| Two simple points to share about the violence now underway in and from Gaza: Those
who make comparisons to the October War of 1973 overlook the point that
this earlier war was not the result of an intelligence failure. The
Israelis had ample warning of what Egypt and its co-belligerents were
planning. The Israeli government chose to disbelieve what they were
told. Whether today’s events are also the result of self-deception
rather than ignorance is certainly possible, but only time (and the
honesty of Israeli officials) will tell. At
the present moment it is difficult to believe that calls to ‘go to the
source’, ie, Iran, won’t continue to grow in number and intensity
throughout the shell-shocked Israeli body politic. It will take great
diplomatic skill – on the part of the USA and other major world powers –
to stop a much bigger war.
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