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The Gaza Trap

Nov. 22, 2012 3:49pm

Dr. Earl Tilford is a military historian and fellow for the Middle East & terrorism with The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College.

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Even though Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced an Israel-Gaza ceasefire, it’s apparent that Gaza still holds many traps for Israel.

For example, there’s the media trap. Hamas, like other Islamic terror groups, manipulates the Western media while toying with an abundance of useful idiots within certain political and religious circles. Large explosions in densely populated Gaza are more dramatic and easier for the press to cover than are rocket attacks that rain down on Siderot and Ashkelon in the south and that can now strike Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Additionally, Israeli drone and aerial responses, being far more precise than rocket barrages, mean journalists in Gaza can record and transmit dramatic explosions by precision-guided munitions with minimal risk to themselves. Not so for reporters inside Israel. Fox News leads the way in objective coverage.

The ceasefire announced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton notwithstanding, it is unlikely U.S. diplomacy will broker the permanent peace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated Israel can—or will—accept. The Israelis know a deal opening the Gaza crossing points will lead inevitably to a third intifada. Furthermore, Hamas only agrees to ceasefires when it is to their advantage. Israel’s enemies have never modified their stated goal of annihilating the Jewish state and, until they do, there can be no permanent peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Such an implacable enemy must be totally defeated. Ceasefires are irrelevant for Israel’s Gaza trap.

Strategically, Gaza presents a persistent and immediate threat while Hezbollah poses a greater, potentially more dangerous challenge from Lebanon. The Iranian threat, however, is one with which Israel must deal. Given the tenor of the Obama administration, Israel may be forced to act militarily—and alone. In that case, Hezbollah will unleash a massive missile attack on Haifa, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv. It could also send ground forces into northern Israel. Bashar al Assad, although hindered by the ongoing civil war in Syria, might throw in some support. With the Muslim Brotherhood controlling Cairo, if Israel falters, Egypt could be tempted into the fray. So, if Israel attempts to neutralize Iran’s nuclear ambitions, it makes sense to negate the strategic dimension inherent in the Gaza trap. Air power, however, can only do so much. It takes ground troops to root out guerrillas and terrorists. While Gaza abounds in both operational and tactical traps, urban warfare operates in four dimensions:

In the first dimension, at ground level, Israeli air strikes have created rubble strewn amidst the concrete canyons of the world’s most densely populated city. Rubble inhibits the movement of invading armor and infantry while providing concealment for defenders. Invading forces will be “channeled” into areas sown with mines and booby traps and ripe for ambushes.

Also at the ground level, a second dimension of urban warfare involves rooting out defenders concealed in buildings where they possess the element of surprise. Every doorway, every room, each staircase holds the potential for booby traps and ambushes.

The third dimension comes from above. While Israeli control of the air with drones and fighter planes negates some of the danger, guerrillas firing from rooftops have a tremendous advantage because tank guns cannot be sufficiently elevated to take out the threat. Furthermore, troops and some armored vehicles are vulnerable to fire from above.

The fourth dimension involves defenders moving through sewers and tunnels, which also abound in Gaza. Pop-up attacks can occur anywhere at any time. Explosives can be set off beneath enemy forces, especially when they are stymied by rubble blocking their advance.

Since the Israeli Defense Forces are among the world’s best trained and led, they certainly will have studied the lessons from the U.S. Army’s October 1993 debacle in Mogadishu and the challenges Chechen rebels presented the Russians in Grozny. The temptation will be to deal with the problem like the Russians did in Grozny and the Germans did during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, stand back and let artillery be the final arbiter. The U.S. didn’t do that in Mogadishu and Israel won’t do it to Gaza.

With the Iranian threat increasing, and with U.S. support for Israel questionable, Israeli leaders may feel their options are limited. Nevertheless, with plenty of military muscle and facing an implacable foe sworn to its destruction, Israel may be forced to disassemble the Gaza trap.

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Comments (10)

EarlTilford
Posted on November 30, 2012 at 12:12pm
PIGPEN:

Spell my name correctly. It’s “Tilford,” not “Telford,” though the former is a corruption of the latter. Nevertheless, correctness in communication indicates that you have taken time to think through your propositions and opinions. Second, the way you characterize American Jews and most Israelis betrays a mindset so mired in ignorance that it reflects stupidity, in which case the first suggestion may beyond your purview.

