By Ryan Jones
Jan 23, 2006
Bucking ongoing efforts to paint a picture of progress towards peace in the region, former IDF chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon Monday looked to set the record straight regarding Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and the true intentions of the Palestinian Arabs.
Ya'alon told participants at the prestigious Herzliya Conference that Israel's surrender of the Gaza Strip last summer had immeasurably damaged the nation's ability to deter Islamic aggression against its Jewish population.
?The unilateral withdrawal was seen as a retreat from the threat? of rocket and other attacks, Ya'alon said. Since then, ?Israel has been unable to create a credible deterrence for the future.?
Kassam rocket and mortar shell attacks on Israeli towns and villages surrounding Gaza have been an almost daily occurrence since the ?disengagement.?
?The more vulnerable we appear, the bigger the temptation is to attack us,? the former general noted.
Public opinion polls last summer confirmed the vast majority of Palestinian Arabs viewed Israel's pullout as a victory for terrorism, and groups such as Hamas pledged to continue and escalate the fight until more lands were surrendered.
Months prior to the removal of Jewish life from Gaza, Ya'alon was unexpectedly dismissed as chief of staff. Many believe Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz cut short his term precisely because of Ya'alon's opposition to the withdrawal.
As Israel's top officer, Ya'alon had cautioned that quitting Gaza would result in the area becoming a terrorist haven on par with Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
And now, he stated, Gaza can be accurately referred to as ?Hamastan, Hizb'allahstan and al-Qaedastan.?
Turning to the popular assertion that relinquishing lands won in the 1967 Six Day War in accordance with Arab demands will foster an atmosphere of peace, Ya'alon reminded his audience that the Arabs have been trying to destroy the Jewish presence in this region since long before that victory.
?The Arabs? refusal to recognize Israel is the source of all the violence directed against it from the dawn of Zionism to this day,? he said.
Until the Arabs truly accept Israel's sovereignty, which the tenets of Islam forbid, Ya'alon insisted the situation will not change, regardless of Israeli concessions.
That, he explained, is why there is not yet peace with the ?Palestinians.?
The Palestinian Arabs' ?decision to wage war in September 2000 was aimed at dodging the need to recognize Israel as a sovereign state.?
Ya'alon cautioned Israel's prime ministerial candidates that ?this should serve as a warning as the country?s permanent borders are set, whether by agreement or unilaterally.?
?As long as there is no acceptance of our right to exist, the Israeli leadership should assume any determined border will be challenged by violent acts.?