Israeli Mideast expert says war’s goal is complete victory over Hizbullah

by Jill Huber
NJJN Bureau Chief/Monmouth

As the current crisis in the Middle East continues to escalate, all sides will pay a “fearful price” before a resolution of hostilities can be obtained, according to an expert on Middle East issues.

Yossi Olmert, brother of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and a Mideast expert who served as an adviser to former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, said the rockets that have been directed toward Israel and the ensuing Israeli counterattacks will cause death and destruction among all parties. However, only one outcome is acceptable: the total dismantling of the Hizbullah terrorist infrastructure.

“The road map is very clear,” said Olmert in a July 13 teleconference held two days after he spoke in West Long Branch at a State of Israel Bonds tribute dinner. “The number one item is the complete dismantling of the terrorist infrastructure in the Middle East. If it stays, there can be no meaningful progress.”

The teleconference was sponsored by United Jewish Communities and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

Despite the crisis, Olmert said, he is impressed that several Lebanese politicians have condemned the activities of the Shiite Hizbullah movement since the start of hostilities.

“I found this very interesting,” he said. “They were not playing the old game of blaming Israel all the time. There have even been some instances where Hizbullah tried to deny their responsibility for the rockets that have been fired on Haifa. Maybe they are losing their nerve.”

But Syrian rhetoric has been “pointed and sharp,” he added.

“Syria refers to Israel as an occupied territory,” Olmert said. “If Syria harbors leaders of Hamas and Hizbullah, they will pay the price. Despite Syrian promises that they will not harbor Hamas and Hizbullah, they still do. And Hizbullah continues to use Syrian access and channels for the delivery of arms from Iran. Hizbullah is the number one proxy of Syria.

“If the Syrians are taught an effective lesson, it may impact their relationship with Hizbullah,” he continued.

The Hizbullah terrorists, like those of Hamas, say they will exchange kidnapped Israeli soldiers only in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners that are currently held in Israeli jails; Israel, however, will never give in to extortion, Olmert said.

As a result, attacks in Lebanon, where Israeli jets and Navy gunboats have pounded the southern strongholds of Hizbullah, are liable to intensify, Olmert said.

“In Lebanon, Hizbullah will have to be attacked even more strongly, so the Lebanese people will see that Hizbullah is weakening,” he said. “I don’t think they see this just yet. But they will see Israel’s continuing reaction.”

Although Israel has its detractors among members of the international community, U.S. support has been strong and unwavering, Olmert said.

“The United States has condemned Hamas and Hizbullah aggression,” he said. “The U.S. has stated very publicly that Israel has the right to defend itself. But we all know that Hamas and Hizbullah will try to create humanitarian issues in an effort to gain international support and sympathy.”

The timing of the current crisis in the Middle East was well-planned, Olmert said.

“It was intentional that this climate of tension was created while Israel, the United States, and other countries were concerned with the build-up of nuclear power in Iran,” he said.

And although the Lebanese government claimed it had no prior knowledge of the Hizbullah attack, Israeli leaders rightly placed responsibility on Beirut for the latest escalation, he added.

“The Iranian-backed group that sits in the Lebanese government has never carried out United Nations Resolution 1559, which calls for all Lebanese militias to be disbanded,” Olmert said.

Meanwhile, a spirit of national unity and solidarity prevails in Israel, he said.

“The Israelis gather strength from international examples of democracy. They know that events have forced them into dealing with the problems of aggression and they have responded. Now might be the proper time to take more action than has ever been taken in the past to deal with the cancer of terrorism.”

Olmert, who is currently based in New York City, where he serves as an adviser to The Israel Project and the Middle East Forum, has participated in numerous diplomatic missions. He is a political columnist for Yediot Ahronot, Israel’s largest circulation daily; was a member of the Israeli delegation to peace talks in Syria; and was a policy adviser to former Defense Minister Moshe Arens.