The Movement for Reform Judaism

Starting at midnight local time the IDF began to withdraw its land forces from Gaza. No explanation has been offered so far other than, improbably, that the current stage of the response to the barrage of rockets raining down on many places in southern Israel has been completed. We’re told that about 100 terrorists have been killed; unfortunately, some civilians also lost their lives. As the rockets continue to land on Israeli soil, the IDF response will also continue, we’re told, but in a different form.

Hamas sees this, of course, as a great victory: its men have succeeded to repel the mighty Israeli army. Iran is bound to gloat.

It seems pretty clear why the IDF went into Gaza in the first place. But why has it now withdrawn its land forces so abruptly and unexpectedly? Speculations abound. Here are some; no doubt, there are others:   

• Prime Minister Olmert was furious that, while he was in Japan, his deputy Tsippi Livni (not known as a hawk) and Defense Minister Ehud Barak (a hawk for whose charm she may have fallen) decided to escalate the conflict. When Olmert came back he demanded de-escalation while – in the typical double-speak of a politician – making a very hawkish statement before yesterday’s cabinet meeting.    

• The operation has failed and the IDF realized that it’s not likely to succeed, only loose many more lives, including the lives of Israeli soldiers.   

• Realizing that the present method doesn’t work, Israel will now seek other ways in which to respond. The news that the Minister of Defense is consulting lawyers as to the legality in international law for Israel to fire back at the rocket sites, even if these are in densely populated areas, may suggest that the next phase will see many more Palestinian civilian casualties and thus more international condemnation.    

• Condoleezza Rice is on her way to the region and she may have demanded the Israeli withdrawal before her next effort to bring back the Palestinian Authority (not Hamas, of course) and Israel to the negotiating table.   

• There may be some behind-the-scenes efforts, perhaps with Egypt as an intermediary, to bring about a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. That’s what Ami Ayalon, a retired admiral and intelligence chief and now a member of the Government of Israel has been advocating in the last day or so.  

Many see the withdrawal as yet another manifestation of Israeli indecision due to the weakness of the government. The clamor is, therefore, for a strong leader. Two models are being advocated.One is by the right-wing with Netanyahu as that strong leader. He insists that Israel should take the necessary military action to smash Hamas to pieces. One of the many generals who are being interviewed said this morning that the only way to do so is to re-occupy Gaza and rule it in the way it was ruled before the Oslo Accords.

The other call for strong leadership is being advocated by Peace Now. It says that a real show of political strength would be to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas, irrespective of the rants of the opposition. As difficult as this way may seem, the right-wing alternative appears to be much more dangerous.

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