A war as a war “a la guerre comme a la guerre” or- It’s the war “C’est la guerre

By Malcolm Dash, Director of Operations, Israel Institute for Strategic Studies

“In war there is no second prize for the runner- up”

“In war there is no second prize for the runner- up” “Wars can be prevented just as surely as they can be provoked, and when we fail to prevent them we must share in the guilt for the dead” General Omar N. Bradley

The war of terror, the stabbings, car ramming, shootings that are taking place in the streets of Israel have been going on for nearly six months with no letup in sight. Make no mistake, this is a war, a pernicious war. Although Israelis are resilient and are bearing up to the almost daily onslaught, they are unable to live normal lives. They carry with them the constant concern and fear for the safety of their children, wives, elderly and sons and daughters in the security forces. Ultimately this war of attrition must weaken national resolve and the will to resist and gradually wear away the Israeli public’s resilience, resulting in despondency which will eventually undermine the sovereignty of the Jewish state.

If this persists, then the Israeli leadership may be forced to take coercive measures such as operations like, Defensive Shield April 2002, Operation Protective Edge July 7, 2014 and other campaigns which resulted in carnage and widespread destruction for both Palestinian Arabs and Israelis.

The Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, interviewed by Steve Inskeep of National Public Radio (NPR) October 29, 2015 had this to say about security for Israelis amid a new wave of Israeli/Palestinian violence in the “occupied West Bank”.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Israel’s defense minister has stark advice for his country’s citizens; prepare to be attacked. Moshe Ya’alon gave that advice while talking with us about stabbing attacks on Israeli Jews. What do you do about that as the minister of defense?

MOSHE YA’ALON: First of all is directing our people, our civilians, to be aware, to be ready that they might be stabbed in a minute and then what to do in such case. Defense Minister Ya’alon is in effect saying it’s the war “C’est la guerre” ( French phrase of resignation, used during World War II.) , in other words get used to it, we’ll manage it and the security forces will work day and night to keep it to the bare minimum.

Members of the government call on Abu Mazen and the international community to condemn each and every violent attack on Jews, in some way believing this would put paid to Palestinian and Israeli Arab violence. Could it be that we have forgotten we are a sovereign Jewish state, responsible for the protection of our own citizenry? Sadly our leaders humiliate the Jewish state by pleading with others to condemn attacks on Jews. As if they would and as if it would help?

Israel is very capable of taking care of itself. What is required is a government that can take the initiative and exercise the political will to lead the nation and take actions that will change the dynamic rather than remain prisoners of events. Israel, a liberal democracy must have the capacity to defend its core principles with coercive force if need be. Accommodation cannot be unlimited and Democracy is not a suicide pact.

“A strict observance of the written law is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to the written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the ends to the means.” —US President Thomas Jefferson.

It is now time, no, it is almost past time for Israel to adopt a different response other than “C’est la guerre” and exercise the other French expression “a la guerre comme a la guerre”, which means that in a time of crisis, we can act accordingly, and execute actions that would seem excessive or inappropriate in a normal context.

The Palestinian Arab collective must be described for what it is, the enemy and they should be confronted by a daunting Israeli deterrent posture .They should be fearful of the full extent of Israel’s economic and military capabilities. To stop the current wave of terror activities, “kinetic” measures need not inevitably be employed, but applying punitive actions that are adequately onerous can and should be imposed in order to bring calm to the streets of Israel.

Israel can and should inflict severe restrictions on the Palestinian Arab collective, they must be held accountable and responsible for endorsing or acquiescing to their leaders’ policy of incitement and the unleashing of terror against the Jews.

Israel should invoke one or all of the following measures which can be lifted immediately after Israeli demands are met: an immediate end to incitement by all media organs both government and private; An unequivocal and public condemnation by the PA of all acts of violence against Jews; The cessation of incitement against Jews by Imam’s from the safety of their pulpits; The removal of all inflammatory material in the educational system.

If these demands are not met within 30 days the following measures would immediately apply. Halt all tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority; refuse entry into Israel of Palestinian Arabs from Judea and Samaria; rolling electricity black outs until the outstanding Electricity debt of nearly half a billion Shekels is re-paid; restrict access to all radio, tele and cellular communications networks; halt PA ministers and other elites’ travel overseas. These edicts would be lifted when full compliance is demonstrated. Such steps will indeed bring hardship to the Palestinian Arabs. However if this brings about an end to the daily attacks on Israelis and prevent yet another IDF campaign then it will be more than justified.

The international community, human rights and peace activist doubtless will condemn these emergency measures as “collective punishment”. perhaps so, but this claim can be rebuffed by a counter claim that the Palestinian Arabs have a “Collective Responsibility” (as indeed the German people had during WWII), and they must be held liable for their rank and file’s violent terror activities. New legal conventions need to be formulated in order to deal with violence against Israel’s civilian population as this variant of warfare cannot be confronted within the current legal/ ideological framework.

We cannot continue applying the trusting “politically correct” altruistic inhibitions to the damaging torment of daily terror attacks by the hostile Palestinian Arab collective, while waiting for something “good” to materialize, especially when its clear time is rapidly becoming Israel’s enemy. The conflict is between two very antithetical collective narratives, philosophies and ideologies which transcends limits of restraint, and spurns tolerance and conciliation. This struggle will be won by the Jewish people, if and only if, Jews are resolute, maintain faith in their cause, and belief in its historical justice. Palestinian Arabs will only come to terms and make the necessary accommodations when confronted by a united and unyielding Jewish nation.

Malcolm Dash Director of Operations Israel Institute for Strategic Studies