Thoughts on Gaza Incursion- not accurate
Reader comment on item: Thoughts on the Israeli Incursion into Gaza

Submitted by Andy B. (United States), Jun 29, 2006 at 09:39

Dear Mr. Pipes,

I agree with all your suggestions to improve Israel's anti-terrorist policies.

However this statement :
"As the Israeli wall surrounding Gaza proves unable to prevent murders and abductions carried out by Palestinians..." is inaccurate.

The success of the Palestinians in constructing a tunnel to carry out a terrorist operation has underlined how terrifically successful the wall has been. The statistics speak for themselves.

The large amount of time and resources involved in building a tunnel, which can serve no more than ONE attack, requiring an armed team, which must confront a well-armed IDF, constrasts starkly with the previous simple, cheap, strategy of sending over lots of kids with
suicide belts, crossing easily at multiple locations and causing numerous civilian casualties.

It is clear in my mind that the tunnel attack was done mostly for propaganda value, by contrast with the former pattern of suicide attacks which was a very effective strategy, now made obsolete by the wall.

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Daniel Pipes replies:

The fence is tactically useful, as I noted in the article that this blog builds on. But it does not solve Israel's strategic problems.