Fogel - An emerging terrorist state in Gaza

Zvika Fogel
Israel Hayom
19 August '11

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=358

[Former chief of the Southern Command, Zvi Fogel: Retake Philadelphi Corridor

Dr. Aaron Lerner  Date: 19 August 2011

Speaking in a live interview on Israel Radio Reshet Bet's noon news magazine program today, former chief of the Southern Command, Zvi Fogel said that "I was wrong when I said in the past that we could relinquish the Philadelphi Corridor and rely on Egypt."

Fogel called for Israel to retake the Philadephi Corridor that divides between Sinai and the Gaza Strip. IMRA]

Since the fall of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who fought against Hamas and understood the dangers it posed to his rule, the Sinai Peninsula has turned into a training ground and center for the development and transfer of weapons to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The loose policies of the provisional Egyptian military government, along with the increased strength and influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, have opened the border crossing between Gaza and Sinai and increased the possibility of smuggling weapons through tunnels.

Since Operation Cast Lead in late 2008, Hamas has been under constant pressure in Gaza. On the one hand, it has not been able to fulfill its promises of providing a better socioeconomic future for its citizens. On the other hand, it has also not been successful in presenting ideological military achievements. The Palestinian Authority’s intention to seek a unilateral declaration of statehood at the U.N. in September presents a serious threat to Hamas’ legitimacy, as it is not a part of this historic process. Hamas is trying to build up its infrastructure as a terrorist state in Gaza by cultivating smaller organizations that enable it to escape culpability and help it create an image of a legitimate national organization.

All of this, combined with the fact that Hamas has lost its support and ability to operate from within Syria, are fanning the flames under the tinderbox that is Gaza. The coordinated terror attacks on Thursday do not constitute a singular event, but rather a landmark in the emergence of a terrorist state in Gaza, which relies on the support of terrorist organizations like al-Qaida, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah in Sinai. If we want to live, we must act immediately to eliminate this threat. The political heads of Hamas, led by Ismail Haniyeh, as well as the heads of the military wing of Hamas and other organizations, must pay the price for this attack on our sovereignty. The Philadelphi Corridor, which comprises the border between Egypt and Gaza, must return to Israeli control.

The writer is a brigadier general (res.) and formerly GOC Southern Command.


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