FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW YORK – “Israel must have a plan for what to do if it decides to occupy the Gaza Strip for months or years, as it did until 2005. When the Battle of Najaf in Iraq ended on April 3, 2004, I contacted my boss. General William Wallace to tell him we had good news and bad news. “The good news is that we have taken Najaf.” “And what’s the bad news?” he asked me. “That we took Najaf. What should we do now?”
Gen. David Petraeus, 70, led allied forces in Iraq in 2007-2008 and Afghanistan in 2010-2011 before heading the CIA. He published a book with the British historian Andrew Roberts called Conflict. If Israel succeeds in destroying Hamas, it will have to think about the next power vacuum. “As the Americans retained after the capture of Baghdad and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, significant time must be spent on postwar planning, not just combat operations.”
There are wars of necessity and wars of choice. How do you define that?
“I think they should do it. They must destroy Hamas. Those who claim that the situation can be resolved peacefully fail to realize that Hamas is a terrorist group whose DNA is the murder of as many Jews as possible and with whom it is extremely difficult to negotiate anything other than short-term agreements. In comparison, the Taliban seem to be masters of reason and logic.”
Biden says an Israeli occupation of Gaza would be “a big mistake.” Israel responds that it has no intention of doing so, but will do whatever is necessary to eliminate Hamas. Are there alternatives to a new job?
“Given the challenges and the cost involved, Israel understandably appears unwilling to occupy the Gaza Strip. However, this illustrates how difficult it is to destroy Hamas and Islamic Jihad and then prevent them from rebuilding after the war. The lesson learned in Iraq after the withdrawal of the last US troops is that an extremist group – in this case the Islamic State – can regroup when attention and pressure wane. This is the dilemma that requires careful reflection on the post-war approach, which is not only military in nature but also includes other aspects of post-conflict activities.”
Some Arab states are calling for an immediate ceasefire and a summit on the future of the Palestinians. Is this a way to prevent escalation in the region?
“Given Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas, I don’t think this is practical – at least to the extent that it is possible. However, this goal will require very laborious on-the-ground operations, and urban warfare against a popular enemy will inevitably result in innocent casualties and damage to civilian homes and infrastructure. And over time, this could lead to increasing pressure on Hezbollah and other Iran-linked militias to act. “This underscores the need for Israeli leaders to describe not only what they want to do against Hamas, but also their postwar vision for Gaza and the Palestinians.”
Is the offensive in Gaza more difficult than the one in Iraq?
“I can hardly imagine a more difficult context. Tunnels, rooms with improvised explosives. Every building must be examined. Civilian casualties are inevitable; there will also be Israeli casualties. And paradoxically, despite the destruction that Hamas has inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza, some people still have … some level of support for the group.”
Is a US response possible if Iran intervenes?
“I can imagine circumstances in which U.S. forces could be used, I don’t want to speculate, but it would almost certainly include any action that directly targets Americans in the region. “In addition, Israel is largely capable of responding to problematic actions by Iranian proxy militias.”