Why the protective-rebuffing from rockets’ attack Iron Dome should not be the solution to rockets fired at Israel from Gaza, at will. It is time to change Israel’s rules of engagement.
During the week of November 12-to-November 14, 2019, life in Israel has been full of tension, pressure, and anxiety.
News reports told us that “over 400 rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza.” If not for the Iron Dome system that intercepts these rockets, many of those rockets would have landed on Israeli homes, causing tremendous damage and possibly even loss of life. Everybody is singing the Iron Dome’s praises, and how it constantly saving Israel’s Homefront. Yet, I do not see this device the daily saving grace. Perhaps Israel should not rely on the Iron Dome that much.
I will explain my point.
Many years ago, before the Iron Dome was invented, and rockets were fired at Israel, almost daily and at will from Gaza, counting thousands, I said the following:
When a rocket is fired from Gaza at Israel, Israel should send enough bulldozers to raze any and all structures in one square kilometer of Gaza’s closest area to Israel’s border, annex it and prepare it to become the land of Israel, where Jewish homes will, in time, be built.
By now, accounting for the number of rockets that were fired at Israel since 2007, Gaza’s entire land area would have been flat land, part of Israel and most valuable real estate.
My imaginary solution did not happen.
I now suggest that the Iron Dome be replaced with Iron Rule. What that means is that instead of Israel depending on the Iron Dome catching 86% of the rockets fired at Israeli cities, according to official sources, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) should issue the following decisive statement: Day #1, Israel’s new war game method – the Iron Rule – will automatically fire back 100 precision rockets for every one rocket that is fired at Israel.
Starting with Day #2 – along the Iron Rule war game, Israel fires back 200 precision rockets for each rocket fired at Israel and by Day #3 it fires 300 precision rockets-for-one fried from Gaza and so on. Furthermore, the rockets fired along the Iron Rule rules of engagement will not be towards empty fields and abandoned buildings but be fired precisely to the area from where the enemy shot at Israel.
If populated Israeli cities were targeted, then populated cities in Gaza will be the return address of Israel’s precision rockets.
The Iron Rule will work along the same “rules and regulations” by sending back deadly rockets that follow when, in the first place, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah fired their rockets into Israel.
And if you are about to ask: “What will the world say?” The answer could either be politically correct or not.
Starting with the non-politically correct, the answer would be, the world would scream and condemn, no matter what Israel does, so by now why care? The job of the IDF is to protect the Jewish state – land and citizenry – and not to answer to bigots and anti-Semites who have nothing good to say about Israel, nor do they care about Jews’ wellbeing. Therefore, Israel must do whatever it takes to make sure that Israeli citizens are safe and protected. And if the world doesn’t like it, they can condemn Israel in the United Nations’ halls, as they constantly do anyhow, and for no rhyme or reason.
And as for the politically correct answer, Israel is not interested in war, never was. That is why it is called Israel Defense Forces (IDF), not Israel’s Offence Forces (IOF). Israel wants to live in peace with her neighbors, always wished for and wanted.
For that matter, when rockets were fired at Israel during the second week in November, 2019, Israel worded its declarations very carefully. The Jewish state did not start this war nor any war it had to fight previously. It will not indiscriminately fire a rocket at any location in Gaza or elsewhere. The entire decision of skirmishes, military operations or a right-out full-scale war is in the hands of Israel’s neighbors. If they shoot rockets – then and only then will Israel return fire, aimed at the very same location from where the hostility began. And yes, Israel will use its Iron Rule rules of engagement, and will fire 100-to-1 rockets and that is only because the enemy started the violence. The moment the onslaught stops, Israel will stop retaliating.
In summation, while the Iron Dome is a great military hardware defensive system, this constant back-and-forth phenomenon of Gazans firing rockets at Israel, at will, answered by Israel’s retaliatory attacks on Gaza infrastructure, will never come to an end. Because the Iron Dome is exactly that, a defensive system. Israel’s foes will continue to fire rockets and Israelis will continue running to find shelter, hoping the Iron Dome will succeed and “make the catch.”
Such life in Israel cannot continue in this way; that hundreds of thousands of Jews are now experiencing serious trauma and anxiety is a sign of unhealthy society. That an 8-year old girl suffered a heart attack from fear, as it happened, is unacceptable.
If you have ever heard the sound of a rocket exploding, or if you have ever had to run to find cover in a bomb shelter, you probably know what it feels like. It is an absolute horror.
As the sound of the siren is heard, people in Israel start running around the house making sure everyone has made it safe into the protected room; and that is if the entire family is at home. Parents scream, children scream in fear and cry loudly and babies are woken up and cry helplessly. Think; what would take place if your young child was at karate class or you were driving with 3 kids in the car while the siren tells you that you have a second or two to find shelter? This is called a chaotic scene, and that is even with the Iron Dome protecting Israel.
The Iron Rule rule of warfare conduct takes the ‘game’ to their field. It puts the pressure and stress on them as Israel hits back- hundredfold for every punch the enemy throws at Israel.
The Iron Rule system is built on offensive deterrence rather than deterrentless defense. But most important, that is the only language the Middle East players understand.
Israel, the time has come to change the rules of engagement.