Winning and losing in the Middle East: Its hard to tell who won and who lost

Posted on 02 February 2009.

It is very difficult to find out the winners and the losers in the Middle East. In 1967, Israel won a decicive victory decimating its enemies. Israel had hoped to capture more territory and create a more defensible boundary within what was later called “defensible borders”. For the longest times the world heard that Israel had the right to exist with “secure and defensible borders”–a euphuism of the Suez Canal, the Sea of Galilee and the Latani River to the North. Many skeptics however wondered if Israel had the right to exist between the Nile and the Euphrates–the most defensible borders of Ertz Israel. However important the military victory was for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), it was a strategic catastrophe for the country. The recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon are a direct result of the “victory” in the “6 Day War” in 1967.

Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal

Israel failed to topple the democratically-elected government of Hamas and was unsuccessful in achieving any of its other objectives, Mashaal told students at the University of Tehran Monday.
Israel was unable to impose on us any of the conditions it had set for a ceasefire and in the end the Israelis were forced to declare a unilateral ceasefire, he added.

The world witnessed how Israel used conventional and unconventional weapons – including white phosphorous – to massacre innocents in Gaza, continued Mashaal, adding, “But Israeli atrocities did not scare Gazans into surrendering.”
While international law permits the use of white phosphorus as an obscurant to conceal troop movement and prevent the enemy from using certain guided weapons, its use remains controversial, as it can burn through flesh to the bone or cause liver, kidney, heart, lung or bone damage and even lead to death.

Mashaal went on to praise Iran for standing by the Palestinian nation, saying, “Gazans have always appreciated the political and spiritual support of the Iranian leaders and nation. Iran is a partner in our victory.”

He called on the Iranian nation to continue supporting Gazans in their efforts to reconstruct the war-ravaged coastal strip. Press TV. Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal says that the resistance of the Palestinians brought Israel to its knees in the Gaza Strip. ‘Resistance brought Israel to its knees’ Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:14:31 GMT

Then came 1973 when the invincible Israel soldiers faced the wrath of the Egyptian 3rd Army. Not only did the Egyptian 3rd Army make a mockery of the “secure boundary” (Suez Canal), during the Ramadhan War, the Egyptian soldiers continued into the Sinai desert and obliterated the most powerful defense bunkers made in the history of mankind–The impregnable Bar Lev LInes. The Egyptian had been practicing crossing the Suez since 1967 and had made mock models of the Bar Lev. The 3rd Army practiced for five years. During Yom Kippur, in Ramadhan the fasting Egyptians crossed and destroyed the myth of the “secure boundaries”. According to some Israel won the war, (after US F-16s painted with the Star of David) pinpointed the Army, triangulated them via satellite and then targeted them. Most analysts however see the 1973 Ramadhan war as a victory for Egypt which led to the peace treaty with Israel and a return of the Sinai.

In 1980 Israel waged a war against the Palestinians to eliminate the PLO from Lebanon. Today it faces a more formidable enemy Hizbullah in Lebanon.

In 2006, Israel again tried to take its borders up to the Litani River and destroy the rocket attacks from Hizullah. However they failed to do so. Most Lebanese consider this a victory for the Arabs, for Hizbullah and for Lebanon. Israel was unable to destroy the ability of Hizbullah to shoot rockets into Northern Israel. Hizbullah fired more rockets on the last day of the war than it did the first day of the war.

February 2, 2009: The Israeli Air Force, deeply embarrassed by their inability to perform as promised in the 2006 war in southern Lebanon, made a lot of changes before going after Hamas in Gaza in late 2008.Strategy Page

In 2008 Israel waged war against Gaza again-reconquering occupied territory that it had conquered in 1967. It did kill more than 1500 Palestinians and in just thousands, but it has been unable to destroy the ability of Hamas to launch rockets against Israel.

Tel Aviv launched Operation Cast Lead against the Gaza Strip on December 27 to put an end to rocket attacks against southern Israeli towns.

At least 1,400 Palestinians died and 5,500 others were wounded during the 23-day offensive. Israel lost 10 soldiers in the fighting and three Israeli civilians were killed by Hamas rockets.
On January 18, Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire.

At least 16,000 residential buildings have been damaged and 5,000 others have been reduced to rubble in the Israeli attacks.

An 18-month Israeli blockade on Gaza resulted in a humanitarian crisis which has been intensified in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead. Gazans are in dire need of fuel, electricity, medicine and other basic needs.

Press TV. Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal says that the resistance of the Palestinians brought Israel to its knees in the Gaza Strip. ‘Resistance brought Israel to its knees’ Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:14:31 GMT

One of the unforeseen consequences of the attack on Gaza is the widening rift between Israel and Turkey