Ha’aretz journalist Akiva Eldar is much beloved by the international left, regularly winning awards and having his columns splattered across lefty listservs. He’s a model of anti-Israel faux sophistication, blessed with a seemingly bottomless well of hyper-specific sage wisdom that is either annoyingly irrelevant or totally wrong. E.g.:
In internal debates, however, Saguy encouraged the political echelon to back off from the idea of a ground invasion of the Strip, and to trash Livni’s plan of “toppling the Hamas regime.” If he does not succeed in curbing these plans, disaster will result. It could be expected that lawmakers who were burned by the Second Lebanon War would understand that Israeli planes and tanks cannot replace any Arab government… In any case, someone will have to take responsibility for the fate of a million and a half human beings. It is doubtful whether the Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas will want to rule over Gaza and be portrayed as a “collaborator” with Israel.
Oh I don’t know about that:
Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah said Saturday that they were prepared to assume control over the Gaza Strip if Israel succeeds in overthrowing the Hamas government. “Yes, we are fully prepared to return to the Gaza Strip,” a top PA official told The Jerusalem Post. “We believe the people there are fed up with Hamas and want to see a new government.” Another PA official said Fatah had instructed all its members in the Gaza Strip to be prepared for the possibility of returning to power. “We have enough men in the Gaza Strip who are ready to fill the vacuum,” he said. “But of course all this depends on whether Israel manages to get rid of the Hamas regime.”
See what I mean? They just say stuff! Although in fairness – nobody has any idea what to do about Gaza. Most Israelis have zero desire to occupy one and a half million Palestinians, fevered anti-Semitic ranting about the Likud’s dark designs for a Greater Israel aside. Egypt didn’t want it back in 1967. Now that there aren’t even Israeli settlements there, why would Israel want anything to do with it? But when the choice is between having rockets falling on Israeli hospitals or dealing with Iran’s proxy army…
References:
* The way out of Gaza [Ha'aretz]
* PA ‘ready’ to take Gaza if Hamas ousted [JPost]
* Smug Liberal Sophistication Undisturbed By Decades Of Disastrously Wrong Domestic And International Predictions [MR]
Previously:
* Hamas Mocks Shalit During Gigantic Rally: "I Miss My Mom And Dad"
* Obligatory Post About Global Outrage, Newly Discovered Appreciation For Israel Security Concerns
* Of Course: "Pro-Israel" J-Street Is More Anti-Israel Than Israel’s Sworn Enemies, Equates Israeli Self-Defense With Hamas Violence
