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Lessons from Gaza: High-tech Military Power Less than it Seems

posted by azrael on Sunday July 13 2014, @09:41PM   Printer-friendly
from the can-only-get-worse dept.

AnonTechie writes:

With the UN calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip an article written by Gary Brecher and first published in 2012 by NSFWCORP (now part of Pando), lessons from Gaza - suggesting that Palestinian durability may beat Israel's high-tech weaponry, remains remarkably relevant today.

What's going on in Gaza is war, but not the kind any commander from the past would understand. On paper, Israel should be winning easily, because they've got the weapons, the numbers, the organization. The weapons Hamas is firing into Israel are primitive things, unguided rocket artillery, the kind that couldn't hit the ground if it wasn't for the law of gravity. On the other side, the Israelis get the best weaponry the US can give them.

But it's not that simple. Israel may win this battle, but it's lost the war already. You see that in the confusion the IDF shows about what to do. They've tried stomping hard on Gaza. In late 2008 through early 2009, "Operation Cast Lead" sent IDF troops and planes smashing into this tiny overpopulated slum. They killed 1400 Palestinians, and it didn't do much but make everybody sick to their stomachs - including even some Israelis, once they got over their initial gloating.

 
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  • (Score: 2) by isostatic on Monday July 14 2014, @09:09AM

    by isostatic (365) on Monday July 14 2014, @09:09AM (#68818) Journal

    I also see the term "apartheid" being brought up to stir the pot.

    Have you ever been to Israel? Have you ever taken a drive from Jerusalem to somewhere like Ramallah? Past the Berlin Wall, used your western passport to get through the military checkpoints, while watching anyone with a Palestinian ID card being forced into metal cages on their walk over the border (no way they're allowed to drive)?

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 14 2014, @11:10AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 14 2014, @11:10AM (#68848)

    > used your western passport to get through the military checkpoints, while watching
    > anyone with a Palestinian ID card being forced into metal cages on their walk over
    > the border (no way they're allowed to drive)?

    This is an essay by a former soldier in the israeli defense force who was assigned to work internal checkpoints in palestine. He describes how these sorts of situations destroy the souls of both the people who pass through and the people who man the checkpoints. It is intense and heart-rending and it might help outsiders understand how corrosive the situation is for all involved.

    The Checkpoint. [bostonreview.net]