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Pigpen
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 7:40pm
Dr Telford, I will give you the small ground that Hamas manipulates “useful idiots” in the press to its own ends, BUT ONLY if you will concede that these “useful idiots” are American Jews. The ONLY REASON there is ANY CRITICISM of Israel in the USA is because the American Jew feels so ambivalent towards the country! We can see this in the fact that Obama who is AT BEST pusillanimous over Israel (and at worst a HOSTILE, MUSLIM Israel-hater) was overwhelmingly supported by America’s Jews in the last election! Why? 1. Israel offers a safe haven for world Jewry (And we all know “it” could happen here in America too! Those D@MN Boy Scouts are just a few campfire songs away from morphing into the new Hitler Youth!) And that brings us to number 2. Israel has a policy of conscription for BOTH men and women. And the American Jew does NOT want to serve in either the IDF or the US Military! The American Jew is first and foremost a “pacifist” or in other words a draft-dodging COWARD. This is why aaliyah is made at a later age. So, the fact that Jews HATE WH!TEY more than they support Israel is best explained by the FEAR of conscription or in other words COWARDICE. So, in REALITY, Dr Telford, who are the bigger “USEFUL IDIOTS”? I would have to argue that the GOYIM in the USA who have been DUPED into believing that it is their CHRISTIAN DUTY to support a JEWISH COUNTRY which all in all, HATES, FEARS, and LOATHES the USA GOY!

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- EarlTilford
  Posted on November 30, 2012 at 12:06pm
  Pigpen, first learn to spell my name correctly. That’s simply good manners and also shows you are more careful in communications. Second, your characterization of American Jews betrays and ignorance that might stem from stupidity, in which case the above suggestions might simply be beyond your purview.
  
  Earl Tilford
  
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Joe Bonham
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 2:11pm
If Israel wants to be the next Nazi State, so be it. But let them fight their own wars with their own soldiers and money.

Not a dime more to Israel. Not one more American Soldier should die for Israeli Interests. Let them fight and die in their own wars!

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RevRiles
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 6:45pm
Israel should go ahead and clear out the Gaza Strip (and then take the lumps that come with it. The USA will condemn it but they will do nothing to stop Israel!)

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asybot12
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 3:31pm
Great article very factual and must be frustrating to read for Israelis. That said I would do exactly as the writer suggests keep lobbing in 4 or 5 bombs a day into Gaza until the whole place comes to a stop no food no water etc. and the Idea of handing it over to Mosri is brilliant he wants power right? Oh and the tunnel defense, a little CO gas (hey it is natural after all) would stop that as well..

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AbrahamsSheepdog
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 9:55am
If 5 neighbors want you beat up. Cops keep lookin other way. Take 2-3 hours outa your day, and knock on their doors. Duct tape, shovel, concrete. Next door. Ring-ring. You find the cockroaches. This ain’t girlscouts.

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AbrahamsSheepdog
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 9:32am
We have to many variables to think this is chess. They are like ignorant teenagers. No goal but destruction. Its perfectly set up. And our media…. they need to be tried like global colding scientists in EU. Lying gets prison. Or worse.

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universalphilos
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 12:32am
February 1, 1980: “And we shall say unto thee this parable. It came upon the Earth that nations made war upon nations….” http://www.angelfire.com/in4/aup_messiah/1980February01.audio.html

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ECOMCON
Posted on November 22, 2012 at 6:51pm
There is a lot of truth and wisdom in this article, both from a military historical facet as well as a tactical real world facet.

The other day I came up with my own solution to the Gaza Strip problem.

Give the damn rat infested Strip to Egypt outright. Let them deal with the vermin infesting the place. And make it very clear to Egypt and the rest of the Middle East that any slight bit of violence that comes from the Strip and causes any harm or damage to Israel and any of the citizens with Israel’s borders means that Israel will consider it an act of war perpetrated by Egypt. Then make it abundantly clear that a full military response against all of Egypt will immediately ensue. And further, that any nation that enters the conflict on the side of Egypt will suffer the same consequences.

This will let the poor ever suffering Palestinians (notice my sarcasm) be finally free from the yoke of the fascist Israeli state and live with their freedom and peace loving Arab brethren. This will let Israel never have to contend with random rocket pot shots or any other violence that comes from the Strip.

And if worse comes to worse. Israel can make it very plain that they have more than a hundred Jericho missiles that could make the entire Islamic world glow for 250,000 years.

If Egypt or any other middle eastern country wants to ignore any prior warning. So be it.

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