On stupidity and war Marwan Bishara Last updated: 23 July 2014 Israel is a fast learner, but did it learn the most valuable lesson of all? The war hasn t ended and already the criticism over Israel s military adventure in Gaza is mounting as the Islamist movement, Hamas, continues to surprise the invaders . Leading and, presumably, respected media commentators have blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his hastiness, Israels Security Service - the Shabak - for its ignorance and the military for its poor performance. Israel might claim technological superiority and tactical victory, but , as one expert concluded , strategically , it s been defeated . Needless to say , there are many ways by which one takes stock of the ongoing war. But after three military adventures in six years, Hamas remains a formidable force in Palestine. And Israel has little to show for its military prowess and technological edge aside from the terrible devastation wrought across the Gaza Strip - home to 1 . 8 million Palestinians living impoverished lives in the world s longest- standing refugee camp. Prime Minister Netanyahu has boasted of Israel s moral standing and condemned Hamas for targeting civilians. But in the last few days , it s the Israeli military that has suffered hundreds of casualties , including 29 soldiers killed, thus far . While on the Palestinian side, Israel s bombings led to thousands of civilian casualties . It takes chutzpah to take pride in such a dreadful record. At any rate, if it doesnt cool down its aggression on the population of Gaza , Israel might increasingly face another uprising in the West Bank as the Palestinians open another front against their occupiers . And if the early indicators are anything to go by , it shows signs of turning violent and bloody . Israel , a fast learner It s smart to learn from one s own mistakes ; wise to learn from others mistakes . What lessons has Netanyahu learnt , if any? There is no doubt that Israel is a quick learner. It learned much from its own operational and even strategic mistakes in past wars , and no less, from the war experiences of other nations . The last century witnessed countless wars , including civil wars, proxy wars, wars driven by nationalism , racism and greed , and two destructive world wars. Israel has had its share of these wars - 14 in six decades - and the Middle East region that makes up some five percent of the world population, accounts for 20 percent of its conflicts ; a percentage that probably skyrocketed in recent years. Their motivations varied, but self- defence has generally been the excuse for aggression. Underlining its lack of strategic depth, Israel has long boasted of its pre -emptive doctrine to hit first when needing to defend itself . Israel has also relied on the United States for lessons of war. And in recent times, it taught its patron a few lessons it s learned itself in Lebanon and Palestine, for fighting in Iraq - a reason why the Israelis were stunned this week to hear former Secretary of State Madeline Albright speak of Israel s disproportionate military response in Gaza , when she justified the US blockade on Iraq even when it led to the death of half a million children . Israel is hardly the first to invoke self- defence to justify aggression - Lebanon being the best example - or protecting civilians to kill civilians . It has learnt the art of victimhood like no other. Its ultimate chutzpah goes along the lines of: We won t forgive you for forcing us to kill you. So yes , Israel has learned many lessons, and has institutionalised these lessons and is making money out of these lessons through training other nations military and security forces. Indeed , Israel arms sales have rocketed to $ 7 .5 bn in 2012 , arms that are war -tested , as Israel so frequently vaunts . But the more important question is : Has Israel learnt the most important lesson of all about its type of colonial asymmetrical wars? The predictable war Unlike conventional wars , the longest and most legitimate wars of all have been the people s fight for independence from colonialism . Israel is in the midst of such a fight against a people s struggle for freedom and independence and it makes similar , if not identical claims , to those made by other colonial powers of the past . But not one foreign power big or small was able to win a single asymmetrical war against a people resisting colonialism throughout the entire 20th century. This definite and paradoxical conclusion - the most instructive, and yet ignored of all lessons of war is categorical: Not one great power possessing superior firepower has won against a weaker, less organised and less professional resistance against occupation. Not the French , not the English, not the Belgians , the Dutch, the Spanish , the Portuguese, the Italians, the Soviets, the Chinese, the Afrikaners, etc . Not one! In the end, they all lose. And if they dont , then it s not the end. In each and every case, the indigenous population was designated terrorist , or fanatic , extremist, destructive , insensitive, or all of the above when they stood up to their occupier. Similar if not identical to the stuff we hear from Israelis nowadays. Yet , despite all their military domination , political mechanisation, and superior moral pretentions , they eventually lose the battle of wills and are compelled to leave - defeated or humiliated. While there are exceptions, such as in the case of India , the cost is generally high in death and destruction especially for those at the receiving end of aggression. But don t depend on those who can keep a record to do so for their victims. During the Algerian war for independence that lasted a decade, almost 30 ,000 Frenchmen, and we are told half a million to a million Algerians, were killed - give or take a couple of hundred thousand deaths . Like todays Israel, those colonial powers also justified their wars as last resort , and explained the high casualties as War sucks , We ve got to do whatever we need to protect ourselves , or The terrorists are hiding among the population , and using them as human shields etc . And so the fog of war and propaganda continues to blur the lines between right and wrong , occupied from occupier, defence and aggression. But when the dust settles , Israel will find itself where it was before its latest and past adventures, but with weaker deterrence, less credibility and hardened enemies. Yes , it could continue to justify its military adventures under the pretext of combating terrorists, destroying rocket- launchers and tunnels. But whatever its justifications, these are the by- products of its own colonialism and war. In the final analysis, if Israel doesn t start packing and leaving the occupied territories sooner , many Israelis will start leaving it later because conditions are bound to get much worse. Late is better than never learning the primary lesson from this conflict: It s the occupation, stupid . Marwan Bishara is the senior political analyst at Al Jazeera .
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 18:18:25 +0000