It's a CIVIL WAR - not a "Special Military Operation" as in the case of Ukraine

Submitted by Robert (United States), Sep 22, 2022 at 13:58

You finally wrote a very useful article elaborating what you mean by an Israeli Victory.
I wish to add to it some issues,

1. As you know, the calculating talented Putin made it illegal to call the fighting in Ukraine a "War" by Russian citizens. Your position, in avoiding the word "War" but implying it is a bit peculiar. It appears somewhat obvious that Israel has been fighting a Civil War in Mandatory Palestine since the British left and the UN General Assembly issued it's 2-state recommendation. I think it would be useful for you to call the "struggle" a Civil War. And in a Civil War the Victorious part imposes it's will. The nice thing about a Civil War, a foreign power has no right to intervene. The most useful example is China and Taiwan (formally Formosa). China my be wrong morally, but it is on sound ground legally.

2. You mention Hamas, but not (the Iranian) Islamic Jihad, or more importantly the PLO, which officially governs Palestinians with parts of Mandatory Palestine. I do not understand why you single out HAMAS while omitting the PLO under Abbas?

3. You say very little about how Israel should deal with other states, especially the most hostile, as if there is if their relationship with Israel has little to do with an Israeli Victory. I think you still find it hard to credit (or stomach) President Donald J. Trump for an Israeli Victory. It appears as if President Trump, during his 4 years did more for an Israeli Victory than even Netanyahu did in that period. And now we have Turkey's Erdogan attempting to make amend (for his Antisemitism). Maybe you believe that this involves Diplomacy, or Israel's Foreign relations for which you do not have recommendations? I think, on the other hand, that you are in an ideal position to recommend a Foreign Policy for Israel when dealing now with Turkey under Erdogan which would contribute to an Israeli Victory. The so-called Armenian Genocide is one issue: there was "no" genocide until 1945 (around WWII) about which time a Jew coined the term which the UN subsequently adopted. But the massacre of Armenians occurred before or during WWI.

In summary, I think if you call the conflict among the Jews and Arabs in Mandatory Palestine - and even Jordan - a Civil War, there will be more clarity to what you mean by "Victory." This is particularly true for Americans, when the North began to imposed its will on the rebellious South at the conclusion of the military victory by 1865. By the way, "true" occurred about 100 years later when the Civil Rights movement resulted in the laws which President Johnson signed into law and federal Marshals escorted a little Black American girl to school, for example. That is an example also of how long it took for the North to emerge Victorious. Accordingly, if we count 1948 (Israel's military victory and independence) as the beginning, The Israel should be Victorious about the year 2048. By time comparison, incidentally, we are in the midst of WWII when African Americans were serving as soldiers in the War for Democracy ...

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