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November 5, 2004
Lessons for the world
Author Michael Oren speaks of Israeli resilience.
GORDON BRANDT SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
He came home and told me 'I felt the justice of what we were doing
this for, the justice of the entire country.' " These were
the words Dr. Michael Oren said of his 21-year-old-son, Yoav, who
serves in the Israel Paratroopers Brigade and who had just witnessed
difficult scenes during house-to-house fighting in Jenin. Oren made
the remarks in a lecture entitled The Modern Middle East at the
University of British Columbia on Oct. 28, blending his knowledge
as a historian with personal anecdotes gained as an oleh
(immigrant), as a paratrooper himself, as a father and as an Israeli
who has lost family members to terror. A senior fellow at the Jerusalem-based
research institute the Shalem Centre, and author of the New York
Times bestselling book Six Days of War, Oren discussed
the social, economic and political consequences of the past four
years of the "all-out, existential war" being fought by
Israel.
What enables Yoav and tens of thousands of other Israeli soldiers
to continue in the struggle for the survival of the state, said
Oren, is that Israel, in achieving strategic victory against terror,
has not sacrificed its moral values. Israel has avoided declaring
war on the Palestinian people and, instead, has responded to attacks
against Israeli civilians by pinpoint attacks against the perpetrators
of terrorism. Israel has thus developed an effective strategy for
combating terror and maintained internal consensus. Oren explained
to his son that if the situation were reversed, civilian deaths
would have been intentional and celebrated. Armies other than Israel's
would have used tactics less risky to the individual soldier but
more costly in terms of civilian lives, Oren explained.
While acknowledging that violations have been committed by Israeli
troops and that certain areas of cities have been badly damaged
in fighting between the IDF and terrorists hiding among civilians,
Oren affirms that nowhere is there a resemblance to Dresden following
Allied fire-bombings, to Hanoi after American attacks or to present-day
Chechnya. No nation engaged in a similar struggle has kept civilian
deaths to a minimum to the degree that Israel has, said Oren.
Oren believes that Israel, as the West's litmus in the fight against
terror, has several lessons to offer, including that a nation must
recognize it is engaged in a war and treat the conflict as such;
act in a manner which preserves its international relationships
and alliances but be prepared to receive condemnation; recognize
that terrorism can be uprooted without destroying the host society;
and maintain its belief in the ability to achieve victory.
As an insight into the disengagement plan, Oren stated that Sharon,
although a leader who garners feelings of ambivalence from many
Israelis, is fully aware of the stakes involved in not leaving Gaza.
According to Oren, in the past, soldiers agreed to fight because
governments could prove to them the absolute necessity of war. However
many Israelis don't see the military defence of 8,000 settlers as
an existential necessity. Sharon understands that without disengagement,
this social contract could unravel, leading to a situation where
"a war might be called but nobody would show up," said
Oren.
Oren additionally gave an inspiring description of Israeli resilience.
Despite empty cafés, cinemas and nightclubs in the first
years of the intifada, Israeli society has recovered remarkably.
Restaurants are gated and guarded today, said Oren, but they are
full.
"Terrorism that doesn't paralyze isn't really terrorism,"
he remarked wryly. Israel's recent achievements, including its first
Olympic gold medal, championships in both European basketball leagues
and Nobel Prizes in chemistry, are signs of a society that is thriving
despite challenging circumstances.
Oren maintains that although Israel has won a strategic victory
in its war on terror, until Palestinians are willing to do as Israel
has done and wage war against elements within their own society
for the sake of a negotiated settlement, true peace remains a long
way away.
Gordon Brandt is a fourth-year student in international
relations and the president of the University of British Columbia
Israel Advocacy Club.
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