Warning for Israel: Avoid the Iranian-Hamas Trap!

By Professor Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker

World Defense Review, International Analyst Network, 1 January 2009

The State of Israel, after some five days of its “Operation Cast Lead” which seeks to end Hamas’ and its allies’ continual rocket attacks on southern Israel—over 300 rockets being launched against Israel in the fortnight before Israel retaliated this week, and over ten times that many this past year alone, despite the 6-month ceasefire “lull”—finds itself under intense pressure to accept a ceasefire, especially from the E.U. as led by France. Despite the temptation to cave in to this pressure, Israel should reject the idea. Hamas has proposed a ceasefire, but with conditions that will allow it to rearm and reconstruct in a very dangerous way. If Israel stops its attacks on Hamas at this point, Hamas will emerge much stronger than it was—claiming victory in exactly the same way that Hezbollah claimed victory in Lebanon in 2006.

Indeed, the comparison with the Lebanon War is very apt, as both wars are the result of the influence and strategic planning of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran used the Lebanon War’s destruction to provide it with an excuse to help reconstruct Beirut and southern Lebanon. The reconstruction of southern Lebanon has not been benign, however. As documented by W. Thomas Smith, Jr.[1] and this writer[2], Iran, through its Sepah-e Qods (Qods Force) of the Pasdaran (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps=I.R.G.C.) built a high density military microwave communications system that controls all of the Hezbollah missiles in Lebanon. Hezbollah’s May 2008 revolt against the Siniora government occurred when the government tried to prevent Hezbollah activating its communications network which is controlled by Iran. Due to the weakness of the Lebanese government and the failure of the West to support it in its battle with Hezbollah, Hezbollah succeeded in the Doha agreement to wrest a veto power over the Lebanese government, and to keep its missile forces—controlled by Tehran—completely independent from the command of the Lebanese government.

If Israel allows Hamas to continue its control of Gaza, Iran will use the opportunity to reconstruct Gaza. The Islamic Republic of Iran’s reconstruction of Gaza will include the installation of an Iranian-controlled microwave communications system and rocket bunkers in exactly the same way that it did in southern Lebanon and South Beirut. As many have testified, the UNIFIL troops proved to be no barrier whatsoever to preventing Hezbollah violating a wide variety of UN Security Council resolutions declaring the area off-limits to its military forces.

 Iran will not need a nuclear weapon to attack Israel; it will have Grad and Fajr missiles close enough to target major Israeli population centers, and with the use of chemical or biological agents, create the destruction of the Jewish State, all accomplished through its Hamas and Hezbollah proxies so that the Islamic Republic can claim total innocence.

The time to stop Iran’s encirclement of Israel is now. Acceding to a cease-fire without having destroyed Hamas will leave the door open for the Iranian wolf to camp on Israel’s doorstep. That is too close, even for a well armed Israel. It also puts Iran much too close to the Suez Canal. Hamas started this war with its refusal to extend the cease-fire, and its escalation of rocket attacks; it is for Israel to finish it, once and for all, on its own terms, with the eradication of Hamas from the Gaza Strip.

Professor Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker is founder and chairman of Americans for Democracy in the Middle-East, a grass-roots organization dedicated to teaching the American public and its elected officials of the need to promote genuine democratic institutions throughout the Middle-East region as an antidote to the dangers posed by Islamic fundamentalism.

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[1] W. Thomas Smith Jr., "Militia rebuilds Beirut district in its own", The Washington Times, October 10, 2007, and W. Thomas Smith Jr., "Hezbollah is Secretly Building Battle Positions", The Tank, October 1, 2007, and World Council for the Cedars Revolution, October 2, 2007.

[2] Professor Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker, “Octopus Iran sets its tentacles into Lebanon”, World Defense Review, May 22, 2008, http://worlddefensereview.com/zucker052208.shtml.