When I went to sleep on Monday night, there was no reason to think Tuesday would be special, in any way. Other than a scheduled TV appearance to discuss Israeli elections, (a subject that seems to just keep giving), I expected to have a rather uneventful day. That quickly changed at 7AM with my iPhone’s exit from ‘sleep mode’, triggered by a string of non-stop notifications of missile attacks on southern Israel. It soon became apparent that although it had caught me (and the rest of the Israeli public unaware), for the first time in many years, our army had initiated the exchange of fire by killing the senior Islamic Jihad commander, Baha Abu al-Ata.

With the my phone pinging constantly and missiles inching closer to Tel Aviv, I woke my son (who would have gotten up soon in any case) to discuss the developments. However, merely one moment later, I had to wake my wife, as sirens began to wail outside and my phone confirmed there was an incoming missile fired on Tel Aviv. We sprang to the safe area of our apartment, along with our dog, and remained there until we heard the unmistakable explosions that indicate a successful missile intercept.

The TV broadcasters promptly announced Tel Aviv schools would be closed for the day, followed by the guidance that non-essential workers were urged to stay home. Several hours later, the directive calling for the work stoppage was rescinded, but by then it was too late. The parking lots alongside the high-tech towers were empty of their usual scooters and bikes. The “Startup nation” had come to a near standstill, thanks to two very low-tech missiles which had been easily intercepted by Israel’s cutting-edge missile defense system.

I first began writing this column [Tel Aviv Diary] five and half years ago, during the summer of 2014 — the last time missiles rained down on Tel Aviv. Has anything changed during this half decade? I am afraid to say, very little. In the summer of 2005, under the leadership of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel decided to unilaterally withdraw from the Gaza Strip (an area it had occupied since the 1967 Six Day War). Prior to the Gaza withdrawal, Israel shared control of the Strip with the Palestinian National Authority. The IDF guarded the Israeli settlements, as well as the area near the Egyptian border, nicknamed “The Philadelphia Corridor”.

Sharon maintained that the cost of protecting those Israeli settlements was too high. He believed strongly that any future peace would only be attainable/obtainable by separating Israel from the Palestinians, to whatever extent possible. In the period before the withdrawal, Palestinian terrorists regularly attacked Israeli settlements. Militants continually fired crude missiles at Israeli towns and villages near the border. Although the withdrawal was vehemently opposed by Israeli settlers in Gaza who were forced to give up their homes, the disengagement was popular within the Israeli public at-large.

Back in 2005, many (myself included) said that if Gazans continued to fire missiles at us once we got out of the Strip, we would have every right to “level Gaza”. Others dreamed that an Israeli withdrawal would give rise to a new dawn in Gaza, which would somehow transform the Strip into the Singapore of the Middle East. Sadly, the first hint things would go wrong was when the state-of-the-art greenhouses left behind by Israel were rapidly ransacked and destroyed. Second, it did not take long for the rocket fire from Gaza to resume.

Israel-Gaza relations took a sharp turn for the worse in 2007, when Hamas, the fundamentalist Islamic party (whose charter explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel) seized power in the Strip, throwing out the Palestinian Authority. At that time, the Quartet which represented the US, the EU, Russia and the United Nations made it clear it would recognize the Hamas government only if it agreed to renounce violence, recognize Israel’s right to exist, and honor all agreements previously signed by the PLO with Israel. Hamas refused.

Since then, Israel has maintained tight control of the Gaza border and has upheld a naval blockade. Israel allows the transfer of almost unlimited food and other essential supplies into the Strip to ensure the people of Gaza possess enough essentials. Gaza’s only open border has been the one it shares with Egypt. However, except for a brief period when the Muslim Brotherhood came to power, the Egyptian government has consistently looked askance at the Hamas regime — as it was closely-tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, and thus considered an enemy of both the Morsi and Mubarak governments. Consequently, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has steadily worsened under Hamas rule.

Over the years, rocket fire on Israel has led to a number of confrontations in which Israeli troops have re-entered Gaza. In 2012, one major change did take place — Israel began deployment of its Iron Dome Missile Defense System. When first introduced, Israel did not have a sufficient supply of batteries to fully defend the entire country and the system had not been perfected. During the latest round of attacks, despite 450 rockets being fired at Israel in 48 hours, Israelis suffered less than a dozen light injuries — thanks to tremendous improvements to the Iron Dome system, along with the fact that all Israeli homes surrounding Gaza now have a safe room or bomb shelter. After seizing power 12 years ago, Hamas continues to rule in Gaza. This last round of fighting was the first in which Hamas did not participate — not out of any sudden affinity for Israel, but rather, as Dr. Doron Matza stated: “Hamas found a way to fight Israel without paying a price. Israel aimed all of its fire at the Islamic Jihad.” Not only was Hamas able to back the fight without paying a price. Hamas also saw its major rival (one supported by Iran) weakened by Israel, at least in the short-run.

This brings us back to the killing of Baha Abu al-Ata. There is no question al-Ata was a terrorist, who constituted a legitimate target in Israel’s eyes. In fact, it was reported that al-Ata had also been a target two years ago. Israel’s decision to carry out the attack in the middle of coalition negotiations, in which — at the moment — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not even have the mandate to form a government has raised questions. This latest mini-war initiated by Israel has made it more difficult for MK Benjamin “Benny” Gantz to form a minority government with the support of Arab Israeli parties. In the midst of this targeted action, Netanyahu still found time to go to the Knesset and pick a fight with some of the leaders of those parties.

Leaving political questions aside, what has been accomplished during these two days? Has Israel regained its deterrence? Hardly, and the killing of one mid-level terrorist resulted in two days of rocket fire that disrupted the life of millions. Has the life of the average Gazan improved? Obviously not. Does the Israeli government have a coherent strategy on how to deal with Gaza? No. Are we any closer to either a political or military solution than we were five years ago when I first started writing this column? Sadly, that answer is also, no.

Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders stated this week: “Israelis should not have to live in fear of rocket fire. Palestinians should not have to live under occupation and blockade.” Senator, as well as most Israelis and I agree (note: we don’t occupy Gaza, but that is another matter). That being said, when you figure out how to achieve those twin goals, please let us know. So far, no one has put forth a viable solution to this intractable problem..

 

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