Mao, Mao, Mao!

Finkelstein: 

The fundamental motives behind the latest Israeli attack on Gaza lie elsewhere: (1) in the need to restore Israel's "deterrence capacity," and (2) in the threat posed by a new Palestinian "peace offensive."

Israel's "larger concern" in the current offensive, New York Times Middle East correspondent Ethan Bronner reported, quoting Israeli sources, was to "re-establish Israeli deterrence," because "its enemies are less afraid of it than they once were, or should be."[5] Preserving its deterrence capacity has always loomed large in Israeli strategic doctrine. Indeed, it was the main impetus behind Israel's first-strike against Egypt in June 1967 that resulted in Israel's occupation of Gaza (and the West Bank). To justify the onslaught on Gaza, Israeli historian Benny Morris wrote that "[m]any Israelis feel that the walls...are closing in...much as they felt in early June 1967."[6] Ordinary Israelis no doubt felt threatened in June 1967, but -- as Morris surely knows -- the Israeli leadership experienced no such trepidation.
[...]
The expulsion of the Israeli occupying army by Hezbollah in May 2000 posed a major new challenge to Israel's deterrence capacity. The fact that Israel suffered a humiliating defeat, one celebrated throughout the Arab world, made another war well-nigh inevitable. Israel almost immediately began planning for the next round, and in summer 2006 found a pretext when Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers (several others were killed in the firefight) and demanded in exchange the release of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel. Although Israel unleashed the fury of its air force and geared up for a ground invasion, it suffered yet another ignominious defeat.
[...]
After the 2006 Lebanon war Israel was itching to take on Hezbollah again, but did not yet have a military option against it.


Its stuff like this that makes the injunction to 'Love Israel' or to see the Israeli state as the manifestation of some "Birthright' of mine either laughable or offensive. What's lovable here? What 'rights' does anyone think I want to lay claim to? Between 1982 and 2006 Israel lost two wars against what is arguably one of the best guerrilla armies in history. It has no real interests in Lebanon and no strategic reason to perpetuate its conflicts with Hezbollah and Syria. Arguably it could decisively end these conflict by entering into a peace agreement with Syria that would require it to relinquish the Golan Heights. But this is unacceptable to the people of the "the only democracy in the Middle East" and their leaders so the war must go on. If you start from such a batshit crazy position you can only really go to crazier and crazier places. So when you get embarrassed by a well trained, experienced, and armed guerrilla army you fret about your lack of 'deterrence capability' (remember its not at all clear what is being deterred at this point, other than a peace agreement based on international law) so then you conspire to kill a large amount of defenseless people so as to restore this magical deterrence.

I'm sure Hassan Nasrallah is pissing himself in fear now that Israel has seized back its 'deterrence'.

I also think that if this were Paris in 1967 Tzip Livni would be trying to give us copies of the little red book.