment for that refusal.
Following the
ascension of the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi to power, there were rumors that Hamas was well
on the way to transfer its allegiance away from the Iranian bloc and to
the US regional alignment. The US hoped that
Hamas would act in accord with its historical and traditional links to the
Moslem Brotherhood, which had recently become the ruling power in Egypt. Well,
things are not that simple. The US and
Morsi, backed by Qatari money, were indeed involved in encouraging Hamas to
chose a path similar to that traversed by Abbas and Fatah in the WestBank.
Their efforts proved futile.
" Iran and its regional rivals, the Sunni Muslim-led states
in the Gulf, have been competing in recent months to lure Hamas into their
respective camps. The top Hamas leader in exile, Khaled Mashaal, is being
hosted by the Gulf state of Qatar, which has promised hundreds of millions of
dollars for Gaza." (Wall Street Journal, November 24, 2012)
The US and the Gulf
sheikhs wanted very much to wean Hamas away from its Teheran connections. Theoretically, the sheikhs could have included
weaponry in the dowry for Hamas. But this was not feasible because Hamas refused
to cooperate with the US, unlike its West Bank counterpart. Haniah is not Abbas and Hamas is not Fatah.
If Hamas wanted to move into the US sphere of influence, it would have to
declare at the door that it had forsworn armed military resistance to the
Israeli occupation. And it was not
willing to pay that kind of price.
Sources of weapon
supply are usually considered a matter for discretion. But two key Hamas
leaders have seen fit to relate precisely and openly to the issue of arms and
the preservation of Hamas' links to Iran. It is essential to quote them at
length since their statements are essential for understanding the specific
nature of this round of the war. The Walrus was calling: Oh dear Hamas - Leave
the Iranian monsters and come over to the side of democracy.
The WSJ continues:"CAIRO –
Gaza's ruling Hamas won't stop arming itself because only a strong arsenal, not
negotiations, can extract concessions from Israel, the No. 2 in the Islamic
militant group stated.
The comments
by Mousa Abu Marzouk in an interview just three days after the worst bout of
Israel-Hamas fighting in four years, signaled trouble ahead for
Egyptian-brokered talks between the hostile neighbor on a new border deal… an
Israeli security official said this week that Israel would likely link a
significant easing of the blockade to Hamas's willingness to stop smuggling
weapons into Gaza and producing them there.
Mr. Abu Marzouk said Saturday that the
group wouldn't disarm, arguing that recent Palestinian history has shown that
negotiations with Israel lead nowhere unless backed by force.
"There is no way to relinquish
weapons," Mr. Abu Marzouk said in his office on the outskirts of Cairo.
"These weapons protected us and there is no way to stop obtaining and manufacturing
them…
Hamas used to be
evasive about Iranian weapons support, but in recent days senior officials in
the group have openly thanked Tehran.
Gaza strongman
Mahmoud Zahar told reporters on Saturday that he is confident that Iran will
increase military and financial support to Hamas and the smaller militant group
Islamic Jihad.
Mr. Zahar said
Saturday that Hamas isn't beholden to anyone, but defended the group's ties
with Iran. "If they don't like it, let them compete with Iran in giving us
weapons and money," he said in an apparent jab at the Gulf states."
(From the same article in the Wall Street Journal, November 24, 2012)
Follow the Guns
(Rockets)
Haaretz (November 25,
2012) quotes the Sunday Times to the effect that Israel spy satellites have
spotted an Iranian ship loaded with missiles that analysts say may be headed to
Gaza. It is a poorly kept secret that Israel bombed a Sudanese arms factory
last month
The next round in the
fighting is shaping up. Israel and the US went to war to warn Gaza to stay out
of ME politics, to threaten Hamas with the danger involved in taking arms from
the Iranians and, meanwhile, to smash a significant section of long range missiles
at the disposal of Hamas.
Tom Friedman in
Search of Democracy
In case anyone still
failed to understand the name of the game, Thomas Friedman chimed in with an
outline of the proposal. It is to be understood that the attack on Gaza was a
wonderful opportunity for Mohammed Morsi to chose between the pleasures of the
Camp David peace and US aid and economic development or support for Hamas's
radical pro-Iranian stand. Morsi had a great success in Gaza and was well on
his way to becoming the hero of our time when he saw fit to announce to his
people that he was really the state or that the state was really him. Friedman
had advised Morsi that he could achieve eternal fame and glory if he would only
team up with Mohammad Abbas. Morsi it seems has other problems.
This last bloody
chapter in the war against the Palestinians pitted a ultra-sophisticated war
machine against the spirit of a people who demand freedom. Someone said it seems like another case of
David against Goliath.
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